Joel M Bradshaw

6As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him [Jesus], they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

7The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”–John 19

…anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death. (Leviticus 24:16)

1. Jesus was found innocent according to Roman standards of justice.
2. The Romans loved law and order and promoted peace to achieve that order. Their famous Pax Romana was actually going to start around this time (27AD) or had already started depending on when you place the date of this crucifixion.
3. Remember the Passover lamb was to be a male without defect (Exodus 12:5).
4. For Jesus to be considered a sacrifice by God on behalf of others, He had to be sinless.
5. Yet, though they didn’t accuse Jesus of any other sin here, the Jewish leaders considered Jesus to have broken the law against blasphemy.
6. And remember, either Jesus was a blasphemer or He really is God. Your theological journey in the Bible hinges on where you stand regarding that.
7. So where do you stand? Is Jesus God or was He a blasphemer that got caught?–JMB