Before we get into who crucified Jesus, let’s look at who Jesus is. Jesus is the Son of God. He lives in Heaven and He always has been and always will be. He was born of the virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit a little over 2,000 years ago. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He never sinned in His thoughts, words or deeds. He did what you and I could never do and that is He kept the 10 Commandments to the letter of the Law and in the spirit of the Law.
Even though He lived a perfect life, He was still crucified on the old rugged cross. It was a cruel, horrendous death. He hung on that cross for six long torturous hours. He died there, was buried and on the third day He rose victoriously from the grave. Jesus defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. Jesus is now in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father.
Most of you have probably already heard this message before. So we know that Jesus died on the cross. But who crucified Him? Who actually killed Jesus Christ our Lord? We should start with Judas Iscariot. Judas was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. He walked with Jesus for 3 ½ years. But in the end, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss for 30 pieces of silver (which was predicted in the Old Testament in Zechariah 11:12 – written 500 years before Jesus walked this earth).
Caiaphas the high priest along with the other Jewish religious leaders had their part in crucifying Jesus. Caiaphas had previously stated, “Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not (John 11:47-50). The high priest had also previously prophesied that Jesus would die for the children of God that were scattered abroad, in other words for the Gentiles (John 11:51-52). They brought false witnesses to testify against Jesus at his illegal trial, but the witnesses couldn’t agree on His alleged crime.
The religious leaders asked Jesus if He was the Son of God and He answered “Ye say that I am” (Luke 22:70). They accused Him of blaspheming God and then they took Him to Pontius Pilate. Pilate questioned Him and when he found out that Jesus was from Galilee, he sent him to Herod. Herod and his men mocked Jesus, put a purple robe on Him and sent Jesus back to Pilate (Luke 23:11). So Herod had a hand in crucifying Jesus too.
Pilate then wanted to release Jesus, but the religious leaders stirred up the Jewish people and they requested that he release Barabbas and they cried out for Pilate to crucify Jesus. Pilate said that he couldn’t find any fault in Jesus, but the people yelled even louder “crucify Him”, so Pilate was afraid that they were going to riot and he relented and judged that Jesus should be put to death. So he most certainly was involved in killing Jesus (even though he symbolically washed his hands in water – he was still guilty).
The religious leaders stirred up the Jewish people against Jesus. So they asked Pilate to release a killer and a thief – one Barabbas to them instead of Jesus. They chose a known killer who should have been killed for his crimes, to instead be set free and they asked for the innocent One to be put to death. Pilate relented when they cried out for Jesus to be crucified and the people said “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matthew 27:25). So the Jewish people were also guilty of killing Jesus along with their high priest and the Pharisees as well as the Sadducees (both of these groups were political and religious leaders of the Jews).
It was a Roman soldier who viciously beat Jesus with 39 lashes across His back. The Roman soldiers mocked Him, platted a crown of thorns on His brow, they beat Him with a reed and spit upon Him and mockingly bowed their knees to Jesus. After this they led Him out to Golgotha where they nailed Him to the cross. It was here that Jesus died after suffering for six hours (Mark 15:15-39). So the Roman soldiers were most definitely guilty of crucifying our Lord Jesus.
So far we have Judas, Caiaphas the high priest, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Pharisees, Sadducees, the Jewish people at that time and the Roman soldiers. Is that it? Are they the only ones who were guilty of crucifying Jesus? Is there anyone else who is guilty of killing Jesus the Christ? I somberly submit to you that I also crucified Jesus and this may shock you, but YOU too crucified Jesus! Who crucified Jesus Christ? We did!
Now you may protest, that you in no way had anything to do with the death of Jesus. You may say He died 2,000 years ago. There is no way that you and I crucified the perfect, sinless One. It just isn’t possible. But oh, not only is it possible, it is true. It is biblically true that we all crucified Jesus. Every human being that has ever lived, that is living and that will walk this earth in the future; all crucified Christ.
Jeremiah 1:5 says Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you. Romans 5:8 states But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Isaiah 53 explains how each and every one of us crucified the Son of God. He is despised and rejected of men (Isaiah 53:3). He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows; he was smitten of God and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4). Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). It pleased the Lord to bruise Him (Isaiah 53:10). He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12).
You see, we all have a sin problem. It started with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Sin came into the world at that time and every human since then has sinned. All of our parents were sinners (so we were born in sin) and we are all sinners ourselves. You cannot get around this fact. Where Jesus never broke God’s Law the 10 Commandments, we have broken those sacred commandments. We’ve all lied, most of us have stolen something, we’ve all lusted and we’ve all coveted something at one time or another. None of us have perfectly loved God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Nor have we loved our neighbor as we love ourselves.
So we are all guilty sinners who deserve the wrath of God. But Jesus took that punishment that you and I rightly deserve, when He was beat for our sins, when He hung on that cruel cross for six hours, bearing the wrath of God the whole time. 1 John 2:2 says And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Propitiation means substitute, atonement and more than that, it means the wrath was satisfied! Jesus took the punishment for us. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18).
But there isn’t universal salvation. We are not automatically saved just because Jesus died for the sins of the world. No, you must receive the gift of salvation. It is a very costly gift to God and an extremely costly gift to Jesus, but freely offered to us (John 3:16). You can be saved today if you will repent by turning away from your sins and put your faith in Jesus (Acts 20:20-21). If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved (Romans 10:9).
Submitting to Jesus Christ our Lord is the key. You must recognize your sinfulness and His Holiness before you will cry out for Him to save you. You can’t earn salvation. It is the free gift from God. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Jesus said The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). Today is the day of salvation. Surrender your life to Jesus today. Submit to His Lordship. Bow your knee and confess with your tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord. Receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If the Holy Spirit is convicting you right now, please don’t put this off. Get right with God today. Ask him to have mercy on you a sinner (Luke 18:13). Then turn away from your sins and put your trust in Jesus Christ. Repent and believe the Gospel. Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandments. Then read your Bible every day and die to your own sinful desires daily and ask God to give you His desires, His ways.