Introduction
Jesus was the chosen messiah who died for the forgiveness of all sins by mankind. His mission to revitalize the people of God brought him into conflict with the Jewish and Roman leaders, eventually leading to His death. Jesus died as he had lived: staying committed to the word of God and rejecting the quest for status and power.
Motives of Jewish leaders to kill Jesus
The death of Jesus was perpetuated by the Sanhedrin, the Pharisee’s, the Roman, and the Jewish leaders. Each of them was motivated to kill Jesus for separate reasons (Niswonger, 1988). The Sanhedrin opposed the disruptions of the order in their day by Jesus, a man who hailed from Galilee, whose teaching and preaching was contrary their belief and the beliefs they wanted their followers to behold. The Pharisees saw the teachings of Jesus and his messages implied authority over their own teachings and contradicted their oral tradition. The Romans feared that Jesus would become the central point for insurrection against them. The Jewish leaders opposed his teachings as they contradicted theirs and also opposed his claim of being the Messiah. The Jewish religious leaders enjoyed some power by cooperating with the Romans, and the crowds that gathered around Jesus inflicted fear in them as they saw Him as a serious threat to their authority.
Reasons Romans agreed to carry out the sentence
The Jewish leaders and Roman authority did not find Jesus guilty of any of the crimes he prosecuted against; however, they convicted him based on their self interest (Green, 1988). The Jews presented Jesus to the Roman Empire with claims that he was a king. Pilate himself showed substantial doubt in convicting Jesus, he asked “what crime has He done?” Pilate’s wife also warned her husband against interfering with Jesus’ prosecution in a message “have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night I suffered much on account of him” (Matthew 27 NIV).
Pilate was afraid of both the people and prosecuting innocent Jesus. However, the Romans saw Jesus as an individual who incited rioting by the crowd of followers he drew. Pilate feared that people would riot against the Roman Empire if he set Jesus free. His fear of the people won, and he literary washed his hands as a symbol he would have nothing to do with that the decision that people made against Jesus, and he released Jesus to them (Mark 15 and John 19 NIV). Jesus was seen as a political agitator and a potential rebel leader; the Romans had him crucified as they are quick to react to even a minor threat.
Subversiveness of Jesus’ teachings
The teachings of Jesus went outside the boundaries that had been established by the political and religious leaders of that time. They were not conventional with the traditionally set teaching standards, thus making them subversive; this angered both the political and religious leaders. In some of His teachings, Jesus was accused of blaspheming against God when He forgave a man off his sins, breaking the Sabbath when he healed a man on Sabbath. Jesus called Himself the son of God which angered the crowds that they sought to stone him. Contradictory, these crowds referred to God as their Father, meaning they considered themselves sons of God, yet they were prosecuting Jesus for the same. Jesus’ claim that he could tear down the Temple and rebuild it in three days also made the people angry. The ordeal of Jesus turning the tables of money changers and other traders at the Temple also angered them, and it made Jesus appear as a threat to the public and many people rallied against him (Green, 1988).
Jesus’ death as an embodiment to His Ministry
Jesus’ death to save the people was the embodiment of his teachings and message during His earthly ministry. The chains of death, suffering, and oppression were to be released by His dying on the cross in place of mankind. He willingly chose to undergo all this suffering and in return human kind is expected to follow Him and what He taught. Jesus came to save the oppressed from their spiritual captors, and not from the Romans as many misinterpreted. His intention was to spread the gospel of love; to love God and one another in the intended true spirit. Jesus expects people to put one another before themselves as he did by giving up his life on the cross for human kind.
Conclusion
Jesus was innocent and most certainly was not guilty of any crime that would require the death punishment. His death was engineered by preaching and teaching messages contrary to what the Jewish political and religious taught and believed. The truth in Jesus’ message hurt and bruised they pride, thus inducing them to plot his death. Furthermore, even though the Jewish leaders satisfied their plot, God’s ultimate goal through which all humanity can now their way to God was realized in the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross (John 14 NIV).
References:
Green, J. B. (1988). The Death Of Jesus And The Ways Of God: Jesus And The Gospels On
Messianic Status And The Shameful Suffering. Macau: Claretian Publications.
Niswonger, R. L. (1988). New testament history: Zondervan Publishing House
Zondervan NIV study bible (fully revised) ( 1985, 1995, 2002) by International Bible Society,
Zondervan Publishing House
