Jesus – Cursed?

One canard against Jesus is that the Bible has “Cursed is anyone that hangs on a tree”, and Jesus was hung on a cross, a crucifix or “tree”, so Jesus was cursed, and thus somehow this proves Jesus was cursed, so Christianity is false.

Jesus the “criminal”?

The verse comes from Deuteronomy 21:22-23, where a person executed for a crime and hung on a tree was under God’s curse.

22 A person may do an evil thing so that you punish him with death. If you have hung his dead body on a tree, 23 you must not leave it there during the night. Be careful to bury it on the same day that he died. If someone’s body is hanging on a tree, it shows that God has cursed him. So do not leave it there. The Lord your God is giving the land to you so that it belongs to you. So do not let evil things spoil your land.

Easy, Deuteronomy 21:22-23

Paul deliberately quotes this in Galatians 3:13:

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'”

Link to Easy, Galatians 3:13

Paul isn’t saying Jesus was cursed because He sinned. The entire New Testament teaches the opposite:

  • 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us…”
  • 1 Peter 2:22-24 – Jesus committed no sin, yet He bore our sins on the tree.
  • Isaiah 53:4-6 – The Servant bears our griefs and is pierced for our transgressions.
  • Galatians 3:13-14 – He became a curse for us so that we could receive Abraham’s blessing.

Jesus willingly took the punishment that belonged to us. That’s the heart of the Gospel. Just as the sacrificial lamb bore the consequences for Israel’s sins, Jesus bore the curse our sins deserved.

The irony is that the very verse meant to condemn Him actually explains His mission. He wasn’t cursed because He was guilty—He became a curse in our place so that we could be redeemed.

As Isaiah prophesied over 700 years earlier:

“The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Excerpt, Easy, Isaiah 53:6

The cross isn’t evidence against Jesus being the Messiah; it’s the fulfilment of God’s plan of redemption.

From original post by LA Apologetics 2.0 on YouTube.

Jesus – not a curse.