to these sins and that it is as serious
a crime as the three great transgressions of idol worship, adultery, and
murder. [Yoma 9]
Remember, that years earlier Yeshua had
given this as the very reason he would be killed (hatred without a cause).
Also throughout the New Testament he compares his death to the destruction
of the Temple.
John 2:19
19 Yeshua answered and said to them, Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and
will you rear it up in three days?
21 But he spoke of the temple of his body.
So, what was the controversy leading to his death?
No one knows exactly why a Rabbi from Galilee with about 150 followers caused so
much concern for the nation's leaders in Jerusalem, but it seems to be not just
religiously, but also politically motivated.
In addition, the controversies that existed during
his life did not diminish with his death. Although
Yeshua was actually put to death by the
Gentiles (Romans), it was his own people (the
Sanhedrin) who sentenced him.
According to the
Talmud the
charges against him were that he:
performed magic, enticed, and led
astray Israel.
His was sentenced to be stoned to death,
then hung for a short time on a wooden cross (or to be more exact a wooden "T").
The Sanhedrin
sentencing someone to death, however, was in itself an extremely unusual
occurrence.