why was jesus christ crucified?

Question

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Answer 1

“ WHY CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED:

Sermon delivered at Columbine United Church

By the Rev. Dr. Stephen Poos-Benson

On Sunday, March 30, 2003 at the 8:00 am service




We have been following Jesus’ ministry and trying to answer the question, “Why Was Christ Crucified?” I invite you to open your pew Bible and turn to the Gospel According to Matthew 23:13-36. We are continuing our Lenten sermon series on why Christ was crucified. Instead of just a day to day series of events where Jesus kind of walked into his own death, we are trying to show throughout this season of Lent that there were big forces present that Jesus confronted. In many ways, Jesus collided with these forces and that led to his crucifixion.

· We began with Jesus confronting the force of evil, that which we call Satan.

· Then we looked at the purity code, the holiness code that Jesus confronted. This code said that unless you were ritually clean you could not enter into the Kingdom of God.

· Last Sunday Bill did a great job talking about how Jesus offended the ordinary person on the street, the ordinary men and women. He didn’t let anyone get away with excuses about coming into the Kingdom of God.

· Today I’ll continue the sermon series by looking at the force of the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus confronted them and he called them what they were. And because of that they ended up crying out for his crucifixion.

In the light of recent world events, last night I was looking again at my sermon and I was hoping that this scripture passage wouldn’t be too hard, too painful. What I want to do by the end of the sermon is to show that the message is extremely important for us today as we seek to bring the presence of God into our own world. We can’t wage the war over there in Iraq, but we do have a responsibility to bring the presence of God to the world here.



Let us listen for God’s words as given to us in the Gospel According to Matthew 23:13-36. The first twelve verses of this chapter have Jesus talking to his disciples. In verse thirteen he turns his sights directly onto the Pharisees and he just b-l-a-s-t-s them.



Matthew 23:13-36: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!



“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like white-washed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.”



Here ends the reading. Well, there’s not really much more to be said after that. Why was Christ crucified? If you were a Pharisee and you had to sit there and hear that diatribe, what would you be saying to the person beside you? He’s done for! Crucify him!



The scribes and Pharisees were like today’s ministers … like David, Bill, Rebecca and myself. They were the trained theologians. They were sent to the common man and woman of Israel and they lived amongst the common people of society. There were the Sadducees who were the wealthiest, most highly educated folks, sort of like our seminary professors, who stayed removed from the general population. They stayed in their ivory towers and their job was to think, and to teach, and to write. Those people wrote and taught the scribes and the pharisees who then came out into the population and were supposed to teach the people what it meant to be a faithful Jew or Hebrew.



So, what were they doing that made Jesus so mad? Why did he get to the point where he was calling them hypocrites and blind guides? I started wondering what would be a terrible term to call a Christian. What would someone say to you that would really insult you? Would they say, “You’re a Christian and you’re uncaring.” Well, yeah, Christians are supposed to be caring, but you might have caught me on a bad day. What about, “You hypocrite!” Yes, Christians say we believe in something and that it is supposed to shape our actions, but again, catch me on the wrong day and I’m a human being, and my behavior may not match my faith.



However, the term that Jesus uses that really insults me and strikes me on the forehead is “You blind guides!” He uses two terms over and over: hypocrites and blind guides. You blind guides! I actually think that Jesus believed that the Pharisees were supposed to be “seeing guides”. They were supposed to be the ones who knew how to find the way to YHWY (Yahway) God. They were supposed to live amongst the people, and they were supposed to show the people where they could find YHWY God.



Instead they were like my Norwegian neighbor who went walleye fishing in northern Wisconsin. My neighbor has this accent to go with it. A couple of weeks ago he told me of the time he went walleye fishin’. He caused a major pileup on the freeway. I asked him to tell me about it. (Steve dons this heavy Norwegian accent as he tells the story.) Well, it was like dis, you know. Well, it was spring and de ice had broken up. We knew that de walleye fishin’ would be purdy hot, so me and my buddy we went fishin’. We were fishin’ and all of a sudden it started snowing. We thought it wasn’t too bad so we yust kept on fishin’. Den it got to de point when all of a sudden we couldn’t see de end of de pole.



“So, you know, we said maybe we better go. So we took de beer and de cooler. We got back in de car and started drivin’ down de road. Well, you know, it got to de point where we couldn’t see de end of de road. Well, de road went left … we turned right … and we ended up in a snowbank back in de trees. Well, we got back out of de car and we looked around and we didn’t tink it was too bad. But we knew we had to go get a farmer to get some help. We got out, started down de road. It took us ‘bout an hour, you know, before we found a farmer. But he came back, pulled us out and helped us on our way. Well, when we came back down de road, all of a sudden, we saw sirens and lights and flares everywhere. People were wandering around everywhere. And we wondered what was going on. We walked up and we saw our car; it was flat like an accordion. Well, Steve, dis be what happened. There was another guy who probably was walleye fishin’ too! He be comin’ down the road. He couldn’t see where the road be going. Well, the road turned left … he saw our tracks, and he thought to himself that maybe dis guy be knowing where to go … so when the road turned left, he turned right … right into de back of our car! And den, I guess there was a third guy be out walleye fishin’. He be going down the road, too, and the road went left but he saw all our tracks going right, so he thought maybe dese guys know where they be going. So the road turned left and dis guy turned right, too. So now you know, Steve, you can just see how it all happened. One car smashin’ into another car smashin’ into another car. All following de tracks of people thinking they be knowin’ where they be going!”



That is why Jesus was so mad at the Pharisees. They had a rotten Norwegian accent!



The Pharisees were supposed to know the way! They were leaving tracks in the snow. People were following the Pharisees. The road to God was left and they were going right. They were taking a whole population of people right along with them. They were leaving a theological car wreck on the spiritual freeway of life. When Jesus saw it, he couldn’t believe it. The sabbath that was supposed to be refreshing for these people had become a burden around their necks. The Jewish religion that was supposed to be uplifting and nurturing for heart and soul had become this legalistic code of laws and regulations that had become a greater burden around people’s necks.



Worship was supposed to be a time to enter into and experience the presence of God yet it had become literally a barrier that kept people away from God. It got to the point where Jesus just couldn’t take it any longer. When you read through the gospels you can see Jesus tolerating the scribes and the Pharisees. Finally it was just like a mosquito that buzzes around your head for ten minutes in the tent when you’re sleeping in your sleeping bag late at night out in the woods. B-z-z-z-z-z-z. When you stop hearing his buzz and he lands on your forehead, you say, “That’s it!” and you smash it! That was Jesus with the scribes and the Pharisees. He couldn’t stand it any more.



“You snakes! You brood of vipers! You hypocrites! You blind guides!” Wow. Why was Jesus crucified? Because he called things what they were.



The lesson for us is that we have to wear the Pharisee’s hat. We have to realize that someday Jesus is going to talk to us. What will he call us? Will he call us hypocrite? Will he call us blind guides? The sad thing is that we’re leaving those tracks in the snow. People are going to follow us. One of the things that makes me so angry about our professional sports figures are the ones who say, “Well, I’m not a role model. The kids shouldn’t be following me.” Well, duh! Unfortunately, they are! A lot of our children look up to those guys. Our children also look up to us.



But even more importantly, people in this world look up to us. Especially now! War raises all kinds of important theological questions for people. “Where is God? Where is God in the midst of this?” They look at you and say, “Hey, you go to church. What do you think?” They’ll say, “Hey, hey, you go to church. Tell me what to believe.” They might not ask or challenge you directly, but they’ll be looking at you. They’ll be looking at how you act and talk and relate to them.



They’ll be following your tracks in the snow. You’ll have to be careful to not create a spiritual pileup in the snow bank. Is who you are leading to God? That’s why the lessons from the Pharisees are a lesson in reverse. We have to figure out what they were doing and do the opposite.



Where did the Pharisees screw up? Refer to the text. They were hypocrites. They believed one thing, but did another. As Christians we all say that we have a belief in God and we are disciples of Jesus. Being disciples of Jesus means that is what shapes who we are. Here at Columbine United Church we say we are a church where faith and life meets. Our faith is to shape our life. We have to wrestle and step back and look and ask the question, “Does our faith shape our life?”



Last week when I was at the mall I saw a bumper sticker that made me laugh out loud! It said, “Going to church no more makes you a Christian than going into a garage makes you a car!”



That’s so true! Going to church is really important. Reading the Bible is really important. Praying is really important. But do you know what? Those are things we do for ourselves. Yet when the “rubber hits the road” is when we put all that stuff down and go out into the world. We have to remind ourselves that Jesus said, “YOU are the light of the world. YOU are the light set on the hill.” In other words, you have to realize that YOU are the light that shines in the darkness. People are going to be following you. Where are your tracks? Do they lead left or do they lead right?



The second huge mistake the Pharisees made, I believe, is that Jesus tells us they LOVED their religion. They LOVED the robes and stoles, they LOVED the phylacteries which are the tiny fringes on these stoles. The Pharisees LOVED the best seat in the house. They LOVED the reserved parking space that was close to the sanctuary. The Pharisees LOVED it whenever they went somewhere and the people called them rabbi. They LOVED the long prayers. They LOVED the long liturgies. They LOVED their religion. Great! But Jesus was trying to say, though, that “this is all you have! You love your religion … cool! But remember, that’s it. That’s all you have. A religion is not going to get you into the Kingdom.” Jesus repeatedly taught that it is not a religion … it is a relationship. Religion is nothing more than that which mediates the relationship between the individual and God.



One of the things we have to hold on to is the notion that we love our church, we love our religion, we can love the rituals and the things that we do … but that is only the beginning point that mediates the relationship between ourselves and something far greater. David told me a story this past week that haunts me. David is coaching a church that is going through some difficult times. One of the people told him, “Don’t try to change us. We like us just the way we are!” Oh! That’s dangerous! It’s okay to like that, but we have to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God starts with us right where we are but always expects us to take the next step.



Are you taking the next step? Are you seeking to grow in your life and your faith? Are you curious and wondering about who God is and where God is leading you in this world? Are you curious about where God is in the war? Are you wondering? Are you talking? Are you sharing? Are you thinking? Are you praying? Are you helping other people think? Are you helping other people move beyond their “stuck-ed-ness” and allowing them to take the next step? Those are leaving really good tracks for people. The most important thing that the Pharisees missed and should have been like a knife at their throats was when Jesus said, “You refused to let people into the Kingdom of God, and even worse, you refuse to go in yourselves!” Whew! In other words, the Pharisees were the gatekeepers. Can you imagine being a gatekeeper and not going in yourself? Can you imagine standing this close to the Kingdom of God and not going in, not taking that baby step and going in?



Have you gone into the Kingdom of God? If you want to leave real clear tracks in the snow leading into the Kingdom of God, you have to think about the fact that you can’t give someone something you don’t have yourself! You can’t lead anyone to a place where you haven’t been yourself. You have to first go to the cross yourself. You have to first establish that relationship with God yourself. You have to first realize that you indeed are a child of God, that you indeed have been claimed, you indeed have been forgiven, you indeed are a new creation!



When you celebrate that … when you know in your heart and soul the joy that comes with being a child of God … then you cannot help but share that! People look at you and ask you why you’re so happy all the time. What’s with being so positive, even during the war? What’s the matter with you? “Well, I’m just someone who knows God”, you can answer. I’ve seen it happen over and over again. When you know this feeling about God being present with your life and the world, it becomes obvious to others. People eventually will be curious about that. They will tell you that they’ve been watching you and they know that you’re different. Wow! They’ve been looking at your tracks in the snow. You’re different! Why?



Or someone will say, “My life is terrible right now. My life is full of pain and misery right now. I notice that you go to church. I notice that you seem to treat people differently.” They’re lost! Especially now.



They’re looking for the road. What is he going to call you?



Amen

Answer 2

Actually, hon, there is only a small amount of proof that Jesus existed (mention of someone by that not uncommon name being crucified and one other mention of a prisoner named Jesus, but nothing else save the Bible) and your understanding of who was crucified is a little ignorant. People who claimed to be priest-kings of Israel (Messiahs) were also crucified, as were any claimants to leadership in any subjugated areas in Roman territories. The Bible IS a historical document. The many books in it come from a variety of sources and your expectation that such documents would have the same level of veracity, order, or any other criteria of modern history books is silly. It is not modern fiction, but a text, part of which was used for many long centuries before Jesus was born. Any one who opposed Rome could be crucified. Referring to crucifixion as the result of being the scum of Rome is a bit silly.

Answer 3

HE was crucified by the Romans as this was a way to keep the citizens in line. when one has a terrible way of death then the rulers have a very strong way of control of their subjects. when JESUS was crucified remember HE was not crucified alone as there were two thieves crucified at the same time - one on HIS right hand the other on HIS left. granted JESUS was the most important of the three but sadly the two thieves are not remembered by many as their conversation with JESUS is in my opinion crucial to the story.

Answer 4

Jesus Christ was crucified because his father loved the world so much that he wanted to save the entire world from being doomed to hell, so he decided to send his one and only son to bear the burdens of the whole world so that we could be saved by the atoning blood of his dear son.

Answer 5

Jesus was crucified as a sacrifice for my sins. He paid a debt He did not owe for me. and because i believe in Him i will have everlasting life. That is why He died. He came to die for me, personally.

your friend, blackmule.

Answer 6

The Book says in Hebrews, because this was the way things
were done on the Earth.
Imagine all the creatures of Earth that have died violent, bloody
deaths. This created negative spiritual energies that were
polluting the next world.
The spirit that lived as Jesus, used His power to reopen the doors
to Spirit that had slowly been closing.

Answer 7

By man's purposes?

or by God's purposes?

which are you asking about?

**********

Hey slicky boy... LINK IT NEXT TIME!!!

For goodness sake!!

Answer 8

Because it was prophesied numerous times in the Old Testament, that God would come back in the flesh and shed his blood for our sins, so that we could be saved.

Answer 9

Because he wouldn't shut up

Answer 10

Because the Romans and their supporters in Judaea saw him as a rabble rouser and they generally didn't waste much time getting rid of potential trouble.

Answer 11

because adam and eve sined in the garden of eden then God one day there would come a redeemer to die for all men's sins. thats why the isrealites sacrificed the lamb in the desert. because so that we could get eternal life!