They Called Me Christ Killer - Mottel BalestonFor example, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, director of the...

THEY CALLED MECHRIST KILLER

by Michael RydelnikA Personal Perspective

On Who Killed Jesus

WWhen I heard MichaelRydelnik’s story and

heard him describeChrist’s suffering with such deep empathy for those whohave been called Christ killers, I knew that his voice needed to be heard.

This booklet, however,contains more than I expected.In providing an answer to thequestion of who killed Jesus, Dr. Rydelnik surfaced recurringthemes of church history thatmany of us would rather forget.

I hope the following pageswill help us better understandwhy many Jewish people become concerned whenever the death of Christ is portrayedin the modern media.

Martin R. De Haan II

CONTENTSThe Need ForUnderstanding. . . . . . . . . 2

The Historical Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Church Fathers . . . . 6

The Medieval Period . . . . 8

The Reformation Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Nazi Period . . . . . . 12

The Biblical Perspective . . . . . . . . . . 15

A Trilogy Of Guilt. . . . . . 15

A Conspiracy Of Guilt . . 17

A Misunderstanding OfPerpetual Jewish Guilt . . 22

A Misunderstanding OfNational Jewish Guilt . . . 24

A Misunderstanding Of Jesus’ Forgiveness . . . . . . 26

The Theological Perspective . . . . . . . . . . 27

The Practical Perspective . . . . . . . . . . 30

Mystery Solved . . . . . . . 32

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Design:Terry BidgoodScripture taken from the New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.All rights reserved.© 2005 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

Q1118 Christ Killer pp 1/24/05 2:45 PM

© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

THE NEED FORUNDERSTANDING

AAbraham Foxman,National Director of

the Anti-DefamationLeague, said, “For almost2,000 years in Westerncivilization, four wordslegitimized, rationalized, and fueled anti-Semitism:‘The Jews killed Christ.’ ”

My first introduction toJesus was as a 7-year-oldboy. I was walking toHebrew school in myneighborhood and had topass the part of the streetthat was mostly Gentile. Ithad snowed and the non-Jewish children had built a snow fort. As I walked past, they began to throwsnowballs at me—some withrocks in the center! As I waspelted with snowballs, thesekids yelled, “Christ killer!You dirty Jew!” I went homeand asked my mom, “Whois it that we killed? And whydo they think I killed him?”

Decades later, thosememories were very real to me as I considered thecontroversy surrounding the Mel Gibson film ThePassion Of The Christ. As a Jewish follower of Jesus, it seemed clear to me thatthe disputes about the film demonstrated a greatdeal of misunderstanding on both sides of the debate.

Some in the Jewishcommunity, fearing yetanother wave of anti-Semitism, have spoken notonly against the film butagainst the New Testament,which Gibson said was his primary source. Theysuggested not only that thefilm repeats the anti-SemiticChrist-killer charge, but thatthe Gospels themselvesmake this accusation.Therefore, they have arguedthat the Gospel records, by allegedly blaming theJewish people for killingJesus, are not trustworthy as historical records.

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For example, RabbiShmuley Boteach, director of the L’Chaim Society andhost of a syndicated radioshow, has called theseGospel records “cheapforgeries, contradicted by allserious history of the time.”He maintains that there wasa “deliberate effort on thepart of New Testamenteditors to slander the Jews.”

But it is not only Jewishpeople who demonstrate a lack of understanding.Christians have also reactedto the alarm sounded by theJewish community withincomprehension and evenresentment. For the mostpart, Christians cannotunderstand why their Jewishfriends are so upset. Whilerightly affirming that theGospels are not anti-Semitic,many followers of Christhave remained only casually touched by the life experience and fears that run so deep in manyJewish hearts.

The Passion Of TheChrist, while breakingrecords at the box office, stirred up old

misunderstandings betweenthe Jewish and the Christiancommunities. While it awedChristians and deepenedtheir affections for the One they believe died for them, many remainedunconcerned for Jewishneighbors who saw it as adangerous threat foundedon inaccurate history. Too

3

For the most part, Christians

cannot understandwhy their Jewishfriends are soupset about the movie

The Passion Of The Christ.



many Christians didn’tunderstand what wascausing Jewish people to be fearful, and most Jewish people really don’t understand what theGospels actually teach.

Both communities needmore understanding. Jewishpeople need to understandthat the Christ-killeraccusation is not rooted inScripture. Christians need to understand the sensitivityand fear that Jewish peoplehave about the film (and the broader issue of thecrucifixion of Christ), andwhy those fears need to be a concern to them as well.

This booklet is anattempt to bring thatunderstanding to bothgroups. To do so, we willtake a deeper look at who is responsible for the death of Jesus. We will view this issue from fourperspectives—historical,biblical, theological, andpractical.

THE HISTORICALPERSPECTIVE

SSince the secondcentury, many churchleaders have blamed

the Jewish people for thedeath of Jesus. BecauseChristians believe that Jesusis God in the flesh, thosewho have blamed Jewishpeople for His death havefrequently accused them ofdeicide. The term literallymeans “murder of God” and has been used todehumanize and demonizea people unfairly branded as Christ killers.

The Components OfThe MisunderstandingThe first element of theChrist-killer charge is thatthe Jewish people are solelyguilty for the death of Jesus.Church fathers propagatedthis idea so forcefully thateven now many people, if asked, “Who killed Jesus and who nailed

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Him to the cross?” would unhesitatingly reply, “The Jews.” As a result, one aspect of themisunderstanding is that itis alleged that only Jewishpeople are guilty for thedeath of Jesus.

A second facet of themisunderstanding is thecontention that all theJewish people of Jesus’ daywere guilty. Not just someJews in Judea or some of theSanhedrin, nor some of thecrowd in Jerusalem, butevery Jew living in the wholeworld was deemed guilty. AJew in Rome who had neverheard of Jesus of Nazarethwas guilty, as was a Jew inAsia Minor who had neverlived in Israel, or even a Jewin Galilee who had listened to Jesus with interest andrespect. It has been chargedthat all Jewish people, ifthey did not recognize Himas Messiah, shared theblame for putting Him todeath. Thus, allegedly, all

Jewish people living at thetime of the crucifixion wereguilty of deicide.

The third ingredient ofthe Christ-killer charge is theallegation that the Jewishpeople are perpetually guiltyfor the death of Jesus. Thismeans that it was not onlyJews and all Jews of Jesus’day, but all Jews for all timewho are charged with theresponsibility for the murderof Jesus. The implication is that your Jewish neighbor, if he or she doesnot believe in Jesus, is moreguilty of the murder of Jesusthan your Gentile neighborswho also do not believe in Him. The essence of themisunderstanding and unfairaccusation is that only Jewsand all Jews for all time areguilty of killing Jesus, and indoing so, murdering God.

The History Of The Misunderstanding My reason for pressing this unfair accusation that

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Jewish people are by natureand fact Christ killers is notto unfairly tag all Gentilepeople as anti-Semitic.Rather, it is to alert thosewho are unaware of this sad charge to the way it has been used as a weaponagainst Jewish people.Although in recent yearslarge numbers of Christianshave retreated from theaccusation, many still affirm it. In fact, when I waswriting my master’s thesis onthe subject of the deicidecharge, students wouldfrequently challenge thevalue of my research. Manywould say, “Why waste yourtime? Everyone knows theNew Testament holds theJewish people responsible.”

Let’s review how thehistory of this charge has so ingrained itself intoChristian thought that many mistakenly regard the suffering of Jewishpeople as something theyuniquely deserve.

THE CHURCHFATHERSDeveloping TheMisunderstandingHow did the Christ-killeraccusation develop? Thefirst person to equate Jewishsuffering with the death ofJesus was Justin Martyr(c.100–165). This Christianapologist wrote that all the sufferings of the Jewishpeople were a divinepunishment. He said,“Tribulations were justlyimposed on you, for youhave murdered the JustOne” (Dialogue WithTrypho, ch.16).

By the late secondcentury, Melito of Sardiswrote not just that the Jewskilled Jesus, but that theJews knowingly murderedGod. In his Homily On The Passion he wrote:

An extraordinary murderhas taken place in thecenter of Jerusalem . . . .And who has beenmurdered? And who

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is the murderer? . . . The One who hung theearth in space is Himselfhanged; the One whofixed the heavens in placeis Himself impaled; theOne who firmly fixed allthings is Himself firmlyfixed to the tree. The Lordis insulted; God has beenmurdered; the King ofIsrael has been destroyedby the right hand of Israel.Melito of Sardis brought

“deicide” into Christianthought and thus increasedthe intensity of anti-Semitism. The accusationbecame part of the church’sdoctrine. Christians believedthat the Jews were themurderers of Jesus and sothe “murderers of God.”

Although many churchfathers affirmed this charge,two leading theologians were especially influential in having the deicide chargeingrained into the thinkingof the church. These were Augustine and John

Chrysostom, two of the mostinfluential leaders in theearly history of the church.

Augustine (354–430) is considered the greatesttheologian of the WesternChurch and perhaps thegreatest of all time. RomanCatholics and Protestantsboth point to him as theirpatron theologian. Augustinedeveloped the theory of “thewitness people.” He saidthat just as Cain slew Abeland was forced to wanderthe earth as a testimony ofhis evil, so God marked theJews when they murderedJesus, their brother. They toomust wander the earth andcannot be destroyed. Yettheir dispersion and miseryserve as a testimony of theirevil and of Christian truth.They are doomed to sufferand wander the earth as aperpetual witness to divinejudgment.

John Chrysostom(347–407) is considered the greatest preacher of

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the Eastern Church. He was known as the “Golden-Mouthed Preacher,” and hissermons are still studied andmemorized today by menentering the priesthood of the Eastern OrthodoxChurch. He wrote eightHomilies Against The Jews,which form the worst of allanti-Jewish writings in thechurch. He said:

The Jews are the mostworthless of all men.They are lecherous,greedy, rapacious. Theyare perfidious murderersof Christ. They worshipthe devil, their religion isa sickness. The Jews arethe odious assassins ofChrist, and for killing God there is no expiation possible, noindulgence or pardon.Christians may nevercease vengeance, and theJew must live in servitudeforever. God always hatedthe Jews. It is incumbentupon all Christians

to hate the Jews.The church fathers so

effectively entrenched theChrist-killer charge into thethinking of the early churchthat by the Medieval Periodthe idea was undisputed.

THE MEDIEVALPERIODMob Violence And The MisunderstandingBy the Middle Ages, thechurch fathers had soinculcated the deicide

8

The church fathersso effectively

entrenched theChrist-killer chargeinto the thinking

of the early church that by the Medieval

Period the idea was undisputed.



charge into the thinking of the clergy and the laitythat active anti-Jewishnessbecame normal. Churchhistorian James Parkes has observed, “A medievalChristian, if he were askedwhat was the substance of his hostility to the Jews,would undoubtedly placefirst the crucifixion.” Duringthe Middle Ages, the churchapplied the teachings of the church fathers andbrutalized the Jewish peopleliving around them becausethey were considered Christkillers. In fact, for medievalJewish people, Holy Weekbecame the most dangerousweek of the year. AsChristians remembered thedeath of Jesus, they leveledhorrific false charges againstthe Jews, resulting in viciousattacks and murders.

One of these false charges was the ritual-murder charge, also knownas the “blood libel.” Jewishpeople were accused of

kidnapping Christianchildren, especially on GoodFriday, in order to reenactthe murder of Christ. It wassaid that Jewish people killedthese children so that theycould use their blood formaking Passover matzoh(unleavened bread). To thisday, various anti-Semitic andracist groups use the Internetto promote this outrageouscharge. Just last year inSaudi Arabia the officialSaudi press published anarticle describing in graphicdetail how Jewish peopleobtain and use the blood of Christian and Muslimchildren to makeHamentashen (cookies) for Purim. In both medieval Europe and thecontemporary Middle East,individuals have beenencouraged to takevengeance on the Jews for the blood libel.

Another false charge was“host desecration.” Jewishpeople were charged with

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sneaking into churches and stealing the host usedfor the Mass and believed to become, according toRoman Catholic doctrine,the actual body of the Lord. It was said that Jewish people would takethe consecrated wafer andpierce it in reenactment of the crucifixion until it would miraculously bleed.Pope Innocent III officiallyrecognized this charge in1215 at the Fourth LateranCouncil.

As a result of these liesthat were taught about theJewish people, mobs woulddescend on the Jewishcommunity and wreakhavoc on the people—murdering, raping, andpillaging. During the Easterseason, it got so bad thatJewish people would hide,attempting to avoid meetingChristians observing HolyWeek. Any Jew seen inpublic was subject to attackor death in retribution for

the alleged Jewish murder of Jesus. Tragically, HolyWeek became Horror Weekfor Jewish people.

Moreover, since themedieval church generallyviewed the Jews as adeicidal people, commonpeople generally affirmedanti-Semitic accusations and unleashed unprovokedviolence, making daily lifefor the Jewish person in Christian Europe anuncertain nightmare.

THE REFORMATIONPERIODRefining TheMisunderstandingOne might think that by the end of the MiddleAges, when Martin Lutherestablished the Reformation,that the anti-Jewish actionsof the church would haveended. Although Luther did indeed break with theteachings of the establishedCatholic Church in manyrespects, he maintained and

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taught their hateful attitudetoward the Jews. Lutherwrote an avidly anti-Semitictreatise, called On The JewsAnd Their Lies (1543), inwhich he accused the Jewsof “their sin of crucifyingJesus.” Luther restated themedieval accusationsagainst the Jews, such asritual murder, and mademany harsh statements and observations about the Jewish people. He wrote, for example:

What shall we Christiansdo with this rejected andcondemned people, theJews? Since they liveamong us, we dare nottolerate their conduct,now that we are aware of their lying and revilingand blaspheming. If wedo, we become sharers in their lies, cursing, andblasphemy. Thus wecannot extinguish theunquenchable fire ofdivine wrath, of whichthe prophets speak, nor

can we convert the Jews. . . . For, as all can see,God’s wrath over them is so great that gentlemercy will only makethem worse and worse,and harshness littlebetter. So away withthem at all costs.Would that Luther

were the only reformer that condemned the Jewish people. Tragically,John Calvin also raised hisvoice against the Jews. In A Response To Questions And Objections Of A CertainJew he wrote:

[The Jews’] rotten and unbendingstiffneckedness deservesthat they be oppressedunendingly and withoutmeasure or end and thatthey die in their miserywithout the pity ofanyone.Plainly, the Reformation

brought little relief from anti-Semitism to the Jewishpeople of Christian Europe.

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THE NAZI PERIODThe Final Solution AndThe MisunderstandingIn modern times, hatred for the Jewish peopleintensified to unparalleledheights with the onslaught of Hitler and Nazism. Naziideology, despite beingdriven by racial rather thanChristian anti-Semitism, stillmade the Christ-killer chargeagainst the Jews. Hitler used the alleged Jewish guilt for murdering Jesus to stir the German Christianpopulace against theirJewish neighbors and tobring German Christianacquiescence to his planned genocide of the Jewish people.

Adolf Hitler wasenthusiastic about thefamous OberammergauPassion Play, performed in the Bavarian mountainvillage since 1634. Heattended the 1934production and was pleased to see the

swastikas pervading the area. An active youngNazi played the role ofJesus. Through the strategic elimination of one paragraph, the playappeared to call for theannihilation of the Jews.Hitler continued to stress the importance of the passion play andconsidered it “vital that thepassion play be continued at Oberammergau; for never has the menace ofJewry been so convincinglyportrayed as in thispresentation of whathappened in the times of the Romans.”

My parents came to the United States, bothhaving survived Hitler’sconcentration camps prior to their marriage. When mymom left Nazi Europe, shebrought with her a Nazireading primer used to teach7-year-olds how to read.Written by Elvira Bauer andpublished by the notorious

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Sturmer Press, the book was titled Don’t Trust A FoxIn The Meadow And Don’tTrust A Jew By His Word.This colorful and beautifullyillustrated children’s booksays:

“From the beginning, the Jew has been amurderer,” so says JesusChrist. And when theLord Jesus had to die, He did not know of anyother nation that couldtorture Him, so He chosethe Jew. That is why theJews imagined they arethe Chosen People. The Nazi propaganda

machine, the Sturmer Press,made use of the Christ-killercharge in a variety ofcreative ways. Significantly,children were taught tobelieve the deicide charge so they would grow uphating Jews. On this basis,Hitler argued, “By wardingoff the Jews, I am fighting for the Lord’s work.”

My dad’s first wife was

murdered at Auschwitz withhis four sons, as well as anadopted daughter. My momand dad met and marriedafter the war, having lost allof their families—parents,grandparents, uncles, aunts,brothers, sister, cousins, and virtually everyone theyever knew—to the NaziHolocaust. They came toAmerica seeking freedom,safety, peace, and an end to anti-Semitism. But theydidn’t find it. Their youngson who was born inGermany, my older brother,was walking to a Jewishschool one day and Gentilechildren threw rocks at him,shouting “Christ killer!” One of the rocks that hit him blinded him in one eye for life.

Blaming Jewish peoplefor the death of Jesusremains pervasive amongChristians. Today, evenrenowned New Testamentcommentators andapologists condemn

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all Jewish people who do not believe in Jesus as being guilty of His death.

In my own life, I haveencountered evangelicalseminarians and Biblecollege students who

believed that contemporaryJewish people remain guiltyfor killing Jesus. Oneprofessor at a Christiancollege told his class that theNew Testament blames all

Jews for all time for themurder of Jesus, sarcasticallynoting that he would not saythat too loudly in a Jewishneighborhood. I have evenmet anti-Semites whopropound the charges ofdeicide and ritual murderwith bumper stickers and T-shirts.

My friends, I havereviewed this history not toheap guilt upon all Gentilesbut to give you reason topause and reflect on theemotions of your Jewishfriends and neighbors. If youhave heard Jewish peopleexpressing their fears at thepossible consequences ofthe movie The Passion OfThe Christ, I hope you nowunderstand their concerns.Perhaps you can see thatthe history of the church hasbeen splattered with Jewishblood—blood that has beenpoured out as a result of the Christ-killer charge.Although it wreaks havoc on the Jewish people, the

14

I have encounteredevangelical

seminarians andBible collegestudents whobelieved thatcontemporaryJewish people

remain guilty forkilling Jesus.



Christ-killer accusationreflects a misunderstandingof the New Testamentdocuments.

So what does the Bible say about the humanresponsibility for the deathof Jesus? Let us now movefrom the historical to thebiblical perspective.

THE BIBLICALPERSPECTIVE

BBoth Christians and Jews havemisunderstood what

the New Testament actuallyteaches about humanresponsibility for the death of Jesus. That makes it essential toexamine what the Bible truly does teach. We willbegin by first looking at howJesus predicted His comingcrucifixion and then how theearly church looked back athuman responsibility for thedeath of Jesus. After that, we will look at some biblical

passages used to mistakenlycast blame on the Jewishpeople.

A TRILOGY OFGUILT (Mk. 10:33-34)The Lord Jesus predicted His coming passion andmentioned three specificareas of guilt (Mk. 10:33-34). He said:

We are going up toJerusalem . . . and the Son of Man will bebetrayed to the chiefpriests and teachers of thelaw. They will condemnHim to death and willhand Him over to theGentiles, who will mockHim and spit on Him, flogHim and kill Him. Threedays later He will rise.”In this passage, Jesus

foresaw a trilogy of guilt.First, speaking in the passivevoice, Jesus spoke of onewho would betray Him to the chief priests andteachers of the law, lateridentified in the gospel as

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Judas. This is the very sameJudas who had been withJesus for 3 years, who hadserved Jesus, and who hadbeen well-respected by theother disciples. This followerof Jesus was the one whobetrayed Him to Hisenemies and incurred thefirst part in this trilogy ofguilt in the death of Jesus.

Second, Jesus named“the chief priests and theteachers of the law,” whowould condemn Him andhand Him over to theGentiles. Jesus was referringto the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council in the NewTestament period. TheSanhedrin did indeed have a trial or “grand jury” typeinvestigation in the middleof the night, without all their members present. The council ignored theobjections of some of theirmembers, both Joseph ofArimathea and Nicodemus,who did not concur with the majority present.

Nevertheless, the chiefpriests and the scribes didindeed participate in thedecision to condemn Jesus.Deeming Him a threat totheir power and authority,they used trumped-upcharges, false testimony, and charges of blasphemy to condemn Him.

The Gentiles are the third part of Jesus’prediction of a trilogy ofguilt. He was referring to theRomans. After the Sanhedrinturned Jesus over to theRoman authorities, PontiusPilate and his Romansoldiers callously murderedyet one more Jew. In theirminds, Jesus was nothingspecial. He was just anothertroublemaking Jew from anation of troublemakers—anation that had not willinglysubmitted to Rome despitebeing under Roman rulesince 63 BC (some 90 yearsof occupation at that point).The Romans consideredJewish people to be so

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problematic that during thefirst century they crucifiedbetween 50,000 and100,000. To them, Jesus wasonly one of a vast number.

In anticipating the cross,Jesus did not fix blame onthe Jewish people alone.Instead, He predicted thatone of His followers, someJewish leaders, and someRomans would bring aboutHis death. Did the profile of guilt shift after thecrucifixion? Did the earlychurch change its opinion so that the Jewish peoplealone were deemed guilty for the death of Jesus? Theanswer is found in the bookof Acts.

A CONSPIRACY OFGUILT (Acts 4:27)In Acts 4:27, the events of the cross and those guiltyof Jesus’ death are reviewedin a prayer for boldness. It states:

Indeed Herod and PontiusPilate met together with

the Gentiles and thepeople of Israel in this cityto conspire against Yourholy servant Jesus, whomYou anointed.This verse identifies

a conspiracy of guilt. TheGreek word used here for “to conspire against” literallymeans “gathered together.”But it was a common idiomfor a conspiracy. So, whoconspired together to putJesus to death?

Herod Antipas. Thefirst-named conspirator wasHerod Antipas, the pro-Roman half-Jewish king. His family was from Idumeaand had converted toJudaism. He was the son of the infamous Herod theGreat, who had enlarged the temple in Jerusalem andwas ruling Israel at the timeJesus was born.

Herod Antipas married aJewish woman and ruled asthe tetrarch of Galilee (4 BCto AD 39), presiding over amuch smaller area than his

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famous father had ruled. Herod Antipas was

known as a selfish, cunningruler, whom Jesus called“that fox” (Lk. 13:32). Hewas a man driven by hisappetites and characterizedby scandalous behavior.John the Baptist hadreproved Herod for marrying his own sister-in-law, Herodias. She, in turn, demanded that Herodbehead John the Baptist.And he did (Mt. 14:1-13).

When Pilate discoveredthat Jesus was from Galilee,he sent Him to this Jewishking for judgment becauseJesus lived under hisjurisdiction. Perhaps Herod was worried by Jesus,thinking that possibly Johnhad risen from the dead (Mk.6:14). Or perhaps Herodmerely wanted to meet Jesus,for he had heard about Himand wanted to see some signor trick (Lk. 23:8).

When Jesus refused toperform for Herod or even

reply to his many questions,Herod and his soldierstreated Jesus with contempt,mocked Him, dressed Himin a robe, and sent Himback to Pilate (Lk. 23:8-11).Herod incurred his own guiltby remanding Jesus to Pilatewhen he could have set Himfree.

Pontius Pilate. Thesecond conspirator wasPontius Pilate, the RomanGovernor of Judea from AD26-36. Pilate was one of themost brutal governors in thehistory of violent Romanofficials. History recordsthat, in defiance of allprecedent, Pilate set upstandards bearing the imageof Emperor Tiberias right in the temple area. Later he hung golden shieldsinscribed with the names ofRoman deities on Mt. Zion,which he removed only byorder of the emperor to avoidan insurrection. Anothertime, he appropriated therevenue of the temple to

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build an aqueduct, againalmost causing a riot.

In Luke 13:1 we’re told that Pilate slaughteredGalileans as they presentedtheir offerings in the temple,mixing their blood with their sacrifices. Pilate saw his Jewish subjects as troublesome and was quick to murder them.

Ultimately, even theRoman governmentconsidered Pilate tooruthless and violent. Itrecalled him to Rome in AD 36 for his brutality to the Jewish community,confirming his legacy as one of Rome’s most callousand vicious governors.

The following historicalbackground of Pilate’s ruleconfirms the biblical textand highlights Pilate’s great guilt. Tiberias came to power at the age of 55 after years of militarycommand. He reigned asCaesar from AD 14–37. He is mentioned in Luke 3:1 as

being in his 15th year whenJesus was baptized. AsCaesar, Tiberias lived a lifeof inactivity, sloth, self-indulgence, and personalstudy on the Isle of Capri.He wanted time for himself,so he appointed Sejanus, a trusted administrator, as commander of thePraetorian Guard in AD 16.

Sejanus rapidly rose topower due to his excellentadministrative ability.Tiberias even ordered astatue in honor of Sejanuserected at the site of thetheater in Pompeii. Ascommander of thePraetorian Guard, Sejanuswas second-in-command toCaesar but virtually ruledthe empire while Caesarwithdrew himself frompublic office. Tiberias madeit clear that he regardedSejanus as his exclusiverepresentative in Rome.

Soon Sejanus began toconsolidate his power overthe Roman armies in foreign

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lands. He replaced many ofthe commanders with menloyal to him. It was Sejanus,not Tiberias, who appointedPilate as proconsul of Judea.Eventually, Sejanus began to plot a revolt to overthrowTiberias and make himselfCaesar.

Tiberias may have beenan inactive ruler, but he wasnot a fool. When he sawwhat Sejanus was planning,he deposed him fromleadership. Tiberias had Sejanus arrested,condemned, and executedfor treason on the same day,along with his whole family.

At this point, Tiberiasbecame suspicious of everyperson Sejanus had placedin office. As a result, PontiusPilate came under suspicionfor treason. When the Jewishleadership said to Pilate, “If you let this Man go, you are no friend of Caesar” (Jn. 19:12), they were using atechnical phrase. Any traitorwas deemed “no friend of

Caesar.” In effect, they weresaying they would reportPilate as a traitor to Rome, a charge that might stand upbecause of his associationwith Sejanus.

Pilate was not indecisiveout of concern for Jesus orout of a desire to be just. Itwas only because he caredabout preserving his ownposition. So, fearful for hisown life and desirous ofsaving his own office, Pilatedecided to crucify a man heknew was innocent.

Pilate was guilty. Jesus recognized Pilate’sculpability when He spoketo him, saying, “The onewho handed Me over to youis guilty of a greater sin” (Jn.19:11). Greater sin implieslesser sin; therefore, Jesusdid place responsibility on Pilate for his decision.Likewise, the prayer thatwas recorded in Acts 4:27included Pontius Pilate inthe list of those guilty for the death of Jesus.

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Some Of TheGentiles. The thirdparticipant in the conspiracyagainst Jesus was “theGentiles,” referring to theRoman soldiers who brutallybeat and crucified Jesus.They mocked Him, floggedHim, tore His flesh with aRoman whip embedded with bits of iron and brokenglass, and then crucifiedHim. It was nothing for theRomans to crucify a Jew. Asfar as they were concerned,the whole population couldhave been put to death.

Some Of The PeopleOf Israel. Finally, “thepeople of Israel” are listedamong the conspirators.They included the Jewishleaders in the Sanhedrin andthe crowd of Jewish peoplewho shouted, “Crucify Him!” The Jewish leaderscondemned Jesus becausethey were concerned formaintaining their ownposition and place. Thecrowd turned on Him

at the behest of theleadership. Indeed, therewere some Jewish peoplewho participated in thedeath of Jesus.

Nevertheless, not all theJewish people were guilty. In fact, all of the followingJewish people disapprovedof the crucifixion: Simon of Cyrene who carried thecross, all the disciples ofJesus, the crowds who hadfollowed Jesus and believedin Him during His publicministry, the women whowept on the way to thecross, and even Nicodemusand Joseph of Arimathea ofthe Sanhedrin. Actually, allthe early followers of Jesuswere Jewish.

So, not all Jewish people participated in thecrucifixion. Rather, it wassome Jewish people, even as it was some Gentiles.According to the Scriptures,the crucifixion was not auniquely Jewish crime but a universal one. As

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A. T. Robertson has said,“There is guilt enough for allthe plotters in the greatestwrong of the ages.”

Although both Mark and Acts show that the New Testament does notlimit guilt for Jesus’ death to the Jewish people, somestill claim that other parts ofScripture do indeed supportthe view that the Jewishpeople are uniquely orperpetually guilty. Beforeconcluding this section, letus look at these passages.

A MISUNDERSTANDINGOF PERPETUAL JEWISHGUILT (Mt. 27:25) Perhaps the most well-known New Testament verse cited to support the Christ-killer charge is Matthew 27:25. Thispassage records the words of the crowd assembledbefore Pilate. It says:

All the people answered,“Let His blood be on usand on our children!”

Does this verse trulyindict all Jewish people for all ages? If so, it wouldcontradict both God’s justice and His Word. A firstprinciple for understandingMatthew 27:25 is thataccording to the Scriptures,the consequences for sinmay affect later generations(Ex. 20:5), but guilt for sin belongs to the sinningperson alone. The prophetEzekiel wrote:

The soul who sins is theone who will die. The sonwill not share the guilt ofthe father, nor will thefather share the guilt ofthe son. The righteousnessof the righteous man willbe credited to him, andthe wickedness of thewicked will be chargedagainst him (Ezek. 18:20).If I were to fail to

pay my income taxes, for example, the IRS couldgarnish my wages, take myhome, or even throw me intoprison, which could have

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serious consequences for myfamily. But the governmentcould not touch my son’sbank account or imprisonhim. Likewise, only thoseJewish people who called forthe death of Jesus are guilty,not their descendants.

Second, the people whocried for Jesus’ blood did notconstitute the entire Jewishnation. In fact, because the trial before Pilate wassometime before 6 a.m. (seeJn. 19:14), it is unlikely thatmany people were present.Those who were had mostlikely been specially selectedand assembled by the chiefpriests (Mt. 27:20, Mk.15:11). At the very least, the mob included plants,impostors, fakes. Moreover,no more than 100-200people could have fit in thePraetorium of the AntonioFortress. It is highly unlikely,therefore, that this cryrecorded in Matthew 27:25refers to the entire nation.

Third, although Matthew

gave an accurate historicalrecord of the words of thecrowd, he did not give atheological confirmation oftheir guilt. It was no morepossible for this crowd tocurse its children with its crythan for Pilate to exoneratehimself with a declaration ofinnocence. His public hand-washing, which precededthe crowd’s cry in Matthew’sgospel, was as ineffective as Lady MacBeth’s attemptto cleanse herself of guilt.

Matthew gave anaccurate historical record of what Pilate said, not a confirmation of hisinnocence. If Pilate’s wordsand actions did not relievehim of guilt (see Acts 4:27),the crowd’s acceptance ofguilt for its children was justas useless. The crowd’s crycertainly did bring guilt onthemselves, but it did notcause the blood of Jesus to fall upon all Jews then,nor upon succeedinggenerations.

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A MISUNDERSTANDINGOF NATIONAL JEWISHGUILT (1 Th. 2:14-15) Another verse that iscommonly cited to shownational Jewish guilt is 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15. In fact, when The Passion Of The Christ first premiered,a national news magazineran a photograph of a signin front of a church thatquoted this passage: “TheJews . . . killed the LordJesus.” Unfortunately, forseveral reasons, only asuperficial reading yields the interpretation that Paulbelieved all Jews were guiltyof killing Jesus.

First, the passage isdiscussing an intra-nationaldispute. Paul told theThessalonians that they had become “imitators ofGod’s churches in Judea,which are in Christ Jesus:You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churchessuffered from the Jews.”

Just as the ThessalonianGentile believers suffered atthe hands of some Gentiles,so the Jewish churchessuffered at the hands ofsome Jews. So Paul’s wordscannot mean that all Jewishpeople were guilty. Howcould they be? Jewishpeople composed theJudean churches.

Second, the phrase “theJews” does not refer to allJews but a specific group of Jews, namely the Jewishleaders. This is evident fromthe fact that, according tothe Gospels, the Jewishleadership committed thevery actions Paul describedhere. The Gospels make itclear that the Jewish leadersplotted Jesus’ death (Jn.11:49-50), accused Himbefore Pilate (Lk. 23:2) and Herod (Lk. 23:10), and incited the crowd (Mt. 27:20; Mk. 15:11).

Furthermore, 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 is clearly dependent on the

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parable of the vine-growers(Mk. 12:1-12; Mt. 21:33-46;Lk. 20:9-19) and thecondemnation of thePharisees (Mt. 23:29-36).These demonstrate that Paul was speaking of theleaders, because in each of these passages the samepattern is found.

In the parable, the vine-owner sends slave afterslave, each of whom thevine-growers murder. Finallythe son is sent and he ismurdered also. At the end ofthe parable it is said that thechief priests and Phariseesknew that Jesus wasspeaking of them (Mt.21:45-46; Mk. 12:12; Lk. 20:19).

In the denunciations of Matthew 23, Jesus calledthe Pharisees “descendantsof those who murdered theprophets” (Mt. 23:31) andsaid that they will persecutethose whom He has yet tosend (Mt. 23:34). The resultwould be the filling up of the

full measure of their guilt (Mt. 23:32,35) and the destruction of Jerusalem in that generation (Lk.19:43-44).

The same pattern isfound in 1 Thessalonians2:14-16. The Jews whopersecuted the Judeanchurches also murdered the prophets and theMessiah and persecuted His messengers. In doingthis, they filled up the fullmeasure of their guilt, whichresulted in judgment.

Since Jesus Himselfspecifically applied thesethings to the leaders ofIsrael, it is safe to say thatPaul was following the same pattern. Therefore, the best explanation of 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 is that Paul, much in thesame way as John, used the words “the Jews” to refer not to the wholeJewish nation but to theleadership of the Jewishpeople.

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A MISUNDERSTANDINGOF JESUS’ FORGIVENESS (Lk. 23:34) The church has alsofrequently misunderstoodthe words of Jesus from thecross when He said, “Father,forgive them, for they do notknow what they are doing.”

Recently, a professor at amajor evangelical seminarytold his class that Jesus’words refer only to theRomans and not the Jewishpeople. Although challengedby fellow professors andstudents alike, he remainedadamant in arguing that theJewish people knew whatthey were doing. So theyremain guilty.

In fact, Jesus was askingforgiveness for the Romanand the Jewish people. Hespoke from the cross to thesoldiers who were dividingup His garments, to theJewish onlookers, and even to the rulers who weresneering at Him (Lk. 23:34-38). Jesus’ prayer referred to

all those who participated in the crucifixion, includingthe Jewish leaders.

Peter confirmed this withhis words after the healing of the man at the temple inActs 3. There, speaking to agroup of Jewish people at theportico of Solomon in thetemple compound, he said,“Brothers, I know that youacted in ignorance, as didyour leaders” (Acts 3:17).

The assertion that theJewish people knew thatJesus was the God-man isincorrect. The leadership,despite their complicity inthe death of Jesus, did notrecognize Him as Messiah.They honestly believed Hehad committed blasphemyby claiming equality withGod. Paul wrote, “None of the rulers of this ageunderstood it, for if theyhad, they would not havecrucified the Lord of glory”(1 Cor. 2:8).

Jesus said, “Father, forgivethem,” and God the Father

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heard His prayer. Tragically,many of Jesus’ followers forthe past 2,000 years haverefused to hear that prayer.

THETHEOLOGICALPERSPECTIVE

TThe crucifixion of the Messiah was notsome cosmic mistake.

Theologically, the death and

resurrection of Jesus is theabsolute core of Christianfaith. We have alreadyconsidered both thehistorical and biblicalviewpoints, but it is alsonecessary to evaluate Jewishguilt in the death of Jesusfrom a theologicalperspective.

The Bible says that even though people wereguilty of participating in the crucifixion, they were acting under God’s sovereignplan. After describing theconspiracy of human guilt(Acts 4:27), the very nextverse states, “They did whatYour power and will haddecided beforehand shouldhappen” (v.28). Plainly, thisprayer recognizes the divine decree in the crucifixion.

Peter also noted thiswhen he preached to a crowdon the Day of Pentecost. Hesaid, “This man was handedover to you by God’s setpurpose and foreknowledge”(Acts 2:23).

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Jesus said,“Father, forgivethem,” and God the Father heard

His prayer.Tragically,

many of Jesus’followers for thepast 2,000 yearshave refused tohear that prayer.



Some might think thatGod did not anticipate thecrucifixion. They operateunder the idea that a seriesof bad events came togetherand caught God by surprise.If this were true, then theLord Jesus would not havebeen called “the Lamb thatwas slain from the creationof the world” (Rev. 13:8).When Adam and Evesinned, God was not taken by surprise.

It was always God’s planto redeem humanity throughthe death of His Son. Ineternity past, it was decidedthat God the Son wouldbecome a man to be theperfect representation ofhumanity and therebyredeem the world throughHis atoning death andresurrection.

In fact, the crucifixionwas foretold centuries beforeit took place. The prophetIsaiah, 800 years before thecrucifixion, viewed it asGod’s will, saying, “Yet it

was the Lord’s will to crushHim and cause Him tosuffer” (Isa. 53:10).

The Lord Jesus went tothe cross willingly becauseHe knew it was the Father’splan. He said:

No one takes [My life]from Me, but I lay it downof My own accord. I haveauthority to lay it downand authority to take it upagain. This command Ireceived from My Father(Jn. 10:18).As Messiah and Lord,

Jesus could have stoppedthe crucifixion instantly. Hecould have called countless

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It was always God’s

plan to redeemhumanity through

the death of His Son.



angels to protect Him, but He chose to diewillingly. He said, as Heprayed in agony in thegarden, “Yet not as I will,but as You will” (Mt. 26:39).Jesus accepted God’s willand He went to the cross.

Why was it necessary for God to send His one andonly Son to die? The simpleanswer is: because of oursin. Not just Jewish people,not just some people, but all people—Jews andGentiles alike—have sinned and separatedthemselves from God. God’s eternal plan was to provide atonement forhumanity through the deathand resurrection of theMessiah. Even the sacrificesin the Old Testament werepictures pointing to the daywhen God would send theMessiah as the ultimatesacrifice for sin.

Since the atonement was God’s eternal andsovereign plan, it should

affect our perspective of the crucifixion. If God hadchosen any other peoplegroup as His special people,the Lord Jesus would havebeen incarnated not as aJewish man but from someother nation. Therefore, ifthe Jesus had been Asian or Native American orNigerian or from any otherpeople group, He wouldhave been rejected by His kinsmen and died as an atoning sacrifice intheir land. But by God’ssovereignty, He chose theJewish people as His uniquepeople and planned to sendthe Messiah through them.

Since the Lord Jesus wasincarnated as a Jewish manliving in the land of Israel, itshould come as no surprisethat some Jewish peopleparticipated in His death. If He had come to any otherpeople, that ethnic groupwould also have participatedin His death as part of God’ssovereign plan.

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THE PRACTICALPERSPECTIVE

IIn the film A Few GoodMen, truth is demandedof a Marine commander

testifying in a court-martial.He responds by shouting,“You can’t handle the truth!”

Sadly, I have found thatmany people who claim tolove and follow Jesus cannothandle the truth about thedeicide charge. Someresolutely want to ignore or even deny the church’shistory of anti-Jewish actionsdriven by the Christ-killeraccusation. Others want toinsist that all Jewish peopleare guilty, even today,despite biblical andtheological evidence to the contrary. Nevertheless,we must submit to the truthand allow it to change ourattitudes and actions.

Practically, the truthshould affect our behavior in three ways. First, all of us must recognize our own

responsibility for the deathof Jesus. The Lord Jesus diedbecause I sinned, becauseyou sinned, because allhave sinned—even thenicest person you have everknown. If only one personhad sinned, God would still have sent His Son, the Messiah Jesus, to die a cruel death on the cross. The Lord Jesus did not die because the Jews killed Him. He died willingly for me and for you,according to the eternal planof God the Father, becausewe sinned.

Although Mel Gibson ismost famous for his acting,he produced and directedThe Passion Of The Christ.Significantly, the only timeGibson appears on screen is when his hand is seenholding the nail that is beingpounded through Jesus’hand as He is crucified. In this powerful way, he acknowledged his ownresponsibility for killing

30



Jesus. We too must affirmour own guilt, recognizingthat Jesus died because ofus and for us.

A second way the truth should affect us is by recognizing and opposinganti-Semitism. According toa Pew Research Center pollreleased on April 2, 2004, 26 percent of respondentsbelieve Jews were to blamefor the crucifixion—up from19 percent in 1997. Since2001, anti-Semitism hasrisen dramatically in Europe.We need to express, loudlyand clearly, our love for theJewish people and ouropposition to this mostancient hatred.

Third, we must proclaimthe gospel, the good news.The fact that Jesus died isnot good news on its own. It is not good news if we areonly aware of the sufferingand death of Jesus. Focusingon the crucifixion of Jesusalone results in just onemore dead Jewish man at

the hands of the Romans.The good news is that out of the 100,000 Jewish mencrucified under PontiusPilate, only one rose fromthe dead. Jesus’ resurrectionis good news.

When Jesus was raised from the dead, God confirmed that He is indeed God in the flesh:“Who through the Spirit ofholiness was declared withpower to be the Son of Godby His resurrection from thedead” (Rom. 1:4).

When we think of Jesus,we must remember that Heis not still on the cross andHe is no longer in the tomb.He has been raised from thedead and has ascended toHis seat at the right hand ofthe Father. We do not needto seek the living among thedead, for “He has risen, justas He said” (Mt. 28:6).

The good news we mustproclaim to Jew and Gentilealike is this: Although oursins have separated us from

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God, Jesus died as oursubstitute, taking thepunishment we deserved.Then He was raised fromthe dead, proving that He is God. Now, if we will trustin Him, all our sins will be forgiven and we will experience a newrelationship with God.

MYSTERYSOLVED

AAgatha Christie’s mysteryMurder On The Orient

Express follows herstandard approach thatevery character seems to bethe likely murderer. There’s a twist at the end, however,when Hercule Poirot provesthat all the suspects areguilty—that they all joinedtogether to murder theirvictim.

A detective investigatingthe murder of Jesus ofNazareth would find asimilar result. Who killedHim? Judas Iscariot?

What about the Jewishleaders? Or maybe their mob was responsible? ButPilate condemned Him! Wasit not the Roman soldierswho actually crucified Him?All of the above may betrue, but ultimately, it wasevery one of us. All our sinsplaced Jesus on that tree,and He died willingly to be our Savior.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORDr. Michael Rydelnik is

Professor of Jewish Studies atthe Moody Bible Institute. Theson of Holocaust survivors, he

was raised in an OrthodoxJewish home in Brooklyn, New

York. Ever since Michaeltrusted in Jesus the Messiah in high school, he has been

ministering to the Jewishcommunity. He graduated with

a diploma in Jewish Studiesfrom Moody Bible Institute, abachelor’s degree from AzusaPacific University in Biblical

Literature, a Master of Theologyfrom Dallas Theological

Seminary in New TestamentLiterature and Exegesis, and a doctorate in Inter-Cultural

Studies from Trinity EvangelicalDivinity School.



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