Were you there?

When Jesus stood before Pilate nearly 2000 years ago, He made this bold declaration to the Roman governor, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”  John 19:11

 

Biblical scholars debate who Jesus is talking about when He says, “He who delivered me to you.” Many feel that this refers to Judas. The term “delivered” is used elsewhere in association with Judas’ betrayal. Technically speaking, Judas did not deliver Jesus to Pilate but to the chief priests, but certainly his act resulted in Jesus ending up on Pilate’s doorstep. 

Others think that the chief priests were the one’s guilty of the greater sin. They delivered Jesus over to Pilate. The chief priests and Jewish leaders at the beginning of this passage in John even say, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” So, by their own admission, they delivered Jesus over to Pilate. Yet, Jesus used the singular pronoun “he” when referring to who delivered Him over to Pilate. Jesus doesn’t seem to refer to a specific group, but rather a person.

As a result, some have suggested that Jesus was referring to Caiaphas the High Priest. At the beginning of this passage, the religious leaders led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. Caiaphas may have been the one to officially condemn Jesus as blasphemous and agree that he was worthy of death. So was Jesus referring to Caiaphas as the one who delivered Him to Pilate to ultimately be crucified? 

Let’s consider this more broadly now. Not just who delivered Jesus to Pilate, but who ultimately delivered Him up to the cross for crucifixion. How about the crowd that shouted “CRUCIFY HIM”? In verse 15, the crowd cries out, “Away with him, crucify Him!” Maybe they didn’t deliver Jesus up to Pilate, but maybe they are the ones that put him on the cross. Would Pilate have crucified Jesus if it weren’t for their cries? Pilate wanted to release Jesus. If the crowd told Pilate to release Jesus instead of Barabbas, Pilate would have gladly done so. Pilate’s wife warned him not to have anything to do with Jesus because she had a terrible dream about Jesus. But instead of calling for Jesus’ release, the crowd asked for a rebel named Barabbas and called for Jesus’ crucifixion. Maybe that fickle crowd were the ones who put Jesus on the cross. 

Who ultimately delivered up Jesus to that cross? I don’t know for sure who Jesus had in mind when He uttered those words “He who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” But I do have an answer to the broader question of who ultimately put Him on that cross.  

You did. And I did.  

As you begin this Good Friday, remember that ultimately Jesus was delivered over to Pilate to be crucified on the cross because of your sins and mine.  Listen to Isaiah 53:5-6, 

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 

When it comes right down to it, I put Jesus on that cross. You put Jesus on that cross. We often hear the story of Christ’s death and put the blame on the chief priests, or Caiaphas, or Pilate, or even the crowd that shouted “Crucify him.” But it was my sins and your sins that required Jesus to die that horrible death. If humanity never sinned, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to die. But each of us have disobeyed God’s perfect law. We’ve lied, we’ve coveted, we’ve slandered a friend or neighbor, and done countless other thoughts and deeds contrary to God’s law. We might not be as bad as someone else we know, but we’re not perfect like Jesus was.

Because we have defied God, our Creator and Master, in rebellious disobedience, we must be judged. The Bible informs us that the punishment for our sin is death. God is the author of Life and rebellion against Life is death. Romans 6:23 declares, “The wages of sin is death.” Our rebellion against God must be judged. Death is the punishment, but Jesus is the substitute. My sins delivered Jesus to Pilate in order to be crucified. Your sins delivered Jesus up to be crucified. He died to pay the penalty for our sins.

 

Across the country, many will likely sing an old African-American spiritual that likely came out of the slave era. It was first published in a hymnal in 1899 and in 1940 became the first spiritual included in a major American hymnal. The hymn is “Were you there?” It asks the question, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord, were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?" And then notes the gravity of Christ's death by somberly declaring, "Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.”

Was I there? Were you there? In a sense, YES. Every one of my sins and every one of your sins were there laying Jesus on that cross, pounding the nails in his hands, and bearing upon Him the penalty of death. Yes, I was there with my sins, crucifying my Lord. And I tremble in humility and awe at the loving sacrifice Jesus made on my behalf.

Reflect on that today-- Good Friday.

Link to the hymn “were you there”: WERE YOU THERE // feat. Andrea Thomas - #VIGIL