The events leading up to Jesus’s crucifixion were shaped by several key parties, each playing a unique role in fulfilling a prophecy that changed the course of history. Religious leaders in Israel condemned Jesus for challenging their authority, viewing His teachings as a threat to their influence. Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s closest disciples, betrayed Him for thirty silver coins, setting the arrest in motion. The Roman government, represented by Pontius Pilate, ultimately sanctioned His crucifixion, bowing to public pressure and viewing Jesus’s execution as a way to avoid unrest. Ultimately, humanity as a whole shares responsibility, as Jesus’s death was the ultimate sacrifice for humanity's sins. Let's explore how each party contributed to this pivotal moment, and determine who killed Jesus.
Pontius Pilate and the Romans Executing Jesus
In Jesus’ day, the power to execute was in the hands of the Roman government. If someone was going to be executed, especially by crucifixion, someone with authority from Rome had to give the order. Pilate was the governor, and Jesus would only be executed if he gave the word to do it. He had full power to give or rescind this order. When you read the accounts leading up to Jesus’ death, the crowd was chanting and clamoring for Jesus to be executed. Despite them calling for his crucifixion, they could only yell and scream. Pilate had to give the order. Once Pilate did, it cleared the way for Jesus to be crucified. Because crucifixion was a Roman execution, Roman soldiers needed to carry it out. Roman soldiers whipped, mocked, spit on, and eventually crucified Jesus. Because Pilate gave the order and the Roman soldiers carried it out, you could make the case the Romans were the ones who killed Jesus. You read more about why Pilate allowed Jesus to be crucified here.
Jews Calling for Jesus to be Crucified
Another suspect we could easily point the finger at is the Jews (not as a whole race, just the specific ones who arranged his arrest and called for his death). The Pharisees, chief priests, and law teachers saw Jesus as a great threat. He called out their hypocrisy. He was the one who threatened their positions of honor and power. Jesus was impeding their racket, and for this reason, he had to go. As you read through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, you will find several times when the Pharisees and religious leaders talked about or looked for a way to kill Jesus. After Jesus was arrested, the chief priests and elders brought the case and argued for Jesus’ death. By the way, they could not kill him for violating the law because he never did. Ultimately, they killed him for telling the truth. The Jews killed him for blasphemy because Jesus claimed to be God… which was, in fact, true.
The reason the Jews could be the ones who killed Jesus is that they were the ones pushing for it. The chief priests and elders stirred the crowd to influence Pilate to make this decision. John’s gospel tells us of Pilate’s struggle, how he did not want to give the order to crucify Jesus. However, he relented to the Jewish leaders’ wishes. If the Jewish leaders and the Jews in the crowd were not urging Pilate to crucify Jesus, Jesus would not have been executed. Therefore, you can also say it was the Jews who killed Jesus.
Humanity's Responsibility for Jesus's Death
There is another place we can turn to answer the question of who killed Jesus. While Pilate gave the word to carry out the act, motivated by the Jews, we know there was another motive behind why Jesus died. Jesus didn’t die because of Pilate or because of the Jews. Jesus died because of us. Therefore, you could make the argument that we killed Jesus. Isaiah tells us this about Jesus’ death.
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)
We have already established Jesus did not die for any sins he committed. He died for telling the truth. We also know his death became the sacrifice required to take away our sins once and for all (Hebrews 10:10).
If sin had never entered the world, then Jesus would not have had to die. But we know sin entered the world. The only remedy for sin that would satisfy God’s justice would be a perfect, sinless sacrifice, which Jesus became for us. Since the reason for his death was the sins you and I committed, you could argue we are the ones who killed Jesus.
Who Killed Jesus?
When you look at all the potential suspects, there really is one conclusion to make. Though every suspect played a role in Jesus’s death, no one is ultimately responsible for his death. Jesus wasn’t killed. He was a willing sacrifice.
“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18)
Jesus freely laid down his life. While Satan and the ones he influenced thought they were winning and ridding themselves of this nuisance, it blinded them to the actual plan of God. Jesus’ death was not the culmination of a manufactured plot to end his life. Jesus’ death was part of God’s plan to make way for eternal life. When Jesus was on the cross, he said, “Father forgive them; they don’t know what they are doing.” They were participants who had no clue what was really going on. This makes this question of who killed Jesus so fascinating. You had a willing sacrifice who laid down his life and blind participants who thought they took it. When you add it all up, Paul’s words in Corinthians have so much meaning.
“None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:8)
If you take a big-picture view, it was not the Romans, the Jews, Satan, or even us who killed Jesus. Jesus was killed because it was the will of the Father. Jesus’ death on the cross was by God’s design so that we could have life through his death. If you want to place the blame for the death of Jesus at anyone’s feet, place it at the feet of the Father. Everyone else may have had a role to play, but all they were doing was carrying out God’s plan that was designed before the world’s creation.
Ray Pritchard describes the plan and so well in his article “Fragrant Offering”:
“Who killed Jesus?
That question has echoed down the ages. Did the Jews kill Jesus? Was Pilate guilty of murder? What about Caiaphas the high priest and Herod the king? What role did the centurions play? What about the crowd shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”?
And we can’t forget Judas who betrayed him.
Each person and each group mentioned had a role to play in the unfolding drama of redemption. But in the larger sense, no one “took” his life because he “gave himself up for us.”
You cannot understand the love of God unless you go to the cross. You cannot understand the cross unless you see in it the outpouring of God’s love. Christ’s death became a sacrifice that was a “fragrant offering” to God. The NLT uses the phrase “a sweet aroma.”[Ephesians 5:2]
If we had been there on that Friday in early April, we would have been repulsed by the odor. Crucifixion was a ghastly way to die. The Romans intended to make it brutal and bloody. They had mastered the art of cruel killing. That day at Calvary the smell of death was everywhere.
But the cross smelled good to God. He was well-pleased by the sacrifice of his Son.”
Taken from “Fragrant Offering” by Keep Believing Ministries (used by permission).
Photo Credit: Benvenuto Tisi - Public Domain
Learn more about the meaning and significance behind the Easter holiday and Holy Week celebrations:
What is Lent? and When Does Lent Start?
What is Ash Wednesday? and When is Ash Wednesday?
What is Palm Sunday?
What is Maundy Thursday?
What is Good Friday? and When is Good Friday?
What is Holy Saturday?
What is Easter? and When is Easter Sunday?
Easter Bible Verses
The Resurrection of Jesus
Easter Prayers
