What crime did the Romans crucify jesus for?

Answer 1

Jesus did not commit any crimes. Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Jude,a had Jesus crucified because the crowd in Jerusalem wanted him executed.

Jesus was arrested by the Sanhedrin, a council of Jewish judges. During a trial before the high priest he was asked if he was the son of god and Jesus answered affirmatively. He was accused of blasphemy. The Jewish judges then took Jesus to Pontius Pilates, the Roman governor of Judea, whom they asked to judge and condemn him.

The Jewish judges could not present their accusation of blasphemy to Pontius Pilates because the Romans had no jurisdiction over Jewish religion. Therefore, they brought thre charges which could be relevant to Pontius Pilates. They accused Jesus of perverting the Jewish nation, of forbidding the payment of the tribute due to the Romans and of sedition against the Romans by claiming to be the King of the Jews. Pilates asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews and Jesus replied "If you say so". Pilates was reluctant to condemn Jesus. He sent Jesus to be tired by Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee Jesus is a Galilean. Herod Antipas mocked Jesus' claims, put an expensive robe on him to make him look like a king, and return him to Pilate.

Pilate called the Jewish judges and said that he had not found him guilty. A crowd assembled in from of his residence wanted the execution of Jesus. In the Roman provinces only the Roman governors could issue a capital punishment sentence. Pilates tried to defend Jesus, but the crowd insisted. He then used the custom of the Roman governor to release one prisoner at Passover and told the crowd to choose between releasing Jesus or Barabbas, a notorious murderer, hoping that they would chose Jesus. However, the crowd wanted to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Pilates washed his hands to show that he is not responsible for the execution of Jesus and reluctantly sent him to his death.

Answer 2

The claim that the Romans plotted against Jesus and had him crucified is based on what Jesus claimed about himself. 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?