So, I've been struggling with my view of who Jesus is to me...who was he and what does that mean to my life? Ironically, one of my classes helped me with this. I find this ironic because I hate this class with a firey passion. Perhaps this revelation is why God sent me here? Maybe...anyway, this was written for a class as a response to a reading we did, and here is the question for reflection (which makes sense even if you didn't read the book *wink*)...

WHY IS JESUS' DEATH IMPORTANT FOR A CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING OF WHO HE IS AND HOW HE SAVES US? YOUR ANSWER SHOULD ADDRESS WHAT HAPPENS TO JESUS, GOD AND US AS A RESULT OF JESUS' DEATH.

So, here is my response...pretty much a summery of my current view on Jesus...pretty much, there's more to it, but this is a good start:

Jesus’ death is important because it does relate to us who he was and what he did. Jesus died a terrible and bloody death on a cross, humiliated and beaten to within an inch of his life and left to be displayed for all to see. He did this, because of his love for God and God’s creation, because of his love for humankind. Jesus takes on the suffering of the world in his death and in doing so suffers for us and with us at the same time. His death and suffering is also important because it serves as an example to us. Jesus called for his disciples to suffer with him, to feel the pain of a suffering world with him and to do something about it to ease that pain. Jesus has suffered and died to redeem the people of God and give hope to them all, the hope that God is there, that God knows our pain and feels it, and that God has sent someone to suffer and feel the pain of the world as an example that he loves us and knows our pain. In doing this, God is affected. He sent Jesus to live with us, to live through a human life of pain and suffering, to love creation and all people in the world. God experienced through Jesus what the suffering of the world is like and in doing so, is changed and affected, and has done something about it. God is a God of the neglected and forsaken in the world, the ones who suffer and are in pain. God is with us in our pain and feels with us. In the same way, we are affected by the death of Jesus, because we see this incredible love that Jesus had for creation that he suffered because of who he was and because of the love he had in his heart for the world. One can not help but be affected by a love that deep.