Killing Jesus

When the court officers had brought the Apostles in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, "We gave you strict orders did we not, to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man's blood upon us."

But Peter and the Apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death. (Acts 5:27-33)

In this reading we see part of the blame for Jesus’ death rightly placed where it belonged – on the Sanhedrin and high priest in collusion with the Roman occupiers and overlords angered by Jesus’ claim that he was the Son of God and by his opposition to the oppression wrought by the Romans on the Jewish poor and disadvantaged.  

Jesus clearly spoke of repentance and forgiveness of sins. Through our words and deeds, we are his witnesses of those things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given us when we obey him.

Importantly, we must obey God rather than men, as told to us by Peter and the Apostles.  There’s the challenge for us because many men – and women – insist we follow them and put God aside.  Putting God aside happens when we fail to do as Jesus commanded; when we believe and act upon lies; when we follow false leaders; when we act as sheep blindly following our impulses controlled by prejudice and bias; and when we are manipulated by propagandists feathering their beds with ill-gotten gains and our money we foolishly provide at their request.

Jesus was killed by hanging on a tree.  We “kill” him each and every day when we disobey the Holy Spirit.  His blood is upon us when we put others to “death” through slander, hypocrisy, hatred, and every kind of evil behavior.

Deacon David Pierce