Jesus’ death and resurrection are by far the most important events in human history. They are the focal points of the Christian faith. Because the events are very familiar, we can gloss over the biblical account without letting all the details sink in. On Good Friday, Jesus, the only sinless and most innocent man of all time suffered the most heinous death than anyone else has ever suffered! Today, I asked, “Who really killed Jesus?”
At first glance, we would naturally conclude that the Jewish people killed Jesus. Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” In John 11, we find the plot to kill Jesus was devised in a secret meeting led by Caiphas, the high priest. You could also conclude that the guilt of this crime was shared by the people of Israel as well as they were the ones who shouted, “Crucify Him, crucify him!”
As we look further, we realize it was the Roman government that killed Jesus. After all, it was Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor, who sentenced Jesus to death. The Jewish ruling council did not have authority to put someone to death without the approval of the Roman government. Crucifixion was a Roman method of execution and could only be carried out by Roman authorities. Roman soldiers drove the nails. A Roman spear pierced Jesus’ side. Roman hands were more prominent in Jesus’s death.
As we investigate further, we see that the Bible emphasizes that the death of Jesus was ordained by God. God the Father had His Son killed! “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,…” (Isaiah 53:10a). Revelation 13:8 reminds us that Jesus’ death was planned from the beginning. “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.” The fact that God ordained this does not exonerate those who carried out the act of pure evil. Acts 2:23 says, “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” The cross is a powerful example of the sovereignty of God.
Why did God the Father have His Son die such a horrible, excruciating death on the cross? It was to reveal how awful mankind’s sin is and how awesome God’s love is. JESUS DIED TO PAY THE PRICE FOR MY SINS! In a sense, all mankind killed Jesus. If there would be no sin, there would not have been a need for the penalty of death to be paid. Each of us must realize, “I KILLED JESUS!” Jesus, because of His love for me, took my place on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin! He did so lovingly and willingly. He died a physical death so I could receive eternal life!
What is my appropriate response? Jesus died so I could live. I must die to myself so He can live through me. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).