What were the major reason the leaders of Israel wanted to kill Jesus?

Answer 1

Jesus was sentenced to death not by some unknown "leaders of Israel", but by the religious leaders of the Roman Province Judah. The reasons why both Jewish religious leaders, especially the High Priest of the Temple Caiaphas, and the Roman appointed Governor of Judea Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death were quite evident. Jesus was causing trouble in Jerusalem. He was a known rebel and he was endangering public peace at a time when large and volatile crowds were thronging the city to celebrate the Passovedr. It was entirely reasonable to arrest him.

But what happened after the arrest was not legal. Caiaphas rigged the trial.

First, Caiaphas took on the usually incompatible roles of chief judge and prosecuting lawyer.

But that was not all.

Scholars know the rules that applied to Jewish trials at that period and the trial of Jesus broke many of those rules:

• It was at night - Jewish trials had to take place during the day
• It took place on a feast day - this was not allowed
• It took place in Caiaphas's house - it should have been conducted in the council chamber

The trial went wrong for Caiaphas. He needed to prove that Jesus had threatened to destroy the Temple, which would have been both treason and an offence against God. But the witnesses couldn't agree on what Jesus had said. So that charge failed.

Caiaphas decided to see if he could induce Jesus to utter blasphemy.

He asked Jesus, point blank, "Are you the Son of God, the Son of the Blessed? Are you The Messiah?"

The Gospels vary a little, and only in Mark's account does Jesus answer that he is.

It's enough. Caiaphas announces that Jesus has spoken blasphemy. The rest of the Court agree. Jesus deserves the death sentence.

Just one problem; the court didn't have the power to execute people. And that's where the Romans come into the story.

Actually, there are two problems: blasphemy against the God of Jews was not a crime under Roman Law, and unless Caiaphas could think of something better, it might not be enough to persuade the Romans to execute Jesus.

But at this moment the interests of Pontius Pilate came into play.

Pilate was desperate to keep the peace. His career in the Roman Empire depended on his running the province smoothly and efficiently.

He had 6,000 soldiers on hand to keep the peace in a city bulging with 2.5 million Jews. The religious authorities, whose cooperation he needed for a quiet life, wanted him to execute Jesus and there was an angry mob baying for Jesus' blood.

To release Jesus would have been likely to cause a riot; Pilate could have lost control of the city, and possibly the province.

Pilate sacrificed Jesus to preserve Roman rule and his own career.