240 Who Killed Jesus?

In this episode of Rediscovering God we look carefully at the experience of Jesus and the statements of the other New Testament writers to determine if any of them implicate God in the death of Jesus on the cross. Their testimony is consistent that Jesus was killed at the hands of the leading teachers, scribes and religious leaders who enlisted the help of the Romans. The notion that He died because of God's doing does not exist.

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SHOW NOTES

Who Killed Jesus?

The self-consciousness of Jesus regarding his death:

Jesus predicted his death:

The Jews did not expect Messiah to ever die (John 12:34).

Jesus understood that he would eventually be executed but he never cites the temple sacrifices as his source.

Jesus first hint that we know of concerning his death is:

John 2:16-20 NLT Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get

these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

17 Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s

house will consume me.”

18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to

do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”

19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can

rebuild it in three days?”

His next clue is the giving of the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:38-42).

Jesus refers to Jonah’s experience in the fish where Jonah gives up hope and cries out to God (Jonah 2).

How did Jesus come to this statement? (Mt 12:39-41; Lk 11:29-32). Jesus gives up all hope and cries out to God in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. People of Jesus’ day refused to listen to him and refused to repent. The Ninevites, a pagan nation, repented at the preaching of a reluctant prophet.

Jesus towards the end of his life becomes more overt as demonstrated below.

We examine the synoptic record and then the Johannine witness.

The first time he tells his disciples directly: 29 CE

Matthew 16:21–23 (Mark 8:31–32, Luke 9:21–22) NLT From then on Jesus began to tell

his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would

suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the

teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised

from the dead.

Second time:

Matthew 17:22–23 (Mark 9:30–32, Luke 9:43–45) NLT After they gathered again in

Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his

enemies. 23 He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And

the disciples were filled with grief.

Third Time:

Matthew 20:17-19 (Mark 10:32–34, Luke 18:31–34) NLT As Jesus was going up to

Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to

happen to him.18 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of

Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will

sentence him to die.19 Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

In John

John 12:7–8 NLT Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my

burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

John 12:23-26 NLT Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enterinto his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care

nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve

me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor

anyone who serves me.

John 12:27-28 NLT “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, Father, save me

from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name.”

John 13:33 NLT Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the

Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going.

John 14:25-27 NLT I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But

when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he

will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift

the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

John 14:29-30 NLT I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen

you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is

coming. He has no hold over me.

The witness of the early church as to who killed Jesus.

Peter preaching and teaching the Jews

Acts 2:23 “With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross and killed him.”

Acts 2:36 “this Jesus, whom you crucified”

Acts 3:13-15 “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.”

Acts 4:10 “Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.”

Acts 5:30 “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.”

Stephen speaking to the Jews

Acts 7:52 “the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.”

Peter speaking to the Gentiles

Acts 10:39-40 “They (Judea and Jerusalem) put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised

him to life on the third day.”

Paul speaking to Jews and Gentiles

Acts 13:28 “They (people and leaders in Jerusalem) found no legal reason to execute him (Jesus), but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.”

This is not primarily about Jews executing Jesus but the Chosen People rejecting the One who chose them. Jesus makes no claim that God will kill him or wants him killed. Peter, Stephen and Paul do not indict God but evil angels and Jews and Gentiles in the death of Jesus.

When Jesus says in conclusion:

Matthew 25:40 NLT “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

This is the sobering truth. In our cruelty to our fellow human beings we are being cruel to Jesus because these human beings are God and Jesus beloved friends and family.