Easter 2010
# 1. Who Killed Jesus?
Read – John 19:17 – 30.
The Mel Gibson film, ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ created quite a stir in North America when it was released back in 2003. According to news reports at the time, this film had created more discussion than any other film that Hollywood had ever produced. The film portrays the last ten hours in the life of Jesus and a short segment on the Resurrection.
Some people contended that the film was not historically accurate since, in their opinion, Mel Gibson stuck too closely to the Biblical record and, in their view, the Bible is inaccurate. But since it is the only ‘historical’ record we have of the crucifixion of Jesus the question hardly warrants a debate.
Others said that the film was too violent because it shows the gory side of the crucifixion of Jesus – the scourging, the nails been driven into His hands, the blood – all this, and this is wrong. It seems that with many it is alright to show films on war and crime and include all the gory stuff, but when it comes to religious film, it’s wrong. Again, the point is not worth debating.
However, the main opposition to the film at the time of its release was the view that some held that the film was anti-Semitic, that is, that it portrayed the Jewish people as responsible for the death of Jesus and that could in turn, incite people against the Jews.
Here then is a question that seems to return to us every time the subject of the death and Resurrection of Jesus is discussed, ‘Who killed Jesus?
’
‘Who killed Jesus?’ That was the title of an old Gospel song way back in the seventies. The song posed the question this was:
Was it Roman soldiers with their tools of war,
Driving nails through hands that did no wrong?
Mocking and abusing, crowing Him with thorns –
All the evidence is very strong!
Was it Pontius Pilate? He was governor,
Trying to decide the case that day;
Finding that the Saviour had no fault His own,
Was he guilty when he turned away?
Was it Hebrew children, proud of who they were?
Shouting “Crucify Him” at their King;
Trading their Messiah for a common thief,
Turning down the kingdom He could bring.
Who killed Jesus many years ago?
Who is guilty of a crime so low?
Why did He have to die?
What is the reason why?
Who killed Jesus?
I would like to know.
Would you like to know? Let’s go to the Gospels and hear what they have to say about this. To find an answer we must begin with:
1. The Lord Jesus Himself.
Read – John 10:14 – 18. Notice that Jesus predicted His death but He didn’t point the finger at anyone as planning or causing it. Sure there were many people who had a part to play in the death of Jesus – Judas, Pontius Pilate, the Jews, the Romans – but if Jesus had not allowed them to put Him to death, He would not have been killed. He had the power over life and death. He had authority over His own life. He said that He could lay it down anytime He wished and He could take it up again. That is why, throughout His public life and ministry, Jesus did not shy away from death. He actually did things which could have led to His death. For instance, early in His ministry He went to the Temple in Jerusalem and caused a ruckus. He drove out the money changers, whipped those who sold doves and got rid of the market placed there. Didn’t He know that this would make Him the enemy of the Jewish leaders who earned a good income from those things? Of course He knew it. And He knew that when He addressed God as His ‘Daddy’ (Hebrew ‘Abba’), it would have been considered blasphemy which was punishable by death.
The Gospels makes it very clear in the record of His arrest in the Garden – Read Matthew 26:47 – 54. Jesus did not try to prevent His arrest and He continued to talk of God as His Father. On one occasion He told His disciples that He was going to suffer and die and when it came time to die He would not resist but willingly give Himself up.
I think we can say without the shadow of a doubt that, before anything else, the death of Jesus was something He came to do and in fact, rather than avoiding it, He allowed it to happen. It was central to His purpose in life and He lived it out.
I think we can say, secondly, that,
2. Jewish Leaders of that Day had a part to play in the death of Jesus.
Members of several Jewish religious groups had a play in it. The Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Priests, were involved. Not all of them agreed with it, but certainly the most influential of their leaders. They viewed Jesus as a very dangerous man, one who was propagating a growing religious cult and attracting many people into what had become a national movement.
Now prior to this the Jewish people had experienced the presence of prophets who preached harsh messages condemning their practices and many of these prophets were recognized as such. With Jesus it was different. While the prophets of old followed the orthodox teachings of traditional Judaism, Jesus broke the rules. He re-interpreted Judaism. To Jewish leaders this seemed like blasphemy. Publicly they accused Him of blasphemy, which, as was known then, was punishable by death – Read John 5:18; 10:31 – 33.
Besides all this, at that time in the history of the nation of Israel, the Jews had a very fragile relationship with Rome, and it wouldn’t take much to bring the Roman authorities down on the Jewish leaders if they thought there was a bona fide religious Messiah in their mid’st. The Jewish leaders knew this and they knew that it was their responsibility to see that it didn’t happen. They wanted to get rid of Jesus to avoid a conflict with Rome. So, with the help of Judas, a disciple of Jesus, and some false witnesses, they had Jesus arrested and petitioned the Roman authorities to execute Him.
But, having said all that, we have to remember that this was a small group of men working underhand to do this. This was not everyone on the Jewish Council. And it was not the whole nation that gathered in Pilate’s court to cry “Crucify Him,” but a small group of people who gathered to destroy Him. In fact, most of the people in Jerusalem at the time had no idea that all this was happening. And don’t forget, that there were those who opposed this action and many of them wept as He was led to Mount Calvary to be crucified – Read Luke 23:27.
No one today should blame the Jewish people of our time for what a few disgruntled Jewish leaders did two thousand years ago, especially when we recall that Jesus was a Jew and Christianity had its birth in Judaism. All the early Christians and Christian leaders were Jews. Every Apostle that Jesus appointed was a Jew. We cannot lay a charge upon a nation because a handful of people chose to do something wrong.
3. The third group that is often blamed is the Romans.
The Romans, of course, are no longer around, so it is easy to blame them. However, they really represent the Gentiles in general. After all, they ruled the Gentile world. It was a representative of the Roman government that signed the order that put Jesus to death and he did so after declaring publicly, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” He had the authority to set Jesus free, but he chose to protect himself from any charge of disloyalty to Rome or to Caesar. He was not about to risk his political future for the life of an obscure Galilean carpenter turned prophet, so he gave the order to execute Jesus.
Roman soldiers carried out that order. The Bible does not tell us why they used Roman soldiers, for this was not part of their duty. It was probably done to prevent any kind of Jewish uprising against the act. Whatever the case, the Romans added to agony of Jesus by mocking Him, torturing Him, and in the end, nailing Him to a cross.
But again, we must ask ourselves the question: ‘Can we blame the whole nation of Rome for the action of one Roman bureaucrat in a colony on the outskirts of Rome itself? Can we blame the whole Gentile world for that matter when hardly anyone outside of Jerusalem knew what happened that day? I don’t think so.
So the question remains, ‘Who killed Jesus?’ Back before this film came to the screen the producer Mel Gibson had an interview with Diane Sawyers on ABC’s ‘Prime Time.’ In her interview she asked Gibson point blank, “Who killed Jesus?” I believe his answer was right. He said,
4. “We all did.’
An old Negro spiritual asks the question, ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ And, according to Peter Marshall, “Yes, we were there.’ In principle all of us were at the cross because, when Jesus died, it was our sins that nailed Him there. The Bible says, “He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquity.” We were there.
In his sermon titled ‘Were you there?’ Dr. Peter Marshall writes, ‘When we are honest with ourselves, we know that we were there too and that we helped to put Christ there. Because every attitude present on that hilltop that day is present with us now. Every emotion that tugged at human hearts then, tugs at human hearts still. Every human being was represented at Calvary, every sin was in a nail, or a spear, or the needle-like-thorns, and pardon for them all was in the blood that was shed.’
One of the words that Jesus spoke from the cross was, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” His words remind us that what they did that day, whether it was Jewish leaders, or false witnesses, or Pontius Pilate, or Roman soldiers, or the whole Jewish and Gentile world, what they did they did in ignorance. They were blind to the truth that this was the Son of God in human flesh come to save us from our sins. Many people today remain blind to that truth. And many today are blind to this truth, that the greatest need in our world is to be forgiven for our sins.
‘Who killed Jesus?’ The important thing about this question is that you and I see our part and our guilt in the whole thing and that we come seeking the forgiveness that He offered from the cross. Unless we come we remain guilty, because, you see, the guilt for the death of Jesus is not something national that can be blamed on the Jews or the Romans or Gentiles in general.
No. The guilt for the death of Jesus is something personal and individual that must be laid on my heart and your heart. I am the guilty one. You are the guilty one. The guilt lies not with our nationality but with our depravity. It lies with our sin. Anyone one who has sinned against God has a part in the death of Jesus and the Bible says ‘All have sinned.’
What can we do about it? We can open our hearts to Him, ask His forgiveness, accept His grace, and offer our lives to live for Him.
Who killed Jesus many years ago?
Who is guilty of a crime so low?
Why did He have to die?
What is the reason why?
Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.
When I think of Jesus and the way He died –
How upon Him all my sins were laid;
All the other people fade away from view –
It’s for me the sacrifice was made!
I no longer wonder anymore –
I have found what I’ve been searching for!
My sins demanded hell –
On Him the judgment fell,
I am guilty –
Now it’s plain to see.
