Who Put Jesus On The Cross?

Who Put Jesus On The Cross?
John R. Petrilli

Murder mysteries are built around one burning question. “Who did it?” The deed is done, and the remaining storyline uncovers the identity of just who it was who committed the crime. Some questions in life go unanswered. Then there are some questions that simply demand a satisfying and categorical answer. Most of us are very familiar with the historical details of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We understand that He was nailed to a tree between two thieves, that He forgave His torturers and that He was pierced in the side by a spear. But just who was it that put Him there in the first place? The following considerations may hold some surprising answers for those of us who may have become a bit too familiar with the old, old story.

IN WISDOM, GOD THE FATHER PUT JESUS ON THE CROSS.

“For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

We’re so familiar with the words of John 3:16, but please, suspend that familiarity and zero-in on the middle phrase, “that He GAVE His only begotten Son”. It reaches back four thousand years earlier to a sunny morning when a father was told by God to GIVE his only beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice. After enduring what must have been a torturous struggle, Abraham lifted the blade, only to be halted by an angelic command to forego the execution. God stopped Abraham once He’d seen that his obedience was unquestioned and unconditional. Fast-forward two thousand years to a hill in ancient Palestinia. The wind is howling and a mob is screaming bloody murder as spikes crash through a man’s wrists and feet, causing His entire body to writhe in pure agony. His Father could have stopped those crucifiers with a command from heaven as well. But He didn’t. This time it was for all the marbles. Salvation had to be secured, and no one else in the entire universe was qualified to die on that Cross but Jesus. And die He did. This was no “mistake”, no “plan B”, no “twist of fate”. Dark as it was, the Father had pre-planned this moment. From time immemorial He ordained for the Lamb to slain “from the foundations of the world” (Rev. 13:8). One father was willing to give his only son, but, in the end, didn’t HAVE to. Another Father was willing to give His only Son, and in the end, HAD to. Isaiah reveals that this was God’s design, and that it actually pleased the Father. “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him” (Isa. 53:10). God’s wrath upon our sin was fully poured out on His Son, and this once-for-all-time sacrifice satisfied God’s righteous demand that sin be punished with death. And in some completely mystifying sense, the Father Himself was there on that Cross suffering that death penalty. According to Paul, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). So just who was it that put Jesus on the Cross? HIS FATHER DID!

IN LOVE, JESUS PUT HIMSELF ON THE CROSS.

“I lay down my life … NO ONE TAKES IT from Me, but I lay it down OF MY OWN ACCORD. I have authority to lay it down and to take it up again. This command I have received from My Father” John 10:17b-18.

Don’t think so? Well consider this. Did Jesus know His date with the cross was part of the package when He agreed to comply with His Father’s directive that He come to earth? According to His own words He most certainly did. One command from Jesus to heaven would have summoned an angelic arsenal big enough to wipe out the planet. But the dear Savior CHOSE to waive this option as well. Not a single lash would have fallen upon His back without Him yielding to it. Not one nail would have pierced His body without His permission. Not a single thorn would have punctured His brow apart from His approval. This was God, and no one forces God to do anything. Jesus was compliant from start to finish. Not because He sanctioned the criminal act itself, but because He was fully aware that it was something that was necessary if mankind was to be liberated from sin’s tyranny. And for what reason? Love. “The Son of God LOVED me, and GAVE HIMSELF for me (Galatians 2:20). What wondrous love is this, oh my soul? So just who was it that put Jesus on the Cross? JESUS DID!

IN HATRED, ANGRY MEN PUT JESUS ON THE CROSS.

“You [Jewish leaders] with the help of wicked men PUT HIM TO DEATH by nailing Him to the cross”. Acts 2:23b

The Nuremburg trials are a testimony to the power of justice. There’s something empowering about meeting one’s assailants face to face and seeing them brought to justice. Imagine standing in front of his Jewish contemporaries on the first Pentecost Sunday and telling them straight to their faces that they had just killed the Messiah. But that’s precisely what Peter did! In case they hadn’t caught it the first time around (which is about as improbable as the sky falling), Peter restates his accusation a few breaths later, “Let ALL ISRAEL be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom YOU CRUCIFIED, both Lord and Christ!” (Acts 2:36) We see here that it wasn’t just the religious leadership who was liable for Christ’s death, it was the whole nation of Israel. It was all those Jewish visitors to and residents of Jerusalem who stood along the Via Dolorosa crying out for His blood. Imagine that! God’s chosen people blew it that badly! They took the life of their own Messiah! Then there’s some who would point the finger of blame at Rome. The wrath of man was evident here as well. Rome was plain sick and tired of all the upheaval going on in Israel. After all, wasn’t it in Pilate’s power to stop the proceedings? Surely it was his fault for not declaring a mistrial wasn’t it? There’s no way that a simple act of cleansing his hands in a basin of water absolved him of responsibility for allowing capital punishment to be dealt to an unconvicted man. So just who was it that put Jesus on the Cross? ANGRY MEN DID!

IN IGNORANCE, WE SINNERS PUT JESUS ON THE CROSS.

“He Himself bore OUR SINS in His own body on the tree”. 1 Pet. 2:24

When the blame game is over, one sure fact remains …WE put Jesus on that cross. WE’RE the ones who have sinned, making His death a necessity in the first place. Says who? Says Peter, the once wavering but later stable man of God. If anyone is suited for this assessment, it’s Peter. He knew firsthand what it meant to sin against the Lord. When we sin, we can’t see the Lord physically, but Peter did when he publicly denied Jesus in plain view of the Savior! Although his repentance and restoration were complete, the fact remains, Peter sold out on Jesus in the hour of trial. Why do you think he wept so bitterly? His betrayal devastated him once he’d realized he had reneged on his best friend. I’ve never been in such a quagmire, but we can be sure, it was pure emotional and spiritual agony. In Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion”, Peter is depicted as being so ashamed that he could no longer even speak to the other followers of the Lord. He just ran away. So how do we react when we discover that our sins put Jesus on that cross? Do we take the path of denying any personal responsibility? Do we mutter a quick “Sorry ’bout that Lord”? Or do we finally grasp the gravity of our actions against Him? Something to mull over during this Lenten season. Perhaps in reading this article, you’ve realized that you’ve never come to the place in your life where you’ve owned up to your sins and failings. Never really stopped to seriously consider that awesome price that was paid for your forgiveness. Never really took advantage of receiving God’s pardon through Jesus Christ. Well, there’s no better time than the present. If you’ve yet to confess and turn from your sins, please do so today. So just who was it that put Jesus on the Cross? YOU AND I DID! My sins and your sins did! Let’s not repeat the mistake of crying for Jesus, as some did at the foot of the cross. Instead we should mourn over and repent of our own sins, and then receive Him as our personal Lord and Savior. Anything less will make His death for you in vain! As one hymn writer puts it: “Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee? Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee. ‘Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee: I crucified thee.”

The Good News doesn’t end on the note of a crucified man, but on a Risen Savior! It would be foolish to ask anyone to follow a dead man, but a Risen Saviour, now THAT’S Someone worth FOLLOWING! Three short days after Jesus’ lynching He rose from that borrowed tomb, and forty days after that He ascended into Heaven!
All who trust in Him will likewise rise and ascend to be with Him in glory forever!