Who was guilty?

In the years following Jesus’ death and resurrection, when the apostles were teaching, one of the recurring themes was the guilt of the people in causing Jesus’ death. On the day of Pentecost Peter opened his explanation of what had happened in this way: 

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 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. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:22-24 NIV)

What Peter told them was pretty blunt: they had put Jesus to death! Granted, they were not the ones who drove the nails into Jesus to hang him on the cross, but they were still guilty. They put Jesus to death “with the help of wicked men” – they used the Romans to do it, but they were still the ones who had Jesus executed.

In the next recorded lesson in the book of Acts we find the same emphasis. The speaker again is Peter and the audience is another group of Jews at the temple. A crowd came together because a man who had been crippled all his life could now walk. Peter needed to explain what was happening.

“Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.” (Acts 3:12-16)

Again, Peter did not mince his words. They had handed Jesus over to be killed; they disowned the Holy and Righteous One; they traded his life for a murderer; they killed the author of life. They were guilty of the death of Jesus!

But there was good news, too. Yes, they killed him, but in both of these pronouncements from Peter he emphasised an important fact: God raised Jesus from the dead! They might have tried to eliminate the “author of life” but they couldn’t get rid of him. God raised him from the dead!

But what about us? Do we realise the part we played in the death of Jesus?

Many years ago I was part of a choir who sang a song about Jesus’ death (I can’t recall the name of the song or the writer). I do remember this phrase that was in it: we sang in various parts over and over “who was guilty?” – then in unison we sang loudly, “I crucified him! (Who was guilty? It was I).” I remember chills going up my spine each time we reached this phrase in the song.

But it is true, is it not? Yes, the Jews, with the help of the Romans, physically killed Jesus. But when we realise that Jesus died for our sins, we realise that he died so that we could be forgiven. As Paul wrote: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

So, why did Jesus die on the cross? Who was guilty?

It was I.

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Readings for next week: Acts 3-7