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evidence that the followers of Jesus have no hesitation in saying that, although there are many guilty parties, Jesus’ death was the purpose of God his Father. (Exhibit F: Psalm 22v14-18; Isaiah 53v4-6; Acts 4v27-28)
But this startling turn of events leads us to another suspect—a suspect much closer to home...
6. You It seems that God intended from the very beginning to send his Son Jesus to die. Each one of us has turned away from God. We do that sometimes by deliberately disobeying his laws, and at other times by simply ignoring him. We place ourselves first, rather than the God who made us and loves us. The Bible writers insist that Jesus died in our place. In other words, he had to die to take the punishment we deserve for our wrongdoing. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (1 Peter 3 v 18)
death of Jesus Christ as simply an accident of history—one of those sad things that happens daily on our corrupt and wounded planet? Or do you pronounce the verdict of ‘guilty’ on the one who was ultimately responsible—yourself? If you have the courage to face the evidence and pronounce yourself guilty—of rejecting God, of ignoring his laws— then do not despair. Because the sentence has already been carried out on Jesus Christ! Even though you are guilty, you can be released into a new life of friendship with God. Your past will be forgiven and forgotten, forever. The choice is yours. Jesus said: ‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.’ (John 3 v 36) For further information, please contact:
The Verdict Having weighed the evidence, there is a grave decision you need to make. Do you write off the Produced by The Good Book Company. www.thegoodbook.co.uk
d e l l i K o h W us? Jes 3021 . o N port e R e Cas
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2. The Jewish Authorities
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cariot 1. Judas Ie sof the band of Jesus’ followers.
Judas was on ce that he mentary eviden We have docu s to the to betray Jesu accepted money him in the then led them to authorities, and emane. 14-16) Garden of Geths Matthew 26 v (Exhibit A:
Certainly, the Jewish religious leaders seemed to be behind much of the plotting that took place the night before Jesus died. Jesus was condemned for blasphemy at a special religious court. But under the rules of Roman occupation, they could not execute him themselves. But what were their motives? Were they jealous of his popularity? Perhaps. Did they think that his radical teaching undermined their positions of power? Maybe. Or were they concerned that he would become the centre of a bloody rebellion against Rome, and so they decided to get rid of him to protect their people? (Exhibit B: John 11 v 45-53)
3. The Roman Authorities No-one denies the basic fact that Jesus died by crucifixion, and that this was done by Roman soldiers at the order of the governor Pontius Pilate. But why did Pilate order it? The evidence suggests that the Roman governor thought Jesus an innocent man, and did all he could to release him. So, although the Romans carried out the execution, can we really say that they were actually to blame for it? (Exhibit C: John 19 v 1-16)
4. Jesus himself So far, the suspects have been obvious. But now the evidence takes us in a completely new direction. Because it seems that Jesus of Nazareth had some kind of ‘death wish’. On several occasions he predicted not only that he would die, but even the details of his death. (Exhibit D: Mark 10 v 32-34)
And when Jesus was arrested, he offered no defence at his trial, nor did he take advantage of the opportunities that Pilate gave him to escape the cruel torture of crucifixion. Why was he so determined to die? What purpose did he think it would serve? (Exhibit E: Mark 10 v 45)
5. The Lord God If the last piece of evidence seems strange, then it is surely outrageous to suggest that God did this. And yet there are clues littered throughout the Bible that this is, in fact, the case. This evidence, some of it from over a thousand years before Jesus was born, suggests not only that God would send someone to die, but also the manner of his death. There are also significant clues as to the reasons why. So pointed is this