Cinquain Verse 11 - Silly Me...I didn't do the part about being slain.
Why is the part about Christ being killed so important?
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:1-6
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:10-11 (ESV)
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (ESV)
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV)
It it spelled out in the above verses...we were God's enemies because of our sin nature. That original sin separated us from God. Since there is no lasting joy, hope or peace outside of God and since all good things come from Him, we should want to be friends with Him. Since He is the essence of beauty and light and everything outside of that is suffering, darkness and fear we should want to be only where he is. Christ's death made that possible. He made peace with God for us. He is the bridge between God and man.
Why did he have to die though? Why not something else?
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
Leviticus 17:11 (ESV)
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Hebrews 9:22 (ESV)
Our sins have to be paid for one way or another. We cannot be where God is if we have an unpaid debt of sin. Christ did that for us, He was the solution.
What do we do about that? Believe it is so, give up on doing it alone and submit to Christ. That is what believe means, to trust that everything you need is with God and that you can be with Him because Christ's death not only paid our bail but released us from jail permanently.
Another lizard pic:
