In that last long talk with the eleven, “that the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father gave me commandment even so I do.”  The dying was in obedience to His Father’s wish, and was to let men know of the great love between Father and Son.  “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  This dying was for these friends.  And in that great prayer that lays His heart bare, “for their sakes I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified in truth.”  The dying is for others, and is for the securing in these others of a certain spirit or character.  The reference to the dying being in accord with the Father’s wish comes out again at the arrest, “The cup that the Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”

To these quotations from Jesus’ lips may be added a significant one from the man who stood closest to Jesus.  Referring to a statement about Jesus made by Caiaphas, John adds:  “being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; and not for the nation only, but that He might gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad.”  As John understood the matter, the death was not simply for others, but for the Jewish nation as a nation, and beyond that for a gathering into one of all of God’s children.  Jesus was to be God’s magnet for attracting together all that belong to Him.  The death was to be a roadway through to something beyond.

From His own words, then, Jesus saw a necessity for His dying.  He “must” be lifted up.  That “must” spells out the desperateness of the need and the strength of His love.  Sin contains in itself death for man as a logical result.  And by death is not meant the passing of life out of the body.  That is a mere incident of death.  Death is separation from God.  It is gradual until finally complete.  Love would plan nothing less radical than a death that would be for man the death of death.  His death was to be for others, it was purely voluntary, it was by agreement with His Father, in obedience to His wishes, and an evidence of His filial love.  The death is a step in a plan.  There is something beyond, growing out of the death.

Jesus plans not merely a transfer of the death item, but a new life, a new sort of life, in its place.  The dying is but a step.  It is a great step, tremendously great, indispensable, the step that sets the pace.  Yet but one step of a number.  Beyond the dying is the living, living a new life.  He works out in Himself the plan for them—­a dying, and after that a new life, and a new sort of life.  Then according to His other teaching there is the sending of some One else to men to work out in His name in each of them this plan.  That plan is to be worked out in each man choosing to receive Him into his life.  He will send down His other self, the Holy Spirit, to work this out in each one.  Jesus’ death released His life to be re-lived in us.  Jesus plans to get rid of the sin in a man, and put in something else in its place.  The sin must be gotten out, first washed out, then burned out.  Then a new seed put in that will bear life.  What a chemist and artist in one is this Jesus!  He uses bright red, to get a pure white out of a dead black.