Who Crucified Jesus Christ

Fitting that I should find this with Passover coming up. I was saved in April 75 so I was saved less than three years when I gave this for class. If you want to use this for kid's church although it might work better with adults go for it. It is not copyrighted or whatever.

Some say the Jewish nation and others say the Romans. I say that both theories are wrong. Actually, the ones who crucified Him were you and me.

Before you say, “Wait a minute, that happened before we were born,” consider Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.

Have you ever heard non-smoker say to a smoke that he is putting another nail in his coffin with each cigarette he smokes? Although he is not literally hammering a nail into his coffin, he is causing the hastening of his death through the effects of that cigarette. In like manner, we may not have taken a literal hammer and nail and pounded it in Him that day He was crucified but we are the cause of His death.

The Bible says that Jesus died to save sinners and before you think you are safe, it also says that through Adam we are all born sinners. So with our birth we drove the first nail. (Drive nail into left Cross member)

Because we were born a sinner does not leave us in a position to say we are actually innocent because not only did our heritage or inheritance nail Him there but our own decision to commit sin and our committal of these sins. So with our sin we drove in the second nail. (Drive Nail into right Cross member)

Now the Jewish nation had their part in the literal crucifying of Christ when they yelled, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him” and the Romans had their part when Pilate desiring to be neutral out of fear washed his hands of Him.

How many times did we reject the Gospel and in essence were saying, “Crucify Him?” Maybe we did not flatly refuse Him but we said, “I’m not ready to be a Christian” or “Maybe someday I’ll consider it.” Didn’t we wash our hands of Him? So with our rejection or complacency we drove in the third nail. (Drive nail into cross where feet would be)

Finally, they added to insult to injury with the crown of thorns. We place that on Him if we are not saved; by attending church, giving money and other religious things yet not making Him our King and Saviour. Those that are saved place it on Him by taking Him as Saviour but never making Him Lord of their life. The Romans put the crown on Him in mockery. So we also mock Him these ways in our life.

I wrote a poem on this idea shortly after I was converted. I’d like to share it with you.

Who Put You There?

My Lord, Who put you there;

Nailed between the earth and air?

Who caused you blood to flow so free

Upon the ground from that man-made tree?

Upon your head is a thorny crown.

Why do you not plead to be let down?

Lord, answer me, I really care!

Tell me, Lord, who put you there?

Now I know why you did not fight!

My eyes now see Thy Holy Light!

O Son of God, Thy blood did spill

To pay in full sin's costly bill!

The cross is the road that You have paved

So a sinner might be saved!

My God and Saviour, I finally see

Who put you there was really me!

January 30, 1976

You see we put Him there and now we have to do something about it. What will you do? Will you drive the nails or push the crown in deeper by rejecting Him or will you take Him as your Saviour? If you’re saved will you crown Him Lord or crown Him in mockery? What will you do? Either way right now you’ll do something.

Hymn: Ralph Hudson and Isaac Watts. “At The Cross,” Baptist Hymnal, Convention Press, Nashville, Tenn.,1956, 11th printing

Presentation for Principles of Speech, December 4, 1978 Piedmont Bible College, Winston-Salem, NC