Who Can We Blame?

Bad Actors

V 1-2 chief priests an scribes plotting a way

V 2 Satan

V 2 Judas

V 4 officers

we are going to look at these men and others today to put into proper perspective who can we blame

these men are bad actors but they play a small role in the crucifixion of Jesus

besides these we need to consider Pilate, Herod, the roman soldiers who actually hung Jesus on the cross

but again these actors play a minor roll in this drama of the ages where God is hung on the cross by the hands of men

The Passover

V 1

one of the the 3 feasts that every male must attend

all come to Jerusalem to celebrate

may be considered the most holy day of the year

while people are gathering to worship the leadership is plotting a murder

V 2 the chief priests and scribes

are afraid of the people the people are coming every morning to hear Jesus teach

they still have respect for the king

but Jesus is raining on the leadership’s picnic

so they are in the temple in a committee meeting

they are trying to come up with a way to get Jesus away from the crowds

one of them, frank, says out loud what they are all thinking. “ if only one of His disciples were to come to us with a plan to arrest Jesus in secret

But you know that will never happen

But little did they know their boss Satan has this all planned out.

V 3

not only is Satan their father but one of the disciples of Jesus has the same father.

Satan entered Judas but we have known that this was going to happen

John 17:12 LSB

“While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

John 13:18 LSB

“I do not speak about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’

Psalm 41:9 LSB

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.

V 4

so, the love of money that Judas had and pressed by satan Judas goes to the committee meeting

He says I can solve your problem

V 5

they were glad to pay him for his betrayal

V 6

He began his plot to kill Jesus

he wanted that money so he made sure that no one else would come up with a plan before he does

we have satan who hates God and His people and uses people like the leadership and Judas to do his bidding

and for their own purposes these men want Jesus dead.

so we could blame them for the death of Jesus

there is another besides who we have mentioned this morning and that is

God The Father

Go to Acts 4 23 -31

Peter and John were arrested and released

these new Christians were together waiting to hear what would happen to the apostles

V 23

so they received the report how they were not to witness about Jesus

they Immediately went to prayer

V 24

O Master they know who exactly who they are praying to

V 25-26

they know his power

know his providential decrees

Psalm 2 we look at this Psalm as a future prophecy concerning the end times

but these people saw this as the crucifixion of Jesus

V 27

all of these people are to blame for the crucifixion of Jesus

V 28

God predestined Jesus to be crucified by these men/people

at this time

the leaders the kings and governors, Judas, satan, and the people saying crucify him can all be blamed and their sin will be punished

but none of these people would be able to do what they did without God ordain it

Isaiah 53:10 LSB

But Yahweh was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If You would place His soul as a guilt offering, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of Yahweh will succeed in His Hand

Philippians 2:5–8 LSB

Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The Fathers plan was for Jesus to die

The Father predetermined that Jesus would die in the way that he did

by the people who did it

Acts 2:22–23 LSB

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.

We have seen God preordaining for all these people to put Jesus on the cross but ultimately you know who is to blame that Jesus hung on the cross?

Those Whom It Was For

turn to Isaiah 53

V 1-5

He was on the cross for our iniquity

Our grief and sorrow of hell he bore

our sin was put upon His shoulders

V 6

we are the sinners

we are the ones who are running away from God as fast as we can

we were the ones who loved the darkness rather than the light

we we would have been part of the croud yelling crucify Him

V 7-12

we are the ones to be blamed for Jesus dying on the cross

our sin put Him there

our sin kept Him there

the physical torture was excruciating

the spiritual torture was infinitely worse

Why would God allow Himself to do this for us

Titus 3:3–7 LSB

For we ourselves also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the kindness and affection of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

God the Father planned.

Jesus God the son died

All of this to demonstrate the attributes of God’s kindness, love, grace can be demonstrated in us