But while it seems we’ve followed the chain of guilt back from Pilate who handed Jesus over because of his own fear and cowardice, back to Caiaphas and the chief priests and the Pharisees and the scribes who handed Jesus over out of pure envy and back to Judas and that monstrously twisted, little, greedy heart, who chose to betray the Son of God as well, it seems that we’ve traced the line back to the very beginning. And maybe we find ourselves mirrored in each of those and their motivations.

But we’ve got to stop here and we’ve got to ask ourselves a question: if this is an exhaustive list, if Pilate and the Jews and Judas and, okay, we fit ourselves into here somewhere, if it all comes down to human choices and human culpability, then is it not true that Jesus was the victim of a murderous plot and that Jesus was killed by human beings?

But another steps forward to claim responsibility. And when He does, the whole drama changes. The whole drama is suddenly transformed from a horrific tragedy to a sublime triumph. Listen to Acts chapter 2 and verse 23:

this Jesus, delivered up [paradidomi] according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

You crucified Him. You killed Him. You lawless people. But who delivered Him up? Who did the paradidomi-ing at this point?

this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and [the] foreknowledge of God.

Who delivered Him up? God did. Romans 8:32:

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up [paradidomi] for us all, how will he not also with him [freely] give us all things?

Galatians 2:20 [NAS]:

It is no longer I [that] live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by [the] faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up [paradidomi] for me.

Ephesians 5, verse 2 [ESV]:

walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us [paradidomi]

And verse 25 of that same chapter:

Husbands, love your wives, [even] as Christ loved the church and gave himself up [paradidomi] for her,

So our question -- Who killed Jesus? -- is actually the wrong question. The question is not, “Who killed Jesus?” but “How did Jesus die?” Or, maybe even better, “Why did Jesus die?”

No one, ultimately, killed Jesus, though there are several layers of culpability involved in this thing. But no one takes the full and final and complete responsibility for it. God planned it, God effected it, God willed it for our redemption. He died on purpose. And that purpose was our redemption, our salvation. The purpose was paying the adoption price to make us His eternal sons and daughters.

Jesus was delivered up [end of track 8, 5:00] by Judas because of greed. He was delivered up by the Jews because of envy. He was delivered up by Pilate for fear. But He was delivered up by God the Father for love.

All right. So what do we do? What is our response to this?

Let me put it this way, and then we’ll look at a text.

We own the death of Jesus Christ as something done by us. There is a sense in which every one of those earthly, twisted, monstrous motivations are ours. We share in all of them. We killed Jesus by our sin.

And so we own the death as something done by us. And then we accept the death of Christ as something done for us.

Acts 2, verse 22. Acts chapter 2, starting in verse 22:

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

“You crucified him.” Was everybody there, there? Was everybody there standing before Peter that day hearing this message, were they all there at the cross? Were they all there clamoring for the crucifixion and the death of Jesus Christ? No, probably not. But they participated like you and I participate, by being part of a sinful mass of humanity, which demands the love gift of God the Father and the redemptive price of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary for our salvation.

But skip down to verse 37. What do you do with this? You own the guilt of it. You own your participation (verses 22 to 24). Jump down to verse 37:

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do?

They’ve already owned their guilt.

And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ [with a view toward] the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Et cetera.

What do you do? You accept responsibility for your participation in the death of Jesus Christ and you accept the effects of that which has been done for you by Christ. By faith receiving the salvation that comes through that shed blood.

So where do you fit into this picture? Are you one who is still delivering Jesus up to die?

“Away with Him! I don’t want Him in my life. I don’t even know what I’m doing in this church here this morning. But I really don’t want Jesus in my life. I don’t want a new master. I don’t want someone else calling the shots in my life, frankly.”

Or are you enjoying forgiveness and salvation through His substitutionary death, singing His praises and joyfully bowing your knee before Him.

Or, third option, are you trying to have it both ways? Have you accepted salvation and yet holding Christ aloof while you indulge your baser passions and try to maintain the ownership of your life? But you can’t do that.

Jesus says, “No man can serve two masters.” It’s an impossibility. You can’t serve the flesh and God.

Paul says, “What shall we say? Shall we keep on sinning so that we can just keep getting more grace? God forbid! How can we who are dead to sin keep on living in it?” [end of track 9, 5:00] It doesn’t work that way.

Either you’re over here, rejecting and agreeing with, consenting and assenting to the death of Jesus Christ because we do not want this transcendental interferer messing with our lives. Or you’re over here bowing the knee before the Savior of the world and accepting full and free forgiveness and following in His steps.

Let’s pray.

Father, I pray that each one here today would gladly and cheerfully own Jesus Christ as the Savior of their souls and the Lord of their lives. And, Lord, that you would help us to see that even sometimes during the course of a given day, as we journey through this life as committed disciples of Jesus Christ, there are times when we hold you at an arm’s length, even a long arm’s length, and insist on taking a bit of time out and having life our way and it’s utterly inconsistent with our position in Christ. Lord, when we enter into those seasons where we’re tempted to embrace sin and just do the sensual thing for a while and indulge the passions of the flesh ever so slightly, Lord, help us at those moments to see Jesus hanging upon that cruel Roman cross and understand that it was my sin that nailed Him there, the very sin that I am now thinking to embrace once again. God purify us by that thought and help us to live for your glory as our Savior and our Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. [end of track 10, 2:17]