The Passion of Jesus Christ

Jesus was born shortly before the death of King Herod the Great and for a brief period spread his teachings in the Galilee region. He died crucified when the Roman administration of Judea was in charge of Pontius Pilate. Through the Gospels we have received a detailed chronicle of the last days of his life. Everything indicates that the episodes of the Passion of Jesus Christ were very important in the early Christian oral tradition. The violence and cruelty of his death, preceded by horrific torments and brutal vexations, raises the question of what was the meaning of these horrible sufferings. The author maintains that the answer must be sought in superior divine designs. To support his thesis, he provides fifty reasons drawn from the New Testament. Because, ultimately, God sent his own Son to die to redeem humanity from its sins.

The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What does this have to do with me? Finally, who sent him to that death? The answer to the last question is that God sent him. Jesus was the Son of God. There has been no greater suffering, but the message of the Bible in its entirety leads to this answer.

Why did Christ suffer and die? The main question about Jesus' death is not the cause, but the meaning, what God intended to say. This is what this book is about. John Piper has gathered fifty reasons from the New Testament in answer to the most important question each of us must ask ourselves.