Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash

Matthew 26:66-68 … {The Rulers of Israel} answered and said, He is guilty of death. [67] Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, [68] Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?

Matthew 27:22-24 (KJV) Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. [23] And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. [24] When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. [25] Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

Romans 10:9 (KJV) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:11-12 (KJV) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. [12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Who crucified Jesus? We did. We all did.

Who crucified Jesus? Some say it was the Jews, that the Jews crucified the Lord Jesus. Yes, that’s true. The Bible says that:

John 1:11 (KJV) {Jesus} came unto His own, and His own received him not.

Jesus was born to Israel according to the promise of Scripture. When God called Abraham out of ancient Babylon the Lord told him:

Genesis 12:1-3 (KJV) Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: [2] And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: [3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

“In thee shall ALL the families of the earth be blessed.” This was not the first time that God promised a Messiah to come save us. God told the serpent in the Garden of Eden that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). God promised Messiah would come to save us all. Throughout the Old Testament again and again God promised a Savior. God the Father spoke in The Psalms:

Psalms 2:7 (KJV) … the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. (compare to Hebrews 1:5)

and said of His Son:

Psalms 45:6-7 (KJV) Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. [7] Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (compare to Hebrews 1:8)

God told His Israel:

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (which means “God with us”. See Matthew 1:23)

God sent His Son to this world through Israel. Jesus came unto His own. He was born of Israel. Born in Bethlehem of a Virgin (Micah 5:1-3) Messiah grew up in Nazareth. He left His home town after being rejected by His own people.

“Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” (Luke 4:22)

The prophets all spoke of this Jesus. He would be the Messiah Who would offer salvation to the world. If a scientist were to discover a cure for cancer or Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s the world would celebrate him and offer him the greatest adulation. Jesus Christ came to this earth to offer a cure for something greater than Cancer, greater than any disease you can think of. Jesus came to this earth to offer a cure for sin and death. He came to offer eternal life and supernatural cleansing to all who would believe. But how was Christ perceived? The prophets foresaw the Savior this way:

Isaiah 53:3 (KJV) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

“We esteemed Him not”. The Messiah came to bring salvation to us. Yet we all would reject Him. He would be rejected by the Jews, but He would also be rejected by the Gentiles. The Jews cried out for His crucifixion. But the Gentiles condemned Him and drove the nails.

Why Would We Reject The Cure For Sin?

Because sin, unlike Cancer, Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s, blinds those it infects. The Bible warns us to “harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:8). The Bible tells us that:

John 3:19-20 (KJV) 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.

Sin seems to be fun while we are sinning. But sin brings with it DEATH. Sin killed Adam and Eve, and sin kills us today. The wages of sin is death we are told in Romans 6:23.

We think sin a joy.
God knows sin is a killjoy.
Sin is a murderer.
Sinners killed Jesus.

Jesus knew He was going to die when He rode into Jerusalem that Passover evening. He told His disciples:

Matthew 12:40 (KJV) For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus knew He was going to die for our sins. Just as Jonah was in the belly of a great fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17) Jesus’ body would lie in a grave three days and three nights.

Three days and nights ago Jesus died on a Cross. It wasn’t a pretty Cross, but a bloody unfinished tree. Abandoned of all His disciples the Bible tells us that the Chief Priests and Elders of the people of Israel:

Matthew 27:2 (KJV) … bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Pilate did not want to kill Jesus – but he was a politician.

“Should I release Jesus or Barabbas?”
The crowd cried out. Release Barabbas, crucify Jesus.
“What has He done?”
“Crucify Him. His blood be on us and on our children.”

We All Killed Jesus – And YES, He Was Dead

Matthew 27:28-31 (KJV) {The soldiers} stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. [29] And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! [30] And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head. [31] And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

The soldiers crucified Him. As Jesus hung bleeding between two thieves the crowd mocked Him. The crowd mocks Christ today. They use His name in curses. They misunderstand Him. When He cried out:

Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say,
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
(Matthew 27:46)

The crowd said “He cries out for Elijah. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save Him”. But none come to save Him. None help Him. Then Jesus dies.

Matthew 27:50 (KJV) Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Three days and nights ago Jesus died. How do we know He died? Because the Centurion in charge of His crucifixion drove a spear in His side piercing both the lungs and His heart. Blood and water came from the wound. In medical terms Hypovolemic Shock caused fluid to gather in the sack around the heart and around the lungs. This gathering of fluid in the membrane around the heart is called Pericardial Effusion, and the fluid gathering around the lungs is called Pleural Effusion. The blood and water pouring out told the Centurion Jesus was dead.

Three days and nights ago Jesus was taken from the Cross. After inspection by the death crew, His body was released to Joseph and Nicodemus. A mixture of myrrh and aloe – about 75 pounds of it – was placed on His body, and He was wrapped in strips of cloth (John 19:39). Jesus was laid in a new tomb, and it was sealed. Guards were placed on the tomb. Three days and nights ago.

Early in the morning on the first day of the week came to the Tomb to finish preparing the Body of Christ (Matthew 28:1). As the two women came to the tomb the Bible says:

Matthew 28:2 (KJV) And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Three days and nights ago Jesus died on the Cross. When He died the Bible says that:

Matthew 27:51-53 (KJV) And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; [52] And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, [53] And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

The dead rose from the Grave the last time there was an earthquake. Once more the earth quakes. An angel appears to these women, and tells them:

Matthew 28:5-7 (KJV) … Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. [6] He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. [7] And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

You Are Not Saved If He Did Not Resurrect

Do you believe what I just told you?
Do you believe that three days and nights ago He was crucified?
Do you believe that Jesus died, and was buried?
Do you believe that He rose again?

If you do not believe this then you cannot be saved. The “word of faith” is this:

Romans 10:9 (KJV) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

What does the Gospel teach?
How is a person saved from their sins?
How is a person promised Heaven?

Faith believes what God has said. Faith trusts God for the impossible. The Apostle said that two things must be true if you are to be saved.

1. You shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus. And
2. You shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead.

1 You are called on of God to “confess with your mouth”. To say in the presence of whoever asks “Jesus is Lord”. When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost part of his message was:

Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Jesus is both Lord and Messiah. He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, and He is the Lion of Judah Who will rule over His people. Jesus is Lord. But you are also required to confess:

2 Jesus rose from the grave. He is Lord of His people, but He is also Lord over death and sin. The Bible says:

Act 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Jesus literally died and literally rose again from the dead. This is a supernatural occurrence. Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, and rose from the Grave to prove His Lordship. Because He lives we will live. The Bible says:

Romans 5:1-2 (KJV) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: [2] By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Because of Jesus death has no hold on the Christian. Why? Because Jesus promised us eternal life. Ands He proved that He has the keys to life by dying on that terrible Cross, and by rising from the grave three days and nights later. This is why the Apostle can say:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ has conquered both sin and death, along with satan and his evil forces. He is a living Savior to a living people. God bids you to come into His everlasting family through Christ. Receive Him as Lord and Christ. Believe that He died for your sins, and rose again to lead you both now and into eternity. Oh that God would make this Passover real to you. Oh that you would receive Him as He is:

2 Corinthians 4:10 (KJV) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:14 (KJV) Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.