Topical Bible: The Jews: Christ: Murdered By

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The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a pivotal event in Christian theology, marking the culmination of His earthly ministry and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. The role of the Jewish authorities and people in the events leading to His death is a subject of significant theological and historical discussion.

Biblical Account

The Gospels provide a detailed account of the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus. The Jewish religious leaders, particularly the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, played a central role in orchestrating the events that led to His death. Their opposition to Jesus was rooted in His teachings, which challenged their authority and interpretations of the Law.

In the Gospel of Matthew, it is recorded that the chief priests and elders plotted to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him (Matthew 26:3-4). They sought false testimony against Him to justify His execution (Matthew 26:59). The Gospel of John highlights the fear among the Jewish leaders that Jesus' growing influence would provoke Roman intervention, threatening their position and the nation (John 11:48).

Trial and Condemnation

Jesus was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, where He was accused of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God (Matthew 26:63-65). The council condemned Him to death, but since they lacked the authority to execute capital punishment under Roman rule, they handed Him over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, seeking a death sentence.

Pilate, recognizing the lack of a legitimate charge against Jesus, attempted to release Him, offering to free a prisoner as was customary during the Passover. However, the crowd, influenced by the chief priests, chose Barabbas, a known criminal, over Jesus (Matthew 27:20-21). Pilate ultimately succumbed to the pressure, symbolically washing his hands to distance himself from the decision, and handed Jesus over to be crucified (Matthew 27:24-26).

Theological Implications

The involvement of the Jewish authorities in the death of Christ is seen as part of the divine plan for salvation. The Apostle Peter, addressing the people of Israel, declared, "This Jesus was handed over to you by God's set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross" (Acts 2:23). This underscores the belief that while human agents were responsible for the crucifixion, it was ultimately within God's sovereign will.

The Apostle Paul further elaborates on this in his epistles, emphasizing that Christ's death was necessary for the atonement of sin and reconciliation between God and humanity (Romans 5:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Historical Context

The Jewish leaders' actions must be understood within the broader historical and political context of first-century Judea. The Roman occupation and the complex relationship between the Jewish authorities and the Roman government created a volatile environment. The fear of losing their religious and political influence contributed to their decision to seek Jesus' death.

Conclusion

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, while involving the actions of Jewish leaders and people, is ultimately viewed within Christian theology as a necessary and preordained event for the redemption of humanity. The New Testament narrative emphasizes both human responsibility and divine sovereignty in the unfolding of these events.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 7:52
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Thessalonians 2:15
Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Morning-Meal in the Pharisee's House - Meals and Feasts among ...
... have wished to convey his rebuke of Christ by referring ... mode of rebuking was very
common among the Jews. ... The fathers had murdered the prophets, and they built ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xii the morning-meal in.htm

About the Time of Christ, in Accordance with Prophecy, the Rulers ...
... at the time of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. ... They were constant enemies
of the Jews, refused them free ... He was murdered in 30 bc, by command of Herod ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter vi about the time of.htm

Judaism and Heathenism in Contact.
... his death on the forum where his murdered body was ... By this dispersion of the Jews
the seeds of the ... translated into Greek two centuries before Christ, and were ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 13 judaism and heathenism.htm

The Antiquities of the Jews
... Priest Took Care That He Should Be Murdered In A ... CHAPTER 3. Sedition Of The Jews
Against Pontius Pilate ... Concerning Christ, And What Befell Paulina And The Jews ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/the antiquities of the jews/

In Jud??a and through Samaria - a Sketch of Samaritan History and ...
... to be forsaken, betrayed, and murdered, was Christ's ... he characteristically commences
with Christ's public Evangelic ... by which the Jews afterwards persistently ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter vii in judaea and.htm

John ix. 29
... the Jews called Stephen's speaking against the holy place and against the law blasphemy
against God, and they murdered God's faithful servant and Christ's ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/arnold/the christian life/lecture xxxiii john ix 29.htm

The Voice of the Blood of Christ
... Blood might never be eaten by the Jews; it was too ... of the verse is not that the blood
of Christ is superior to the blood of murdered Abel, although ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the voice of the blood.htm

Christ Crucified and Buried.
... the body of one whom they had murdered had remained ... absent or overawed during the
trial of Christ, that he ... a disciple "secretly for fear of the Jews," and in ...
/.../the new testament commentary vol iii john/christ crucified and buried.htm

The Destruction of Jerusalem
... mob than they were fallen upon and murdered to the ... The Jews shut the gates of their
city, and so ... Forty years before, Jesus Christ Himself had spoken these words ...
/.../duff/the bible in its making/chapter ix the destruction of.htm

John Chapter xi. 55-57; xii
... that by reason of him many of the Jews went away ... Could not Christ the Lord, who was
able to raise the dead ... you think a dead man one thing, a murdered man another ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate l john chapter xi.htm