The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea at the time. However, the Bible also indicates that Jesus laid down his life willingly for the salvation of humanity. Ultimately, it was human sin that made Jesus’ death necessary, even though God planned this sacrifice from the beginning for our redemption.
The gospel accounts unanimously declare that Jesus was arrested by the Jewish religious authorities and brought before Pontius Pilate to be condemned to crucifixion (Matthew 27:1-2, Mark 15:1, Luke 23:1, John 18:28). Pilate was hesitant to sentence Jesus, finding no real fault in him (Luke 23:4, John 18:38). But the Jewish leaders stirred up the crowd to demand Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:20-23). Wanting to please the people, Pilate acquiesced and handed Jesus over to be crucified (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:24-25, John 19:16).
The apostle Peter squarely places blame on the Jewish leadership and nation for pressuring Pilate into executing an innocent man: “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (Acts 2:23). The apostle Paul says the rulers of this age crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8). So while Pilate passed the sentence, the Jews were culpable for inciting Pilate to murder.
At the same time, Jesus affirmed that no one could take his life from him, but he lays it down of his own accord (John 10:18). Even when Peter tried to defend Jesus from arrest using the sword, Jesus told him to stop, saying, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:53-54). Jesus knew it was necessary for him to be crucified to fulfill God’s plan of salvation, so he voluntarily surrendered to wicked men who killed him.
Moreover, God predestined Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice for sins before the world began (1 Peter 1:20, Revelation 13:8). God sent his Son into the world to suffer and die for us (John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8). Though wicked men carried out the crucifixion, it was ultimately the set plan of God for our redemption. The apostle Peter affirms on the day of Pentecost: “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (Acts 2:23). So God ordained Christ’s death, though human and demonic agents freely chose to kill the innocent Son of God.
The prophet Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be “pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). God made Jesus “who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus died on the cross as a substitute sacrifice to atone for our sins, just as the Passover lambs had for centuries. This was God’s plan of salvation for humanity from before time began. So ultimately, human sin and the need for atonement led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.
In summary, Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion at the insistence of the Jewish leaders and nation. Yet Jesus willingly laid down his life in obedience to the Father’s plan for humanity’s redemption. Wicked men carried out the physical crucifixion of Jesus, but it was our sin that made his sacrificial death necessary. God ordained that Jesus would bear God’s wrath in our place, shedding his blood for the forgiveness of sins. So the primary cause of Jesus’ death was God’s eternal plan to save sinners through Christ’s voluntary sacrifice, even as evil men freely chose to kill the Author of Life (Acts 3:15).
While humans and spiritual forces of evil played a role in the crucifixion of Jesus, God was sovereign over these events to accomplish the salvation of sinners who would place their faith in Christ alone. Jesus gave his life willingly out of love for us and was raised to life again in victory over sin and death. This demonstrates God’s unfathomable grace and mercy in making a way for us to be reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, who bore our sins upon the cross.
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins is at the very heart of the gospel message. His sacrificial death satisfied the demands of God’s justice against sin, so that all who trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross are counted righteous before God. The innocent Lamb of God was slain to redeem people from every tribe, tongue and nation by his blood. This amazing grace is offered freely to all who repent of their sins and believe in their hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead – trusting in his sinless life, atoning death and triumphant resurrection for their salvation. Those who reject God’s gracious provision face eternal judgment, but those who turn to Jesus Christ in faith receive eternal life.
The cross reveals the great love that God has for humanity, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). God’s holiness and justice required that sins be paid for through a perfect sacrifice. And God’s grace provided His own Son as that perfect sacrifice who willingly gave his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him – bringing salvation to lost sinners who trust in him (Hebrews 12:2). The innocent Son of God was crucified so that the guilty sons of men might be reconciled to God and adopted into His family as dearly loved children. What amazing, undeserved, costly grace!
So the real reason that Jesus was crucified is because of God’s great plan of redemption, conceived before the foundation of the world, to save hopeless sinners like us by His grace. The Bible declares this good news: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). And all who repent and believe in Jesus have their sins forgiven through his name, by virtue of his sacrificial death on their behalf. This is the most beautiful truth of the cross – Jesus was crucified so that we who killed him with our sins might be made alive together with Christ, being cleansed of all unrighteousness by his shed blood for us.
The gospel accounts do not focus on finding secondary causes or assigning degrees of blame for Jesus’ death. Rather, they proclaim the redemptive purpose behind the cross. Jesus gave his life willingly as a ransom for many. He went to the cross in obedience to the Father so that through his suffering and death, sinners could be saved. God’s plan of salvation was fulfilled by Christ’s voluntary sacrifice. The innocent Son of God was crucified for the forgiveness of our sins, so that by grace we might receive the gift of eternal life.
This is the amazing grace and unfathomable love revealed through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. His death on the cross was not merely the result of human scheming but the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan to redeem people from every nation through the blood of his Son. Christ died for our sins. Who killed Jesus? We did – our sins nailed him to the cross. Yet God ordained this very death to save us and offers forgiveness to all who repent and believe in Jesus as the crucified and risen Lord.
