If this reminds you of Friedrich Nietzsche, think again, because I am actually paraphrasing Peter at Pentecost.
To begin some meditative thoughts on Acts 2:23: God died. The immortal experienced the horror of mortality as a mortal. This is a mystery to boggle the mind and cause one to fall down to the ground in wonder and awe. Only God could die and bear the wrath of God for others, and yet it must be a mortal who was the sacrifice for mortals. A conundrum? Not for the perfect wise Son of God, who became flesh to die.
Why did He die? Because of us. Our sins were the cause of his death. We killed him. Peter does not blunt his words to the Jews at Pentecost. "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death." Oh yes! Praise the Lord that the whole time it was in his determined purpose and foreknowledge, but do not let the doctrine of soveriegnty ever blunt the horror of our sin. Every sin we have ever committed or will ever commit - every unkind word, every hateful thought, every single sin - are what necessitated the death of Jesus. God forsook God because of us. Oh, the benighted state of humanity! Oh, the black wretchedness of sin!
But that previous statement is incomplete. Peter does not just want the Jews at the Pentecost to wallow in regret and despair. Instead, the fact that Jesus died because of us is intimately connected to the truth that Jesus died for us. He took all the wrath of God upon Himself and therefore we can be right before God. Note the profound import of these words: "He became sin for us, that we might have the righteousness of God in Him."
Finally, Acts 2: 23 cannot be separated from verse 24: "whom God raised up." God has died, but wait, Nietzsche - God is not dead. The God and Savior of the world had His heal crushed, but He crushed the head of His mortal enemy - the war is won! So, my friends and patient readers, fight on. If Christ has won the war, why let the Serpent win the battle of the day. "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."
His strength and His power is real and unconquerable, because HE IS RISEN, and He leads captivity captive!!
"If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! . . . BUT now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep!" - 1 Corinthians 15:17,20
