Ministry of Grace Church

which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Truth to Learn

Christians should not be ignorant of God’s wise plan.

Behind the Words

“None” is translated from oudeis. This Greek word is made up of ou, which is the word of absolute negation, and heis, meaning the number one. Hence, oudeis literally means “not a single one.”

Archon is the word translated “rulers.” Back in verse six we saw that this word means “one who is first in rank or power,” that is, a ruler. There are two possible interpretations to this expression, which we will talk about later in today’s verse.

The word translated “knew” is from the Greek verb ginōskō. This word means “to know” either in a beginning sense of in a completed sense. It is expressed here in the perfect tense, indicating past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the effect. Thus we can think of this as “they did not come to know in the past and as a result, they are ignorant of the fact even now.”

“Crucified” is from the verb stauroō, which means “to impale on a stick or to hang on a cross.”

Meaning Explained

In the past couple of verses, Paul has been talking about the wisdom of God in His plan of salvation. In yesterday’s verse he talked about it as a mystery, one that has been hidden in the past, but that is now revealed. He contrasted it with the secrets of the mystery religions that were only revealed to those who had been fully initiated into those religions. The central truth of the gospel, that Jesus is the Messiah come to save the world by offering up His sinless life, was hidden in the past.

The Jews of the first century were waiting for their Messiah and they expected that He could come at any time. However, they were looking for a powerful conquering King who would save them from the oppression of the Romans. Instead, He came as a humble servant, wholly committed to doing the will of His Father. This included His paying the penalty for the sins of all of mankind by offering up His own innocent blood. Instead of welcoming their Messiah King, the Jews and their religious leaders crucified Him because He claimed equality with God. They did not know the truth. They were ignorant of God’s wise plan as they crucified Him:

Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. (Acts 3:17)

If they had known, Paul tells us in today’s verse, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

The expression “rulers of this age” in today’s verse may have a dual meaning. On the surface, it refers to the political and religious leaders who condemned Christ to the cross. However, Paul may also have been referring to the rulers of the spiritual darkness of this age, Satan and his demons. In a very real sense, they exert a strong influence on what is happening in the world system today. Had they known that killing the Messiah was part of God’s wise plan, they might not have done it.

Application

Are you ignorant of God’s wisdom? Or do you understand God’s plan and proclaim the truth to those around you?