Why did the Jews and Romans want Jesus to die?

Answer 1

Answer 1

The Romans had no reason to kill Jesus. He gave no threat or problem to them.

The Jewish leaders were a different story. Jesus was a threat to their preeminence and self importance. They believed that most of the people looked up to them and their brand of religion, when in fact hordes of persons followed Jesus around the countryside to hear Him speak and see His miracles. Of coarse this was the wrong reason to be following Jesus around, but the Jewish leaders didn't see it that way. (There were many persons who believed Jesus and His preaching/teaching. They followed Him up to and beyond the cross). The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus out of the way and the only way they could do that was to bring Him before the Roman government (Pontus Pilate). The Jews could not execute a person, but Rome could.

Jesus was a very large thorn in the side of the Jewish leaders. Page after page in the Gospels attest to this, whereas nothing is said about Rome.

John 11:49-50, records the High priest predicting or rather suggesting that one man, namely Jesus should die in order to spare their own positions. Verse 53, " Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him,( Jesus), to death".

Answer 2

This is a Christian blood libel and perhaps the most central one. Is it true that Jews disagreed with Jesus? Yes, and quite fervently. There is even a discussion in the Talmud on the issue of Jesus (although it is unclear if this is a later edit-job or part of the original text). The Rabbis come to conclusion that he is heretic and that he merits stoning.

However, the act of plotting to actually commit murder is far removed from these discussions and more serious. There are many debates in the Talmud concerning both historical individuals and alleged stories like the Oven of Achnai. This does not mean that those events actually happened, only that the thought experiment of "what would happen under these circumstances" was done. The New Testament makes a number of simple errors about Jewish jurisprudence on such matters. For example, it claims that the Sanhedrin convened on Passover to condemn Jesus. However, the leaders of the Sanhedrin followed the letter of the law to a fault (Jesus even reprimands them for it) and one of the laws is that the Sanhedrin can never meet on a holiday, especially one as central as Passover. Secondly, they allude to a connection between the High Priests and the Sanhedrin in agreeing on what actions to take on Jesus. There was an intense political fight between the High Priests and the Rabbis of the Sanhedrin as to the future direction of Judaism. The High Priests were more corrupt and elitist. The Rabbis were more earnest and populist. There is no reason that the High Priests would not wish to keep Jesus preaching if his populist approach would weaken the appeal of the Rabbis.

As for exacting the death penalty, even if the events leading up Jesus' execution were as the New Testament records them, no Jew would sanction an execution by crucifixion. There are only four acceptable implementations of capital punishment in Judaism that are strongly regulated: decapitation, quick strangulation, quick strangulation with internal burning, and stoning. There is complete rejection of any form of capital punishment that uses piercings to kill or leaves the criminal to suffer for hours on end. Crucifixion is in both categories and was a uniquely Roman punishment.

The claim that the Romans plotted against Jesus and had him crucified is much stronger. The Messiah of that period was understood the way that Jews still understand this concept: an Earthly King who would establish a Jewish Kingdom. Necessarily, therefore, Jesus was going to have to raise an army or commit some political intrigue to achieve this goal. The Romans were likely afraid that Jesus would try to lead a rebellion to free Judea from Roman occupation. This fear would prove justified when another Messianic Candidate, Bar Kochba, would actually lead a revolt against the Romans that ended disastrously for the Jews. In order to prevent Jesus from taking that power, the Romans pre-emptively sought him out and questioned if he was the King of Jews, i.e. someone actively trying to create a Jewish Kingdom in defiance of Rome. When they received answers that troubled them, they chose to execute him in the traditional Roman manner of execution. Pontius Pilate is mentioned in several sources outside of The Bible. In each, he is considered a cruel and vicious man who delighted in executions. Why would he spare the rod here when there was such an obvious threat?

As Rome was the dominant world power during the period of the early Church and Judaism was seen as the "adversary" of early Christianity for rejecting Jesus' Messianic Nature, the Church transferred what should have been hatred for the Roman Leadership into hatred of the Jews and worked assiduously to create a narrative that would paint the Romans as weak and powerless to stop Jewish tyranny when it was Jews as a population who were unable to stop Roman tyranny.

Answer 2

Both the Jews and Romans wanted Jesus killed as they thought that he was getting to popular and would over through the romans, and because he said he was the son of god.

Answer

The Romans did NOT want Jesus to die. In one account, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, said more than three times that he could find no fault in Jesus. Read the accounts in St. Luke, chapter 23, and St. Matthew, chapter 27.

Luke 23:13-16

13And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

14Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:*

15No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.

16I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

Are those the words of a Roman who wanted Jesus to die?

Jesus had done NOTHING WRONG, HAD BROKEN NO LAW. Pontius Pilate, the Roman authority in Jerusalem, did NOT want Jesus to die. In fact, he ceremoniously distanced himself from the whole affair by washing his hands.

Matthew 27:24

24When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person*: see ye to it.

Those hardly sounds like the words of a Roman who wantedJesus to die, let alone have a hand in His execution. Pilate gave in to political pressure and grudgingly issued Jesus' death warrant.

*Emphasis added