Who Killed Jesus
Introduction:
In the early hours of the morning in Chicago, Illinois, way back in 1910 Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hiller were lying in bed when Mrs. Hiller sensed something was wrong. She awoke to see that the gas light outside their bedroom door was out. She woke her husband and asked him to go investigate. Unfortunately, Mr. Hiller never got the chance to fix the night light. While he was out in the hall, he encountered a burglar and struggled with him at the top of the stairs. Several shots rang out, and Mr. Hiller ended up being shot twice… and died within moments. The burglar fled into the night. But, later during the early hours of the morning, local police questioned a parolee named Thomas Jennings. Jennings was injured, had a loaded gun, and was on parole for a previous burglary. That alone would have made him a suspect in 1910, but something else confirmed the fact that he had been in the Hiller home that night and was indeed the killer.
In 1904, Scotland Yard had brought an exhibit to the St. Louis World’s Fair. They demonstrated a new science to identify criminals long after they left the scene of the crime called fingerprinting.
American police officers were so intrigued that Scotland Yard began training many in law enforcement field on how to find and match fingerprints left at the scene of a crime with those of suspects. Thomas Jennings had the singular honor of being the first killer to be convicted by the use of evidence from the use this new science. Unfortunately for him, a railing outside the home had just been painted the day before… and he left a clear imprint in the still drying paint.
In Law Enforcement, if someone’s fingerprints are found at the scene of the crime police will detain them as “persons of interest”. This is a polite way of saying: the police think they did it!
When it comes to the death of Christ on the cross there are several “Persons of Interest” who may be said to be “suspects” in the crime. The question we want to answer this morning is who is it that killed Jesus? If we were to take modern day methods of investigation whose names would come up as suspects for the crime.
Following World War II the Unites States along with the other allied nations rounded up some of the key leaders from among Germany’s Nazi party. They wanted to hold someone responsible for the great crimes that took place. Many of them were charged with crimes against humanity for their roles in the Nazi death camps that put to death over 6 million people. They held those trials in Nuremburg, and many of those people were put to death for their part in “crimes against humanity”. I don’t suggest we round up those responsible for the death of Jesus and wage massive executions for crimes against humanity, but I do suggest we look to see where the blame might fall.
For us the death of Jesus is one of the most significant events in all of history. It is as the Bible says through the death of one man that life was brought to all of us. Perhaps for us living today when we read of the death of Jesus it is one of those bitter sweet things. It is bitter because we know he did not deserve to die. When you read the Gospel accounts you can’t help, but to root for Jesus. It is sweet because His death was for the forgiveness of our sins.
Let us take a journey back in time about 2,000 years to the area of Palestine. Who is it that is responsible for the death of Jesus.
Text: Luke 22:66-Luke 23:25
I. Pilate and the Romans Did
John 19:10
One of the suspects in the crucifixion of Jesus would be Pontius Pilate and the Romans. It was the Romans who held control over the area of Palestine during Jesus’ life. Crucifixion was a Roman method of execution and not a Jewish method of execution. It was Pilate who gave into the crowds and allowed Jesus to be crucified. Certainly the Romans are to be guilty of some of the blood that was shed. Why did the Romans hate Jesus so much? I believe there were many reasons they hated Jesus.
1. He Preached Against Immorality
It is no secret that the first century Roman world was very immoral. You may remember that John the Baptist was killed because he preached against an act of immorality taking place in Herod’s household. Jesus came onto the scene and he preached against immorality. Pilate and the Romans may have seen Jesus as threat to their society and their way of life. Certainly, Jesus would have been troubled at some of the things he would have seen throughout the world. He called people to live a holy lifestyle. He, like John the Immerser preached a message calling people to repent of their wickedness.
2. He Had a Following
The Romans could have seen Jesus as a political threat. Perhaps they thought that Jesus would gather together a great crowd and lead a Jewish revolt upon the Roman rule. Perhaps they heard rumblings about a new kingdom which was being established and saw that as a great threat to the Roman kingdom. While Jesus was greatly hated by many he also drew great crowds and great interests from the people. We even learn in Luke’s account that Herod had heard of Jesus and wanted to see him himself. Jesus was not just some unknown figure in that time, but by the time of his execution he would have been a well known figure in the world in which he lived. When he preached he drew great crowds. We hear stories of thousands upon thousands of people assembled to listen to Jesus teach. We read of the streets of Jerusalem lined with people giving him a royal welcome one week before his death. Perhaps the Romans saw crucifying Jesus as a political move that would silence the talk of this coming kingdom and would disperse the followers of Jesus. Perhaps they saw it as a preemptive strike upon a brewing revolution.
Luke 23:1-5
As the Jews tried to persuade Pilate that the case was worthwhile, the used this same argument. They knew the best way for the Romans to kill Jesus was to make them think he was a political threat. A closer look at the accusations made against him reveals to us that those accusations are not true. Pilate may have been convinced that Jesus was innocent and should not be killed, however he gave into the crowds. It was upon a Roman cross that he was killed. It was in a Roman court he was convicted. It was Roman soldiers which whipped our Lord. It was Roman nails placed into his hands and feet. It was Roman soldiers who mocked him as he hung on the cross. The Jews had no authority to execute anyone under Roman law, so the Romans were partly guilty for the death of Jesus. The Romans did the leg work, but they weren’t alone.
II. The Jews Did
We also have to conclude that the Jews played a large role in the death of Jesus, perhaps to even a great extent than the Romans. Many of the Jews, especially the chief priests, Pharisees and teachers of the Law despised Jesus.
Matthew 12:14
Isn’t it ironic that a group of people that bound so much law upon other people studied the Scriptures so diligently and legalistically upheld a moral code would blatantly conspire lies in order to have an innocent man put to death. It is not very politically correct to assert that the Jews played a role in the crucifixion of Jesus.
Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ” created quite a stir over the question who really killed Jesus. The Jewish world did not like the allusion in the movie that the Jews had a role in killing Jesus. The movie was labeled by many as anti-Semitic in nature.
Jerusalem Rabbi Eliezar Berkovits said, "Christianity’s New Testament has been the most dangerous anti-Semitic tract in history." His opinion is shared by a growing number of Christian theologians, many of whom are calling for editorial exclusion of all "anti-Jewish" sections of the New Testament, particularly in John’s gospel.
The publicity-conscious group of scholars known as the Jesus Seminar now declares that all passages in the Gospels that claim the Jews were at least partly responsible for the Crucifixion are not authentic and should be removed from the New Testament
Nonetheless, it is hard to escape the reality that the Jews of Jesus’ day played a large role in his death. The Apostle Peter even asserted this same thing on the Day of Pentecost just about fifty days following his death.
Acts 2:23; 36
Understand this plainly that the Jews may not have fully believed Jesus was the Messiah, but they certainly knew they were killing an innocent man who did not deserve to die. Why did the Jews of Jesus’ day hate him so much?
1. They Misunderstood His Teaching
Jesus’ teaching was often misunderstood by the Jewish listeners and even by his disciples. In fact some of the things he taught were hard pills for the crowds to swallow. Sometimes Jesus’ teaching made people mad. You might imagine how some of the things he taught if not correctly understood would have been highly offensive to the Jews. He taught that he was going to tear down the Temple. They saw this as blasphemy and highly offensive. Of course Jesus did not mean the literal Temple, he meant his physical body. He taught that he was greater than even their patriarch Abraham. They would have viewed this as arrogant and ridiculous. Jesus came onto the scene and he said he was the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. He raised the standard by which they were to live. He tolerated the people breaking certain Sabbath Laws and wasn’t even zealous enough to stone a woman caught in the act of adultery. He claimed to be King of a Kingdom. When Jesus claimed the power to forgive sins that really set the Jews over the edge, because in their minds no one could forgive sins, but God. Too bad they failed to realize that God was among them. If they Jews had understood what Jesus was saying they may not have been so mad, but in their zeal they hated Jesus for what he taught? They totally misunderstood His teaching and His message and some of the things he said served as things the Jews would use against him during his trial.
2. He Was Not the Messiah They Expected
The Jews established in their minds exactly what the Messiah was going to be like and what his ministry was going to entail. They had some Old Testament prophecies to go by, but many of their concepts came from Jewish traditional teachings about the Messiah. They saw the Messiah as someone who would come and overthrow the Roman rule and establish a new kingdom. They saw him as one who would come in power and lead a conquest throughout Palestine. They saw the Messiah as a political figure that would take the throne and reign with power. Jesus simply did not fit their mold for a Messiah. He was not from a wealthy family. He wasn’t part of the Jewish elites. He didn’t network well, he didn’t care to associate with the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, but rather was a friend of sinners. Jesus certainly was not the Messiah they expected. However, had they looked a little closer they may have seen things a little different. The truth is they wanted a Messiah to come and fill their needs and not challenge them. They wanted a Messiah who was going to be what they expected and they were unwilling to accept His teaching no matter how clear and authoritative it was. Their minds were closed and their hearts were hard. All they could think to do was plot to kill Jesus because they didn’t like what he taught and he didn’t fit their “Messiah mold”.
3. He Challenged Commonly Held Beliefs and Practices
Jesus’ teaching was absolutely revolutionary in the world in which he lived in. He taught people to love their enemies and pray for those that persecute. He taught them that it was not just about the outer actions seen by others, but that our motives matter as well. He taught them that they shouldn’t do their good works in order to be seen by men and gain approval of others, but rather should do it so no one else knew you were doing except the Lord.
4. He Did Not Tolerate The Jewish Leaders
I find it quote ironic that in Jesus’ preaching he is quite gracious with those horrible sinners, but he had a hard time with the religious people of his day. He preached an “in your face” style of preaching towards the Pharisees and he even believed in name calling. I Matthew 23, he repeatedly called the Pharisees and teachers of the Law hypocrites. He proceeded to question the spirituality. He went into the Temple with a whip and drove out the money changers. The religious leaders of the day like many today didn’t like the finger being pointed at them. They wanted to get back at Jesus for his preaching at them. Could you imagine how they had to seethe with anger as Jesus called them whitewashed tombs and accused them of killing the prophets sent to them? They hated Jesus’ guts because he did not go along with their teaching and hypocrisy.
5. He Had A Following
Jealousy had to play a factor as well. The Jews would have been indignant that Jesus was being so effective. His teaching was seen as threatening to the teaching of many of his day. Jesus always drew a capacity crowd. As that following began to increase so too did the hatred of many of the Jews towards him.
The Jews played a large role in the death of Jesus. It was the Jews who continuously questioned Jesus with the intent of trapping him. It was the Jews that conspired to get Jesus arrested. It was the Jews that brought false accusations against him and even paid people to lie about him. It was the Jews in the crowds shouting for Jesus to be crucified. It was the Jews who stood by and watched as an innocent man was put to death. Jesus was not shocked by all this. He knew this would happen. That is why in the beginning of John’s Gospel it says that, “Jesus came to that which was his own, yet his own did not receive him.” Jesus knew he would be killed before he ever started preaching. The Jews played a large role in his death; however, they were not alone!
III. We Did
The Dutch artist, Rembrandt once created a powerful painting of the Crucifixion. It’s powerful because of the attention to detail. When you look on the picture your eyes are immediately drawn to Cross with Christ hanging there. Then your attention becomes focused on the crowd gathered at the foot of the Cross you can see the attitudes and actions of the people that are there. And lastly – if you look closely – you can see at the edge of the picture, that there’s someone standing in the shadow. It is Rembrandt himself. Rembrandt was declaring that he realized he had helped to crucify Jesus. His fingerprints were figuratively on the cross.
There is a reality in the matter that we killed Jesus and bear some of the responsibility ourselves for his death because of our sins
Isaiah 53:5-6
Our sins caused someone to have to die for us and that someone was Jesus.
IV. God Did
Perhaps most significant of all we can say that God killed Jesus. You may be thinking in your mind that sounds ridiculous, but it is true.
John 10:11-18
No one took Jesus’ life from Him. He simply allowed the Romans and the Jews to play a role in what was to happen. This is not something that just happened, but Jesus knew it would happen. He spoke often about how it was God’s will that he be handed over and killed. This is really profound when you think about it. God loved us so much that he planned from the creation of the world to send His Son to die for the sins of mankind.
Acts 2:22-23
You may ask, why did God have to kill Jesus? The reason why was so that his wrath might be settled on our account.
Years ago God came to the great patriarch Abraham and told him to take his son Isaac to Jerusalem and up on a mountain side and kill him. Abraham listened to the Lord and went on that journey. He prepared in his mind to kill his son Isaac. However, God intervened. God did the same thing many years later with Jesus, but this time there would be no ram in the thicket. While it was the Jews who handed him over and the Romans who executed him, and while it was for our sins he died, God willed it. God killed Jesus so that we might have a sacrifice for sin.
