Jesus said to know him was to know God. To see him was to see God. To believe in him was to believe in God. To receive him was to receive God. To hate him was to hate God. And to honor him was to honor God.
Watching massive crowds follow Jesus, the Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees decided to be rid of Jesus and regain their authority among the people.
They arrested Jesus and brought him before the high priest who asked Jesus, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
Jesus answered, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (This referred to the final judgment of the world, which Jesus was saying he would carry out.)
The high priest immediately charged him with blasphemy, claiming to be God. And they all condemned him as deserving death.
Because the Jewish laws did not allow for capital punishment, the religious leaders brought Jesus before the occupying Roman Gentile government and demanded the death sentence. (Thus, both Jews and Gentiles participated in Jesus’ death.)
Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect (governor) of the area, had the final say. He believed Jesus should be set free. But the Pharisees and Sadducees stirred up the crowds to a mob frenzy and demanded that Jesus be put to death. They called out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate gave into the crowds’ demands.
The verdict: death by crucifixion, the Roman government’s method of torture and death.
