Jesus Died for You and I

Yahoo news reported that fitness guru, Jack LaLanne died at the age of 96.

He was a pioneer of healthy living and regular daily exercise long before it was a national obsession. Famous not only for his television exercise programs, chain of fitness studios, and sponsorship of the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer, he also gained notoriety for some pretty memorable fitness stunts. At the age of 43, he performed more than 1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes on the "You Asked For It" television show.

At 60, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat. At 70, he performed a similar stunt in Long Beach harbor.  As late as 2006, he was still keeping up his own personal exercise regimen, making television appearances and granting interviews. Notably, he remarked, "I can't afford to die. It would wreck my image."  

When Jesus first told his disciples that the Son of Man must die and be offered up, they couldn't believe it.   How could he possibly accomplish His work if He were only sent here to die? It would "wreck his image.” After all, who will follow a dead Messiah?

It was then that Jesus revealed the plan—death wouldn’t wreck His image; it would solidify it as the Savior of the World. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28) … “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. … and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. … And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:23-32).


Jack Lalanne boasted (albeit jokingly) that he couldn't afford to die. For our sakes, Jesus couldn't afford not to. It was "for this very reason" that He came