Who killed Jesus?
Murder mysteries are popular these days. Agatha Christie’s fiction works continue to be read by a new generation, making her the best-selling author of all time. TV shows such as Dateline or 48 Hours feature weekly narrations of true stories. Numerous podcasts are dedicated to recounting solved murders or bringing attention to cold cases.
But when it comes to the death of a truly innocent victim, Jesus of Nazareth, we do not need to call on a detective to solve it. We have eyewitnesses whose testimony makes it abundantly clear who was responsible for Jesus’ death. On Pentecost, Peter stood with the other Apostles and openly declared who murdered the Son of God. Peter said:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:22–23).
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Though this statement is crystal clear, Peter’s words reveal layered distinctions that must be made when answering the question, “Who killed Jesus?”
Pontius Pilate and Roman authorities executed Jesus’ death
Peter testified that Jesus was “crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” He was referring primarily to the Romans, including Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea who ordered Christ’s death. We read that Pilate did so reluctantly as he “took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood’” (Matt. 27:24). However, he was guilty of Christ’s murder. In giving the crowd the choice between releasing either Jesus or Barabbas, a notorious criminal, he knew they would choose the latter (Matt. 27:15–26).
Under Pilate’s orders, Roman soldiers then crucified Christ, mocking Him with a robe and a crown of thorns, spitting on Him, and placing a sign above His head saying that He was King of the Jews (Matt. 27:27–30). History has corroborated Pilate’s guilt in Christ’s death. The Apostles’ Creed states that Jesus Christ “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.”
The Jewish leaders and people plotted and demanded Jesus’ death
At Pentecost, Peter was speaking to the “men of Israel.” Peter and the other 11 Apostles, representing the new Israel of God, spoke directly to the old Israel with lifted voice, “This Jesus ... you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (emphasis added). The Jewish leaders, striking a secret deal with Judas Iscariot to betray Him, were culpable in Jesus’ death. Indeed, the last words of this sermon are, “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36, emphasis added).
Jesus “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). Even worse, when He was on trial, they all chanted, “Let him be crucified!” (Matt. 27:22–23). Most horrific of all, they even cried out, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:25). Terrible judgments, including the destruction of Jerusalem within a generation, became the awful fulfillment of their rejection and murder of the Messiah who was sent to them.
The elect made necessary the death of Jesus
In speaking of Christ’s crucifixion at Pentecost, Peter proclaimed His death and resurrection as the only means available for salvation. When the hearers were pierced in heart over their guilt, they cried out to the Apostles, “‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).
Truly, every sinner elected unto salvation by God is, in part, responsible for the death of Jesus. Our sins made nailing Jesus to the cross necessary. Only by this act do “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph. 1:7). Whenever we confess our sins, witness a baptism, or partake in the Lord’s Supper, we are, in effect, admitting that we made it necessary for Christ to die and thanking Him for it.
God ordained Jesus’ death
Incredibly, Peter’s answer to this question had a final distinction. He said that Jesus’ crucifixion occurred according to “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” As the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8), it was determined by God in the eternal council of redemption that His Son would become man and die on behalf of the elect.
However, we must be careful here. Unlike the three previous parties who are guilty of the death of Jesus, God simply and sovereignly is not. As the Westminster Confession of Faith states,
“God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established” (WCF 3.1).
Though not a perfect illustration, God is like a conductor who is not responsible for playing any instrument in a symphony. God orchestrated the death of His beloved Son without any wrongdoing on His part in order that we might be saved.
Whodunnit? When it comes to Jesus’ death, the answer is apparent and profound.
This article was first published in Tabletalk, the Bible study magazine of Ligonier Ministries. Find out more at TabletalkMagazine.com or subscribe today at GetTabletalk.com.
Dr. Barry J. York is president and professor of pastoral theology and homiletics at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh. He is author of Hitting the Marks.
