Love and Sacrifice When two people fall out, it ’s not always the person in the wrong who restores the relationship. Often, it’s the innocent party that takes the first step toward reconciliation. When those in the wrong experience unexpected love or kindness, it can give them the courage to overcome pride or guilt and genuinely apologise. Jesus: No one can give greater proof of love, than by laying down their life for their friends. (John 15:13) But God cannot die. And in His pure divine form, God cannot interact with humans in a way we can fully comprehend. So, if God wanted to give the greatest possible proof of love, He had to do it in human form, fully experiencing the depth of human emotions, including fear and pain. No human would invent a story in which a divine being comes to earth only to be rejected, tortured, and killed. It defies every human concept of divine power and authority. Yet the evidence in the Gospels declares that Jesus was divine—and that He willingly laid down His life. God has the power to enter the world in human form while simultaneously remaining sovereign in heaven. As a human, Jesus relied entirely on this divine connection for guidance and miraculous power. Yet He also made bold statements that revealed His true identity: • The Father and I are one . (John 10:30) • If you had recognised me, you would have known my Father also. For the future you will recognise him, indeed you have already seen him. (John 14:7) • Have I been with you all this time, and you still don ’t recognise me? The person who has seen me has seen the Father . (John 14:9) Why Death? Jesus: The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. (Mt. 20:28, Mk 10:45) Modern high-level contracts are drawn up by lawyers and signed by all parties. In the ancient world, however, the most serious agreements were sealed with blood. In Israel and surrounding nations, covenants were sealed with the blood of a sacrifice. To “cut a covenant” meant cutting animals in sacrifice, their blood symbolizing the life-and-death seriousness of the promise being made (Genesis 15; Exodus 24:8) . It was the most binding agreement possible. Ritual animal sacrifice was also a central biblical practice among the Hebrews, serving as a symbolic act of atonement for sin. This practice foreshadowed the ultimate act of sacrifice, when Christ Himself would give His life. In doing so, heaven possibly made its greatest concession — the Eternal Word trading majesty for agony and glory for suffering in demonstrating divine love for humanity by confronting the consequences of human sin in ways still beyond our full understanding. At the last supper, Jesus took the cup and declared: • This is my covenant blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28) • This is my covenant blood, which is poured out on behalf of many. (Mark 14:24) • The new covenant made by my blood, which is being poured out on your behalf. (Luke 22:20) Jesus made it clear: His death was no accident but the fulfilment of a divine plan. He was establishing a New Covenant—one that extended to all of humanity, fully surpassing the covenant God had made through Moses at Mount Sinai. The Cross By shedding His blood on the cross, He became both priest and sacrifice, the ultimate act of atonement, sealing a covenant not with the blood of animals, but with His own life. The New Covenant is therefore a divine contract between heaven and humanity. It declares that the way to eternal life is opened, and access is available to all who genuinely seek it. This covenant is God’s binding commitment to us. In His parables, Jesus revealed this invitation again and again, showing that some would accept and others would reject, but the covenant itself stands, unbreakable and written in His blood. No contract in human history has ever been sealed at such a cost. In giving His life, Jesus confirmed beyond doubt: He is both the sacrifice and the seal of an eternal covenant. The Final Commission After His resurrection, Jesus reminded His disciples: This is what I told you when I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Scripture says that the Messiah will suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem . (Luke 24:44–49) Sin has the power to divide. If it can separate people from one another, it certainly separates us from God. In this sense, sin represents the great divide between God and humanity, a divide that exists only on the human side of the relationship. Forgiveness is the removal of that divide. Humanity caused the rift with God, yet throughout the Gospels, Jesus makes it clear: the separation can be healed. He came to restore the relationship, and willingly endured a painful death to make that possible. Everything we need to overcome the separation has already been given. The Gospels preserve the very words of that higher power, who walked the earth as one of us.