Jesus actually did withdraw for a brief period of time – not because He was afraid, but because He knew it was not yet God’s time for His ministry to come to an end (see John 11:54). That time would come a few weeks later, during the annual feast of the Passover in Jerusalem.

Why did Jesus deliberately put Himself in the hands of those who wanted to kill Him? The reason is because Jesus Christ came to earth for one reason: to make our salvation possible. Only one thing separates us from God, and that is our sin. But sin can’t simply be excused or erased from our record, because God is holy and just. And because of that, justice must be done, and sin must be punished.

But the heart of the Gospel is this: Jesus Christ – who was God in human flesh – took upon Himself the judgment and punishment we deserved. He was without sin, but when He went to the cross all our sins were placed on Him, and He died in our place. The Bible says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

As Christians around the world remember Jesus’ death on this day, I invite you to pause right now and thank God for loving you and sending His Son to die for you. Then open your heart to Christ, and from this moment on become His follower.