OF ALL WAYS TO DIE, WHY DID GOD CHOOSE CRUCIFIXION?

We "celebrated" the Lord's Supper this morning at Charlestown Independent Church, in Charlestown, Indiana.  Our "tradition" is to do so the first Sunday of every month.  I do not want to get into a doctrinal debate over this point, but some of my brethren from different denominational backgrounds feel we "do it wrong."  I will simply quote the Apostle Paul, and then go on with why God might have chosen Crucifixion.  Paul wrote:  "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come" (1 Cor. 11:26).

I have often thought of how terrible it must have been for our Father to watch sinful mortals nail His Beloved Son to a cross, and for Him to not only suffer the pain and prolonged physical agony of crucifixion, but for Him to be separated from fellowship with His Father due to our sin being placed upon Him [The Word says in 2 Cor. 5:21 - "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."]  I believe that is the reason Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Ps. 22:1; Mt. 27:46; Mk. 15:34)!  I believe it was at that very moment when His righteousness was replaced by the sin of the world, and that same holy righteousness was made available to all who would place their faith in Him!  God is Holy, and in that instant when the sky darkened at noonday (Mt. 27:45), Jesus ceased to be Holy!  Let that sink in - Oh what love!  The Bible describes His love for us in this way:  "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).

But why crucifixion?  I can think of two reasons that make sense, at least to me.  For one, the prophecies concerning the Lord's death needed to be specific so that when it occurred, there could be no doubt He was the One; the Psalmist (Ps. 22), and Isaiah (Isa. 53) were written long before crucifixion existed; about eight hundred years after the Psalmist, and four hundred years after Isaiah.  If He had been killed by hanging, stoning, beheading, poisoning, etc. it would not have revealed the specific time in history, nor the "agents" who would carry out His sacrifice for us.  The timing of Christ's death was to occur exactly when it did (Gal. 4:4).  There was to be no doubt Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy!

A second reason for God choosing to have His Son die by crucifixion, was because it was clear He was murdered; it could not have been a suicide carried out by some insane lunatic who wanted to go down in history as Israel's Messiah.  Crucifixion requires others to carry it out.  God chose the time when Rome would be in power, and He chose the method which revealed His Son was murdered. 

For centuries, the Jews have been blamed for being "Christ-killers."  Ironic, isn't it, that crucifixion, as far as we know, was never used by Jews.  Others have been quick to blame the Roman Empire for slaughtering God's Son, but that isn't entirely true either.  The bottom line is, Jesus was not killed by Jews, or Romans, or even the entire race of sinful man; Jesus offered Himself because He loved us!  The Word says He was "slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8)!  And He clearly declared no man could take His life without it being the very will of God:

"Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father" (Jn. 10:17-18).

Scourging, beating, thorns, and nails - that is how much He loves us!