Pastor’s Pen 4/14/2019

Pastor’s Pen 4/14/2019

Who Killed Jesus?

Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:46

I have had individuals ask me who killed Jesus. Was it the Jewish crowd, Caiaphas the High Priest, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, Judas, Herod, or the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate? The answer is all of them and none of them. All of those mentioned had a role in the death of Jesus. The fickle Jewish crowds who screamed Crucify Him were manipulated by the chief priests and elders (Matthew 23:20) had a part to play. The High Priest Caiaphas wanted to maintain the status quo (John 11:50). The Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:66) condemned Jesus to death. The Pharisees hated Jesus because He exposed their hypocrisy. Judas betrayed Him and handed Him over to the Jewish authorities. Herod wanted Jesus killed (Luke 13:31-32).  Pontius Pilate the Roman Governor ordered His crucifixion. They all had a role but they did not kill Jesus. You see the truth is that nobody took His life He freely gave up His life. Jesus said, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”  Jesus Christ the Son of the living God freely gave up His life for all who would believe in Him. Paul writes, “the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:3-4).

So to answer the question who killed Jesus, I did and you did. My sins and your sins nailed Him to the tree. He had to suffer, die and rise again on the third day in order that we could have a relationship with God the Father. Paul instructs us, “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

Jesus suffered and died so that you can be sons and daughters of God the Father. So the important question this morning is not who killed Jesus but are you a child of God. If you were to die today and you are not sure where you spend eternity please seek me out after the service so I can share more with you about the love God has for you.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.