This brings out in bold relief the fact that the horrible features of Jesus’ dying, the hatred and cruelty, were no part of the plan of salvation, and not necessary to the plan.  The cross was the invention of hate.  There is no cross in God’s plan of atonement.  It is the superlative degree of hate, brooded and born, and grown lusty in hell.  It was God’s master touch that, through yielding, it becomes to all men for all time the superlative degree of love.  The ages have softened all its sharp jagged edges with a halo of glory.

It is perfectly clear, too, that Jesus died of His own accord.  He chose the time of His death and the manner of it.  He had said it was purely voluntary on His part, and the record plainly shows that it was.  All attempts to kill Him failed until He chose to yield.  There are ten separate mentions of their effort, either to get hold of His person or to kill Him at once before they finally succeeded.  He was killed in intent at least three times, once by being dashed over a precipice, and twice by stoning, before He was actually killed by crucifixion.  Each time surrounded by a hostile crowd, apparently quite capable of doing as they pleased, yet each time He passes through their midst, and their hooked fingers are restrained against their will, and their gnashing teeth bite only upon the spittle of their hate.

This makes Jesus’ motive in yielding explain His death.  The cross means just what His purpose in dying puts into it.  If we read the facts of the gospel stories apart from Jesus’ words, the cross spells out just one word—­in large, pot-black capitals—­HATE.

What was Jesus’ motive or purpose in dying?  His own words give the best answer.  The earlier remarks are obscure to those who heard, not understood.  And we can understand that they could not.  At the first Passover He speaks of their destroying “this temple,” and His raising it in three days.  Naturally they think of the building of stone, but He is thinking of His body.  To Nicodemus He says that the Son of Man must “be lifted up”:  and to some critics that when the “bridegroom” is “taken away” there will be fasting among His followers.

Later, He speaks much more plainly.  After John has gone home by way of Herod’s red road, at the time of the feeding of the 5,000 there is the discussion about bread, and the true bread.  Jesus speaks a word that perplexes the crowd much, and yet He goes on to explain just what He means.  It is in John, sixth chapter, verses fifty-three to fifty-seven inclusive, He says that if a man eat His flesh and drink His blood he shall have eternal life.  The listening crowd takes the words literally and of course is perplexed.  Clearly enough it is not meant to be taken literally.  Read in the light of the after events it is seen to be an allusion to His coming death.  Such a thing as actually eating His flesh and drinking His blood would necessitate His death.