This Jesus Whom You Crucified
Acts 2:36
“On a sunny day in September, 1972, a stern-faced, plainly dressed man could be seen standing still on a street corner in the busy Chicago Loop. As pedestrians hurried by on their way to lunch or business, he would solemnly lift his right arm, and point to the person nearest him, intone loudly the single word ‘GUILTY!’ Then, without any change of expression, he would resume his still stance for a few moments before repeating the gesture. Then, again, the inexorable raising of his arm, the pointing, and the solemn pronouncement of the one word ‘GUILTY!’ The effect of this strange pantomime on the passing strangers was extraordinary, almost eerie. They would stare at him, hesitate, look away, look, at each other, and then at him again; then hurriedly continue on their ways. One man, turning to another exclaimed, ’But how did he know?’” (What ever became of sin? Karl Menninger)
Almost 2000 years ago, another man stood before a crowd and essentially said the same thing, GUILTY! In Acts 2:23-36 Peter was talking to the crowd on the day of Pentecost when he leveled this charge against them, “this Jesus whom you crucified.” Was Peter’s accusation justified? Were all the people in his audience guilty of crucifying Jesus? Who crucified the Son of God? Matthew records (27:27-36) that the Roman soldiers were the ones who actually executed Jesus, but are they the only ones guilty of this terrible act? Let’s see.
I. The Jewish leadership was guilty.
The Jewish leaders were in constant conflict with Jesus and time and again sought ways to kill him and eventually succeeded in having him crucified.
John 5:18 . . . “The Jews were seeking all the more to kill him.”
7:1 . . . “The Jews were seeking to kill him.”
8:59 . . . “The picked up stones to throw at him.” (After Jesus claimed to be greater than Abraham.
10:31 . . . “The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.”
Why did they hate Jesus so?
A. Jesus exposed them for putting their traditions above obedience to the Law (Matt. 15: 1-9). “Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradidion? (Vs. 3)
B. Jesus rejected their challenges to his authority (Matt. 21:23-27). “By what authority do you do these things?” (When Jesus entered the temple.)
C. They were jealous of Jesus’ popularity with the people (Matt. 27:18). (Pilate) “Knew that it was out of envy that they (Pharisees) had delivered him up.”
D. Jesus exposed their hypocrisy. (Matt. 23:1-36) Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.” (Vs. 13, 23, 29)
1. They did not practice what they preached (Matt. 23:3). “So practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do. For they preach but do not practice.”
2. They were religious show-offs (Matt. 23:5). “They do all their deeds to be seen by others.”
3. They were roadblocks to the kingdom (Matt. 23:13). ". . . you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”
4. They made Jewish converts into legalistic Pharisees (Matt. 23:15). For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
5. They were spiritually blind (Matt. 23:16-17). “You blind guides . . . you blind fools.”
6. They had distorted spiritual values (Matt. 23:23-24). “For you tithe mint and dill and cumin but neglect the weightier matters of the law. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.”
7. They had an outward righteousness only (Matt. 23:25-28). “For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful but within are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. ” (Vs. 27-28)
8. They were like their forefathers who murdered the prophets (Matt. 23:29- 36). “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.” (Vs. 29-31)
II. The Jewish leaders who believed were guilty.
Even those Jewish leaders who believed in Jesus, did not defend him because they feared criticism from their fellow leaders and loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
(John 12:42-43) “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”
III. Judas was guilty.
Judas was certainly guilty because he betrayed Jesus and turned him over to the Jews to be killed. But Why? As we read we find that Judas was motivated by greed
(John 12:1-6). “He was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.”
It was his greed that led Judas to commit this terrible act.
(Matt. 26:14-15) “ . . . and (Judas) said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’”
(Matt. 26:47-49) “While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.’ And he came up to Jesus at once and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you came to do.’ Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.”
IV. The Roman soldiers were guilty.
Not only did they physically crucify Jesus but they also treated him with contempt.
(Matt. 27:27-31). “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.”
V. Pilate was guilty.
Pilate had the power and authority to prevent Jesus’ crucifixion but did not exercise that authority out of fear.
(John 19:8) “The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God." When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid.”
VI. The crowd was guilty.
The crowd was guilty of crucifying Jesus through their blind participation in the Jewish leaders’ plot.
(Matt. 27:20-23) The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
VII. Jesus’ disciples were guilty.
Jesus own disciples were in a sense guilty because of their fear and timidity
(John 7:13) Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
(John 19:38) Joseph of Arimathea . . . was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews.
(Matt. 26:56) Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Even Peter (Matt. 26:58) And Peter was following him at a distance.
(Matt. 26:69-75) Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean." And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man." After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you." Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed.
Who then was guilty of crucifying Jesus? In essence everyone was guilty. They crucified Jesus not only with nails but with greed, jealousy, hypocrisy, contempt, cowardice, and thoughtless participation in this terrible deed. Peter indeed could point his finger at the crowd, and at himself, and say, “ . . . this Jesus whom you crucified.”
But are they the only ones guilty of crucifying Jesus? NO!! Anyone who has these attitudes toward the Son of God, indeed anyone who sins is guilty of crucifying Jesus because of the sin he commits. Hebrews 6:6 states that those who sin, “ . . . crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put him to open shame.” By leading a sinful life we crucify Jesus. By having sin in our life we become as guilty of crucifying the Son of God as that Roman soldier who placed the nails in his holy hands.
How did the crowd respond when Peter accused them of crucifying Jesus? They cried out in Acts 2:37, “What shall we do?” They had just been convinced that they were guilty of crucifying the Son of God and were now facing the wrath of God for their actions.
Peter responded in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Their way out of their dilemma was first of all to repent, to acknowledge their sins and turn away from it. They were guilty of causing the death of the Son of God. Now they needed to turn away from that sin and acknowledge him as both Lord and Christ.
Second, they were to be baptized, to be immersed in water so that their sins might be washed away by the blood of Christ. The very blood that they had caused to be shed by their sins would now be the instrument of their salvation.
And when their sins are washed away, they will receive the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit making it possible for them to live a holy life.
That same avenue of forgiveness is available to us. We are as guilty of the death of Jesus as all those who stood before Peter on that day. By our sins we too have crucified Jesus. But we too can escape the wrath of God by repenting and being baptized so that we can receive the remission of our sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
