1Cor 2:7-8
Jesus’ Crucifiers
Tonight we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. Jesus only request
for us in partaking of this fellowship was that we remember Him when
we do it.
Lu 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and
brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my
body which is given for you: this do in
remembrance of me.
So tonight, let’s think of our Lord’s death and ask ourselves, "Who
were Jesus’ crucifiers?" What type of men (or women) would hang
Jesus, God’s Son, on a cross? For that matter, what kind of person
would hang anyone on a cross? The Bible gives us some indications
as to what kind of people would do such a thing and we might be
surprised to find out that they are not so different from us.
Keep your place at our text for I will use it later. Who were Jesus’
crucifiers?
I. Evil doers were Jesus’ crucifiers.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that
light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds
were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light,
that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in God.
A. Jesus often referred to Himself as Light, meaning that He is
the One who puts the light on hidden sin.
1. Jesus is the Light that exposes sin.
2. \\#John 3:20\\ Those who do evil hate light for they want to
keep their sins secret.
(a) Of course that is how sin works in a decent society.
(b) In America today people parade their sins in the
open and only get mad when you tell them it is sin.
3. Still it is the same. Whether the Light is exposing our
sin or exposing our behavior as sinful, people don’t
like the Light.
B. So gathered around the cross that day were evil doers, people
whose lives were bound by evil actives and they did not want
Jesus exposing that, so they killed Him.
C. Most people do not understand how powerful sin can be.
1. Sin has a binding affect.
(a) Sin usually starts off slow, gentile, controllable,
but it is not long before it controls you.
(b) Think of your first cigarette, beer, cuss word, drug
experience, or any other sinful activity.
(c) In the beginning, you could have done it once or
twice and walked away, but what about now?
(d) Now, think back.
(1) Exactly when it was it that you stopped
controlling it and it started controlling
you?
(2) You don’t remember, do you? The truth is, you
probably never noticed, but it did because it
always does!
2. Sin has a bullying effect.
(a) Sin not only wants to control you, it wants to
control more and more of you.
(b) They are playing some good commercials on television
trying to get people to stay away from cigarettes
these days. One has a teen trying to play video
games or watch TV with his friends and someone keeps
calling him and finally grabs him and drags him
outside. Once outside, we find out the man is a
cigarette.
(c) So it is, lying, cheating, stealing, lusting,
drugging, being jealous, envious, hatful… whatever
the sin—It can’t be content with owning you for a
few minutes each day or controlling just one avenue
of your life.
(d) Sin wants more and more. It becomes bigger and
bigger, and you become weaker and weaker.
(e) One day, it will control your actions, the next your
attitudes.
(1) You begin to defend it.
(2) Then you begin to fight for it.
(3) Then you begin to hate any that disagree with
it.
John 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the
word might be fulfilled that is written in their
law, They hated me without a cause.
3. Sin has a baneful effect.
(a) That simply means deadly.
(b) Sooner or later, sin will turn on you.
II. The wise and prudent were Jesus’ crucifiers.
Matt 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said,
I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
A. Jesus wasn’t really talking about the wise. He was talking
about those who THINK they are wise.
B. Have you ever met a know-it-all?
1. These are people you cannot teach anything!
2. They surrounded Jesus His entire life.
a. On one occasion (John 5), Jesus healed a lame man on
the Sabbath. By the world’s standards, the man was a
nobody. He was born that way so he probably had no
education. He was a beggar because that is all he
could be. Jesus healed him and the religious crowd
was furious that he was carrying his bedroll on the
Sabbath! They questioned him, his parents, and
probably anyone who had ever seen him. The man just
stuck to what he knew. He did not know who Jesus was
but he figured anyone with that kind of power had to
be of God! The Pharisees finally threw him out. They
knew too much to be taught by a beggar.
b. And so Jesus told them that they had better go and
reward the Scriptures!
Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life: and they are they
which testify of me.
c. Jesus was telling them, "You are not as bright as you
think you are!"
C. These were the people who crucified Jesus! In fact, the very
same people.
1. The same scribes, priests, and Pharisees.
2. I am always concerned at how easy it is to become a "know-
it-all!"
a. These people were trained in the Bible and thought
they understood it and stood for it… yet they were
WRONG!
b. I don’t want to be one of them!
c. I don’t want to be a "doubt-it-all" or a "know-
nothing-at-all," but I don’t want to be a "know-it-
all" either.
3. I think that is where humility and teachability come in.
a. Let’s listen and weigh their logic against the Word
of God.
b. But let’s always go with the Word of God!
4. Know-it-alls crucified our Lord!
III. The religious crucified Jesus.
A. I hesitate to mention this group; not because I am protecting
my own, but because they were also the know-it-alls. Yet, I
feel I must.
B. Some people mistakenly believe that to have religion—any
religion—is better than not having any.
1. Not true.
2. Bad religion has never helped anybody and it is hurt many.
3. It was the religious who arrested Jesus, beat Him during
the night, hired liars to incriminate Him; and delivered
Him to the Roman government insisting that He be
crucified.
4. I have heard atheists and god-haters make the claim that
religion has caused more wars and taken more lives than
any other cause on the planet.
a. I do not disagree.
b. Bad religion has done just that.
5. In fact, it is not religion that we want you to have at
all. Religion does not save. It does not change. It
does not help.
6. What we want people to have is righteousness!
C. Sadly, most people cannot distinguish between bad religion
and righteousness.
1. Righteousness speaks the truth whether it is liked or
not.
2. Righteousness has faith in Jesus’ works not in the
efforts of man’s works.
3. Righteousness changes people from the inside out, not
outside to inside.
4. Righteousness loves whether it is returned or not.
5. Righteousness will die for you but it won’t hurt you.
6. Righteousness produces peace, power, deliverance, hope,
and satisfaction not fear, despair, bondage, and hate.
IV. The unbelievers crucified Jesus.
Ac 14:2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the
Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected
against the brethren.
A. That passage does not relate to Jesus but it does to His
disciples.
1. It makes sense that unbelievers would be Jesus’
crucifiers. We certainly would not think a believer
would.
2. Yet, I do not think we understand the situation unbelief
places a person in.
B. An unbeliever is someone who must get on the opposite side of
Christ at some point.
1. I know there are many unbelievers who are good, moral
people.
2. However, the time will come when unbelievers will sell out
Jesus. The stakes just have to get high enough.
Matt 12:30 He that is not with me is against me;
and he that gathereth not with me scattereth
abroad.
Mt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either
he will hate the one, and love the other; or else
he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
C. Let me show you.
1. \\#Heb 3:19\\ tells us that many unbelievers traveled with
Moses out of the Promised Land.
2. That was alright until trouble came, but what happened
when the stakes got high enough?
a. They always turned on Moses!
b. What happened when Pharaoh started beating the Jews
because their straw was cut back? \\#Ex 17:4\\ Moses
said they were almost ready to stone him!
c. When they came to the Red Sea? The people wanted to
make a new leader and go back.
d. What happened when they got to the Promised Land?
They refused to enter.
3. Whenever the stakes get high enough, unbelievers will sell
out Jesus!
D. Listen to Jesus’ words:
Matt 10:34 Think not that I am come to send
peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a
sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance
against his father, and the daughter against her
mother, and the daughter in law against her
mother in law.
36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own
household.
1. Some people think that is figurative language.
2. Think again. When anti-Christ puts the mark on his people
and stops the others from buying and selling, you will be
amazed at how fast some of your own family will turn on
you!
E. The truth is that unbelief in Jesus and friendship with Christ
is a fence you can only straddle for so long.
1. Why?
2. Because both Jesus and the devil want all of you and only
one can get that.
V. The ignorant were Jesus’ crucifiers.
A. We are back at our text.
1. Paul writes that those who crucified our Lord just did not
know who He was.
2. He goes further to state that if they had, they would not
have crucified Him.
B. This is born out in other texts.
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them; for they know not what they do….
Acts 3:17 (Peter to citizens of Jerusalem)
And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance
ye did it, as did also your rulers.
C. Of all the conditions we have discussed, this is the best
one to have.
1. Why?
2. Because you can fix this one.
3. You can learn who Jesus is and trust Him as your Savior.
4. I pray you will tonight.
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