Piper, John creator text Crossway Books 2004 monographic Why did Christ suffer and die? The central issue of Jesus' death is not the cause, but the meaning-God's meaning. That is what this book is about. The author has gathered from the New Testament 50 reasons. Not 50 causes, but 50 purposes - in answer to the most important question that each of us must face: What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?