Why The Jews Killed Jesus

The beginning of John’s Gospel says

“[Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (John 1:10–11).

Jesus was the Messiah, the promised King of Israel, yet His own people, the Jews, sought to put Him to death! Eventually, they succeeded. But why did the Jews want to kill their Messiah? What was it about Jesus that led them to pick up stones to try and kill him?

Blasphemy Deserves Death

Humans are not divine: they are the creation, NOT the infinite unchanging Creator (Numbers 23:19). Under the Law of Moses, if a man claimed that HE was divine, or that HE was God, he was to be put to death. To equate the greatness and matchless glory of the omnipotent God to a mere man is blasphemous! Leviticus 24 commands that

“Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him…” (Leviticus 24:16)

Jesus Claimed to be God

The Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day would have known this law well. In an interaction with the Jews, Jesus said

“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:56–59). 

Jesus seemingly did the exact thing the Jews were to reject as blasphemy! He claimed to be the I AM – the LORD, the God of the Jews, the Sole Creator of Heaven and Earth (John 8:23-24). Jesus was, in essence, claiming to be the one that led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt and into the promised land (Jude 5), who revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:14).

These Jews understood the gravity of Jesus’ claim that “before Abraham was, I AM”. That’s why they immediately tried to kill him, not because they were suddenly overcome with overtly murderous intentions, but because they sought to uphold the Law of Moses and put blasphemers to death. We see a similar interaction a couple chapters later when Jesus says

“I and the Father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:31–33).

The reason the Jews went to execute Jesus was because they thought they were honoring God. They rightly understood that Jesus was claiming to be God! That was blasphemy! The only problem for them was that Jesus really IS God (John 1:1-2, Hebrews 1:8-9)! 

If the Jews expected for us all to become exalted gods, then Jesus making these claims wouldn’t have been seen as blasphemous! This “I AM” claim of Jesus would only have been considered blasphemy by the Jews if they believed it infringed upon the glory of the God of Israel.

The Jews understood that Jesus was claiming to be something unique: the only Son of the Father, who came from heaven, who was the LORD, the eternal Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Jews Attempting To Kill Jesus Proves That He Claimed To Be God 

The Jews wanted to kill Jesus not because he claimed to be the eldest brother of all of God’s children, not merely because of his claim to be Messiah, or a prophet, but because they believed he made a “Blasphemous” claim to deity. 

With this in mind, consider Jesus’ words in John 8:

“[Jesus] said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he [the I AM, the singular God of Israel] you will die in your sins.” (John 8:23–24).