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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 performed
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 godless men and put Him to death. But
God raised Him up again,
putting
an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held
in its power.
-Acts
2:22-24
The Passion of the
Christ
The Passion of the Christ. Much
has been said lately concerning Mel Gibson’s latest movie depicting the
death of Jesus Christ. It seems like it has brought to the surface a lot of the
deep-seated anger, resentment, animosity, and blame that men have toward
one another concerning who was to blame for the death of Jesus Christ.
A
great deal of the finger-pointing is directed toward the Jews as being
responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. After
all, their leaders during that day incited the crowds to insist that
Pilate release the criminal Barabas instead of Jesus. Their influence
was apparently so strong that the normally unimpressionable Pilate was
swayed to grant their wishes. On the other hand, it was the Romans who
actually carried out the crucifixion that caused our Savior such
excruciating pain and agony before bringing about His eventual death.
God Is Sovereign
So
who is responsible for the death of Jesus Christ? I believe the answer lies not only in
the word of God, but in its declaration of Who He is. God is sovereign.
He is in control of all things and all things are in accordance with His
will (Ephesians 1:11). His sovereignty rules over all (Psalms 103:19),
including the acts and deeds we witness and hear about that would seem
to have their origin in anything or anyone but God. Jesus was put death
at the right time (Romans 5:6) and the right time was while we were yet
sinners (Romans 5:8) and while we were yet enemies (Romans 5:10). God
sets the times for all things to occur and at the right time, and in
accordance with His will, His Son was nailed to that tree.
Men
cannot frustrate the plans of God nor can they turn back His hand from
carrying out what He desires to do (Isaiah 14:27). God willed and
purposed the crucifixion of His Son through those godless men before the
foundation of the world. He used them to fulfill His will in exactly the
manner He wanted it fulfilled. The prophet Isaiah tells us clearly that
“it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain. When you make his
life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong
his days; through him the will of the LORD shall prosper” (Isaiah
53:10, NRS)
When
God wants something done, it is done. No purpose of His can be thwarted
(Job 42:2). The Father wanted the Son to die in the manner in which He
died and by the hands of those whom He chose. God sent the Son into the
world that the world should be saved through Him (John 3:17); and He
succeeded. That salvation comes through the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is the way it had to happen, that is
what God predetermined to do, and He used the very creation He came to
save to carry it out.
God The Father Is Responsible For The Death Of
Jesus Christ
My
friend, God the Father is the One responsible for the death of Jesus
Christ.
He planned the crucifixion, decided when it would happen, and chose the
individuals He would work through to insure that the task would be
completed. Why? Because He loves His creation and would do whatever was
necessary to redeem it all back to Himself. He would stop at nothing
less than full and complete reconciliation between Himself and every
last speck of His creation. The Father worked through godless men to
nail the Son to the tree, but it was all in accordance with His
predetermined plan so that all might benefit from His resurrection!
Grace and peace to
you always!
John
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