the Son of God; and so he is presented here, in effect dying for Christianity.”It seems to me, and this is personal opinion based on evidence presented, that the only things the Romans did directly, was the crucifixion. He was betrayed by a Jew, tried by the Jews, and turned over to Pilate by the Jews. But Jesus was portrayed by them as, essentially a troublemaker, not only for the priests and Jews, but also, ultimately, the Romans. In Luke, chapter 15, he is accused of enticing a revolution, in Mark, he is accused of “many things”, and in both, his crucifixion is demanded. I believe Jesus died to keep the peace. Even though he preached non-violence, and peaceful protest (kind of like an ancient Ghandi), he was misunderstood. What Jesus taught was radically different than anything anyone of that time was used to, and history goes to show, we always seem to condemn that which we do not understand. The priests saw him as a threat to their establishment; what if more people began to follow his teachings? That would draw people away from the temples, they would no longer be needed. If Jesus were right, then everything they were preaching would be wrong, so why not get the trouble out of the way before it gets any worse, right? It seems nothing has changed with religious policy, it’s all a form control, and a desire for power. Seeing how intertwined politics and religion were, I have to believe that it was a political move. The crucifixion of Jesus satisfied both the Jews and the Romans, but ultimately, through their own action, they helped propel Jesus into an idol, and also helped propel Christianity into one of the fastest growing and now largest religions of the world, exactly what they sought to prevent....
