BLOG

Types of Christ, Part 7, Ignorance and Wisdom

Peter’s second sermon after Pentecost tells us in Acts 3:14-17,

¹⁴ But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses… ¹⁷ And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.

This appears to contradict Jesus’ statement in His parable in Matthew 21:38, where he infers that those in authority over the vineyard killed Jesus because they recognized who He was. In other words, they were as aware that Jesus was the Messiah as Absalom was aware of who David was. So how can these statements be reconciled?

It is clear that the rulers “acted in ignorance,” as Peter says. But in what way were they ignorant? I believe that Paul provides the answer in 1 Corinthians 2:7, 8,

⁷ But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; ⁸ the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The chief priests lacked “the hidden wisdom” of God. They acted according to the wisdom of this world. If they had had divine wisdom, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” Even Satan himself was equally ignorant, thinking that killing the Messiah would put an end to God’s plan for the earth. Satan thought that he could secure his dominion over the earth by doing this. Yet Satan also knew that Jesus was the Messiah.

So also is it with the chief priests—the rulers in Jerusalem—who thought that they could eliminate their problem and preserve their power over the people. The crucifixion of Jesus was logical to them, because, as Sadducees, they did not believe in a resurrection. His resurrection blindsided them and forced them to bribe the guards into saying that Jesus’ disciples stole His body during the night (Matthew 28:12-15).

That story lacks credibility, because normally, those guards would have been put to death. In any Roman prison, if a prisoner escaped, the guards were held personally responsible for whatever crime the prisoner had been accused of doing. In Acts 12:19, Herod executed those guarding Peter after the angel released him from prison. This is also why the Philippian jailer was ready to commit suicide when he thought that Paul and Silas had escaped from his prison (Acts 16:27).

In the case of Jesus’ crucifixion, the common people thought that Jesus was the Messiah, but they were coerced into believing that He was not. The fault of the people was that they were accustomed to following men who were reputed to know God by their study of the Scriptures. But the greater fault rested with the leaders themselves, who not only held an illegal night trial but also lied about His resurrection. These were deliberate actions that were not done in ignorance.

I do believe, however, that God blinded them so that they could not understand the suffering of David at the hands of Absalom with the help of Ahithophel. If they had known how this story would be repeated with Messiah ben David, they probably would not have dared to do what they did.

Peter did not try to define the ignorance of the people and rulers. He merely stated that they crucified the Messiah ignorantly. I believe Paul enlarged upon this by showing us their ignorance of the wisdom of God.