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The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die

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In light of the recent Christian and secular excitement over Mel Gibson's movie, John Piper has responded in a small book (129 pages) entitled, "The Passion of Jesus Christ."

The goal of this book was to answer the many questions of people who may have seen Gibson's movie and/or have been contemplating the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

"My aim is to let the Bible speak. This is where we hear the Word of God. I hope that these [scripture] pointers will set you on an endless quest to know more and more of God's great design in the death of his Son." (pg. 12)

The violence and enormity of Christ's death will eventually lead one to ask the question, "why did he have to suffer so much?" This is the very question that Piper aims to answer.

However, it must be noted that Piper qualifies this question by saying that instead of answering the <i>cause</i> of why Christ suffered and died, we must see the <i>purpose</i> to His suffering and death. In his own words he says, "when all is said and done, the most crucial question is: Why? Why did Christ suffer and die? Not why in the sense of cause, but why in the sense of purpose. What did Christ achieve by his passion? Why did he have to suffer so much? What great thing was happening on Calvary for the world? " (pg. 17)

The remainder of the book is 50 purposes to why Christ suffered and died. These purposes are masterfully expounded from the Scriptures. He gives the reader a doctrinally sound theological answer to many questions that believers and unbelievers may ask regarding the death and suffering of Jesus Christ.

This book is no mere tract, but a thought provoking defense of the great doctrines of the Christian faith. These doctrines are unfolded as the question of Christ suffering is answered within each chapter. It fulfills its aim to let the Word of God speak to the reader, by basing every argument from the Scriptures.

For example, he tackles common questions like:

<li> How can God be loving and just? (chapter 1)
<li> Who's idea was it for Jesus to die? (chapter 2)
<li> What does it mean for Christ to learn obedience and to be perfected? Wasn't he already obedient and perfect? (chapter 3)
<li> How can we properly understand God's love and grace? (chapter 5)
<li> What is justification? (chapters 7-12)
<li> How is His death unique and how does it compare with the sacrifice of animals? (chapter 24-31)

This book was overall a well written wakeup call to the reality of the suffering of Jesus Christ, which demands an inescapable response.

Read this book and pass it along to a friend.

What the MOVIE "The Passion Of The Christ" LACKS is CONTEXT. "WHY?" is what many have asked after seeing the film. This book explains the "why" of the suffering and death of Jesus. It provides the Biblical-theological CONTEXT necessary to understand the passion of Jesus Christ. You may not like and/or agree with what Piper writes, but to argue with the book, you're going to have to argue with the Bible. He's simply exposing what's in the Bible and taking it at face value. The chapters are brief (2 pages), to the point, and well-written. In fact, it's the best brief treatment of the "why" of Jesus' death ever written. See the movie, then read the book, and it will at least provide and explanatory "frame" for what you've seen. A VERY good book!

Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die has almost that many reasons why you should read it. This multi-purpose book grabs your attention from the moment you open it. Quoting from Isaiah 53, John Piper dedicates this book to Jesus Christ. Immediately demanding thought with an introduction that knocks you off your balance and sets you into God's balances, Piper opens his subject by looking at Christ and at Christians' sin, including an apology for the heinous way many Christians have acted through the centuries. His aim is to answer "the most crucial question...Why did Jesus come to die? Not why in the sense of cause, but why in the sense of purpose...What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?" (17)

Each of the fifty reasons covers only 2 or 3 pages. But each of those reasons and their Scripture proofs are guaranteed to make a Christian sweat, apologize, marvel, and pray. You will find familiar and not so familiar reasons herein. Just a few include: To Absorb the Wrath of God; For the Forgiveness of Our Sins; To Bring Us to Faith and Keep Us Faithful; To Heal Us from Moral and Physical Sickness; To Free Us from Slavery; To Give Marriage Its Deepest Meaning; To Free Us from the Fear of Death; To Disarm Rulers and Authorities; To Destroy the Hostility Between Races; and To Show That the Worst Evil Is Meant by God for Good.

Closing materials include a valuable bibliography of books about the historical reliability of the Bible. Prolific Christian author, Piper has poured his heart into this book, using his winsome, straightforward style to once again turn a spotlight on his Lord. Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die is a wonderful book for private devotions, but its uses don't stop there. Among other things it is also a good reference for group study, homilies, and sermons; a fine source for family discussions; a wonderful gift; and a witnessing tool. This is a book I'll keep on my reading stand, to go back to, argue with, and allow it lead me into worship and prayer. - Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews.com

Before this, it was easy to say "Jesus died on the cross" without having any real knowledge of what that means. So what DOES it mean? Well, 50 things, at least. John Piper has organized and expounded Biblical truths regarding the death of Christ in a readable, easy to understand format. While the movie "The Passion" primarily focuses on physically what that death meant to Jesus, the book goes into what it means for US. The book explains many things I had not understood or thought of before though I have been a Christian for years, yet it also covers the basics for non-Christians who may read it. Read this book and you will never be able to flippantly say "Jesus died on the cross" again.

John Piper does an excellent job exegeting why Christ suffered and died. Each of the 50 chapters is a straightforward analysis of 2-4 Bible verse from the Old and New Testaments. His points are clear, focused, and short (each is 2 pages). He covers a range of topics from sin to atonement to justification to discipleship to salvation, each intimately tied to the cross. I think a mature Christian will gain a lot from Piper's 50 points, and can effectively use them in evangelization.

Piper elegantly disects the issue of the significance of Christ's suffering. The book was released conveniently around the same time that Mel Gibson's movie was stirring up controversy in the media. Where Mel's movie fails to explain, Piper is quick to interject meaning. This book is not just recommended to people searching for answers to questions about the crucifixion of Jesus, but also for Christians who enjoy the shear joy and pure logic of the cross. Refreshingly, the book is not a defense of a tradtion, but an honest search for truth.

The salvation offered in the gospel is so much more than simply the forgiveness of our sins. Salvation is Jesus Christ also includes our justification, union with Christ indwelling of the Holy Spirit, new nature and many other benefits. Lewis Sperry Chaefer, the first president of Dallas Seminary, once wrote that there are 33 things that are applied to you the moment you believe all based upon the work of Christ on the cross. While John Piper is not trying to demonstrate the truthfulness of Chaefer's thesis, his book "The Passion" does much the same thing. Piper unfolds for the reader many of the salvation benefits won for the believer by Christ death on the cross. One of the strengths of Piper's book is that he has written it for the average reader with easy vocabulary and short chapters. With skill and insight, Piper chapter explains why Christ died and how that effects the sinner. This is a GREAT book for a new believer. It also is a wonderful tool to use with a non-Christian who is wanting to know more about the gospel. It could be used as a study on the gospel, meeting weekly to talk through the nature of salvation offered in Christ's gospel. The only weakness of the book is that some of the chapters can seem redundant but this is only a very minor issue.

Why was Jesus Christ crucified? That is the question that John Piper addresses in this small book, consisting of fifty short devotional chapters. Each chapter begins with a Scripture verse giving a reason why Jesus Christ came to die followed by a short exposition of that verse. Piper begins with reasons associated more closely with the work of atonement specifically (such as propitiation, substitution, ransom, forgiveness, redemption, justification, and reconciliation), and then moves on to reasons that show how Christ's death affects our Christian walk (for example, #38: To Create a Band of Crucified Followers). This is a very Christ-centered, cross-centered, gospel-centered work. Like Paul's preaching to the Corinthians, John Piper's teaching in this small book knows "nothing... except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). As such, this book is well-suited for everybody. It presents the gospel plainly to the lost, and to believers it brings further appreciation for the wondrous work of Christ on the cross on our behalf.

In light of the popularity of Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ," this is a good theological book with 2-page chapters that can be used as a backdrop showing the necessity of Christ's death (and resurrection). Using scripture left and right, Piper comes up with succinct points that clearly show how and why the horrible crucifixion was necessary. It can be utilized as a devotional, as it's difficult (read: tedious) to put six or seven of these chapters together. Piper made this book available to churches at an extremely low cost and is donating the proceeds, which is quite admirable as well. (In other words, he's not piggybacking on Gibson's movie all the way to the bank.) Overall, I like the read and am glad to recommend it.

this book helps you understand the importance of Christ's suffering which cannot be fully portrayed in a movie (or fully understood in an entire lifetime of studying for that matter). piper is a great writer whose writings are based entirely on Scripture. i find it interesting that other people who have rated this book poorly do so anonymously yet everyone else gives it 5 stars... if you are familiar with john piper, you know he is Biblically solid as a writer and preacher, and i'd highly recommend any of his stuff.

anyhow, i recommend this particular book to anyone because it is such a short and quick read. it's also a great gift to witness to friends who have seen the movie and have more questions. of course with it's brevity, this book's not supposed to be exhaustive on any of the 50 reasons, but it does give 50 reasons, based on scripture, written concisely. read it for yourself or buy it for someone else; all in all a great book.