Acts 1:3

The word “Passion” appears in Acts 1:3 & comes from Greek word, παθειν, meaning to suffer great pain. Years later, Peter wrote that he was an eyewitness of the sufferings of Jesus. Luke uses the singular, viewing the crucifixion as one event in the life of Jesus. Peter emphasizes the amount & kind of suffering Jesus endured. Jesus absorbed our punishment.

Someone asked about the ugly baby in the movie, “The Passion of the Christ.” Mel Gibson, “It is evil distorting what is good. What is more tender & beautiful than a mother & child? So the devil takes that & distorts it a little."  You have this androgynous figure holding a 40 year-old baby with hair on its back. It’s shocking & it’s almost too much--just like turning Jesus over to be scourged.

CNN, Fox, NBC, ABC, & CBS are all talking about Jesus (even on CNBC a financial network). Mel Gibson has done what no preacher has been able to do. Newsweek  in their Feb. 16, 2004 issue asked the question, “Who killed Jesus?”

For centuries, the Jews have reacted when the suggestion was made that the Jews of the 1^{st century were responsible for the death of Jesus. Some have gone so far to say that the New Testament is anti-Semitic by laying the blame for Jesus’ death on the Jewish people. It is true that many anti-Semitic acts were done in the name of Christianity across the centuries. They were persecuted with the label “Christ-killers.” But the Bible does not teach that every Jew in every place in every age is personally responsible for Jesus’ death. The Germans killed 6 million Jews during World War II, but stating that fact does not give anyone the right to mistreat or hate those of German descent. Some Native Americans & African-Americans were mistreated in the past but that does not mean that you & I are personally responsible for that mistreatment any more than Jews living today are responsible for Jesus’ death.}

Whose fingerprints are on the cross? Bible gives several answers.

1.  Judas. Motive was money, 30 pieces of silver. In the list of apostles Judas is always last. No one can serve 2 masters. Judas tried & it destroyed him. Do I love money? Am I consumed by materialism? He sold out Jesus.

2.  Caiaphas. Father-in-law was Annas who hand picked the next 7 HP, who were either his sons or sons-in-law, or grandsons. Annas was the one who really called the shots. John 18:12-14. Caiaphas meant it one way but God meant it another. Trial of Jesus had 2 stages-religious & civil. All charges were trumped up. Religious charge includes blasphemy (for claiming to be God) & civil charge was treason (claimed to be a king). Jesus called them hypocrites & this displeased leaders. Whitewashed tombs. They killed Jesus, not because He was a sinner but because they were sinners & Jesus was cramping their styles.

3.  Pilate. Apostles Creed, oldest catalogue of doctrine written in the 2nd century: “I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead, On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.” Why was Pilate singled out? Because Pilate contributed to his death by chastising him. It was called the intermediate death & some did not survive it. Jewish law said that 40 was the maximum number of times you could be hit & the Jews stopped at 39 so they would not violate the law if they made a mistake in counting. In being whipped by a Roman scourge, Jesus was paying for our sins. Isaiah 53:5 “By his stripes we are healed.” Afterwards, Pilate pronounces Jesus innocent 3 times & wants nothing to do with his death. He washes his hands. John 19:14 power to release or execute Jesus. The Jewish officials loaded the gun but it was Pilate who pulled the trigger. Everyone must choose who we are going to fear. Pilate was afraid of losing his position. He did not want Caesar hearing about a Jewish revolt. Who will we fear? Never be afraid of people. The worst they can do is take away your life. Be afraid of God because he can take away your soul. If you are acting a fool, you need to fear God.

4.  God. Although Judas & Pilate were responsible for their choices, God used the personal choices of wicked men to fulfill His plan to save men from their sins. Acts 2:23 God’s predeterminate (set purpose) counsel & foreknowledge. Jesus was not a victim but victorious. John 10:16-18. Jesus voluntarily lay down his own life. In a sense Jesus died before he was killed (1 Peter 1:18). Jesus paid the full measure of God anger at you for your sins. There is no sin too great to keep God from forgiving you. 1 John 1:7 all unrighteousness. All means all kinds. What a Savior!! Jesus did in Gethsemane what we do every day. God you want me to do this but I want to do __________. Jesus wrestles with doing God’s will.

5.  We Did. Mel Gibson financed this movie with more than $30 million of his own money. He wrote & produced it & seemingly is not in the movie. There is one scene where Roman soldiers are ready to drive a nail into the hand of Jesus. Mel Gibson’s fist holds the nail that will be driven into Jesus. It was his way of saying, “I killed Jesus.” Romans 4:25 delivered over for our sins. Were You There? Before we can see the cross as something done for us which leads us to worship, we must see the cross as something done by us, which leads us to repentance. We killed Jesus. And when that touches our hearts, that changes us. Just love God, serve Him & praise Him because if the only thing he did for us was on the cross, that would be enough. We ought to be enthusiastic & do in our own way what Mel Gibson did. Just do what you can based on who you are & tell others about Jesus. Jesus took sin seriously-so should we.