This paper examines the question of who was truly responsible for the death of Jesus Christ by working through four interconnected issues: Jesus' identity and divine nature, his mission to die for humanity's sins, the Jewish religious establishment's opposition and accusations of blasphemy, and the legal proceedings that led to his crucifixion under Roman authority. Drawing on the four Gospels and Jewish scriptural prophecy, the paper concludes that while the Jewish people of that era played a direct role, responsibility cannot be assigned to any single group. Theologically, all of humanity — whose sins necessitated the sacrifice — bears collective responsibility for Christ's death.
The actual truth about past events, as far as accuracy is concerned, is difficult to guarantee. One cannot fully rely on accounts that may have been recorded with bias. However, the records about the life of Christ, His trial, and His death are believed to be considerably accurate. This may be asserted because, to a great extent, the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John directly relate to one another in their descriptions of events that took place in the life of Christ. Moreover, whatever came to pass in the life of Christ was prophesied in the Jewish scriptures long before His birth. Hence, there is little room for skepticism if one takes into account the authenticity of dates and times in these recordings.
Jesus was a prophet whose entrance into this mortal world was prophesied in the Jewish scriptures generations before He was born. He was born to His mother Mary, and had a father named Joseph. The Christian belief is that Joseph was not Jesus' biological father, as it is believed that God filled Mary's womb. The Jews of that time were unaware of this Immaculate Conception. Perhaps they believed that Jesus was born as all other humans are. However, they did not accept Jesus for what He was or claimed to be; those who did believe became His followers and are therefore called Christians — followers of Christ.
Jesus was not entirely human, even though He had flesh and bones. He could not have possibly been human in the ordinary sense, as His birth was the result of the Immaculate Conception. Being born into a mortal body did not make Jesus human in the full sense, as He also held special powers granted to Him by God. He could perform miracles like other prophets, but the difference was that He could perform miracles that other prophets could not — such as raising people from the dead. In addition to His deeds, Jesus spoke with a conviction that carried unmistakable authority. The Gospels, along with other books of the Bible, reveal that Jesus was not an ordinary human being. It was a mission He was on, and it was through His earthly form that He was able to carry out what had been prophesied in the scriptures. Numerous verses refer to Jesus as God or assign divinity to Him: Isa 7:14; 9:6; Jer 23:5; Matt 1:22–23; John 1:1; 5:18; 20:28; Acts 20:28.
Jesus' mission was to die for humanity's sins. This point is consistent with the prophecies made about Him in the Jewish scriptures and had to be fulfilled. Jesus was on this mission in order to save mankind. By dying for man's sins, Jesus proclaimed that humanity would have a chance of salvation. Without this sacrifice, mankind would be condemned because of sin. It may therefore be asserted that Jesus had to die not only for the people living in His own time, but also for contemporary humanity. This is what gives people of every generation a chance of salvation as well.
In the times of Jesus, the Jews and all others were those for whom Christ died, and they were also the ones directly responsible for His death. If Christians today believe that Jesus died for them as well, then it could be said that contemporary Christians and Jews alike share a degree of responsibility for Christ's death. This theological perspective connects every generation of humanity to the events of the crucifixion.
"Accusations of blasphemy and breaking Jewish law"
"Roman authority, Pilate, and public demand for execution"
Though it might reasonably be asserted that the Jewish people are to blame, one cannot reasonably attribute the actions of the people of that time to their descendants today. A more considered perspective on who really killed Jesus compels one to believe that Christ's death occurred because of all humanity — all those for whom He died. This includes Christians as well, not just Jews. Jesus came to die for the sins of mankind, and if man were not sinful, there would have been no need for Him to die on behalf of all humanity.
Ultimately, it may be asserted that Christ ensured His own death, because He Himself made certain that the prophecies of the scriptures would be fulfilled. At the same time, it must be recognized that Christ did whatever He had to do in accordance with those prophecies because He loved all people and wanted to give everyone a chance of salvation.
Newsweek Cover Story. "Who Really Killed Jesus?" February 16, 2004, pp. 45–53.
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