WHY DID THEY KILL HIM?

 The death of Jesus was no accident. The New Testament cites a number of instances when attempts were made to assassinate Him. On each of those occasions Jesus eluded the plots of His enemies. How then was He killed in Jerusalem? Was He caught off-guard?

Off-guard? No, not Jesus. He spoke and lived with a plan. At times He used the words, “mine hour has not yet come” (John 2:3-4). The statement implied that He was living with a plan. The statement also implied that He was looking forward to a specific event. On more than one occasion the authorities seized Jesus, with intent to harm Him, and they could not. John contends, “because his time had not yet come” (John 7:30 and 8:20).

The sense of anticipation changed when Jesus prayed, “Father, the time/hour has come” (John 17:1) – meaning that the high-point of His ministry was about to take place. During an earlier confrontation, not even King Herod could kill Jesus as an infant – it was not His time to die as yet. With clarity, Jesus anticipated the timing and purpose of His death.

Unfortunately, the disciples did not get the message. Had they got the message, Peter would not have used his sword in an attempt to defend Jesus. “Put your sword away,” Jesus replied. “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than 72,000 angels?” In essence, Jesus was saying, “my time has come to die” (Matthew 26:50-54).

If Jesus had the resources to defend himself and he did not, one must then ask the question, why didn’t He? He could also have cooperated with the Roman trial judge and request a mistrial. He could have complained of the bogus Jewish trial that alleged his guilt. Instead, “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame…” (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus was fully aware of his mission – to save sinners. That assignment came with a price tag – the death of the Savior. Speaking prophetically, Isaiah said some 700 years earlier – “but he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

Agreed, historians will contend that that is a theological conclusion. But without such a conclusion, we would not be able to explain why Jesus refused to challenge the corrupt legal process and succumb to his death. In essence, his death was a historical fact, but the cause of his death was theological. The apostle Paul got it correct when he said, “… Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

Some argue that Jesus died for a noble cause. It is believed that he died to model sacrificial leadership. However, like Paul, I contend that Jesus died voluntarily, because he was paying a price for sin. Since his death on the cross, millions have accepted the death of Jesus as a personal sacrifice. Such an acknowledgement is more than reciting a religious creed. It is a statement of commitment and the beginning of a new relationship with Jesus.

This week marks fifty-nine years since I acknowledged the death of Jesus as his sacrifice for me. That simple affirmation of faith in San Juan, Trinidad has literally changed my worldview. With delight I affirm Jesus as my Lord. My trust in him gives me hope, greater than any other worldview or religious leader. Because of that confidence, I have chosen Paul’s words as my life verse – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

Rejoice with me if you too have appropriated the death of Jesus to your life.