Crucifixion, stoning and being "cursed by God"

A lot of people have asked why Jesus was crucified by the Romans rather than stoned by the Jews. After all, He, according to the Jewish leaders, had committed blasphemy by claiming to be God. In the Old Testament, the prescribed penalty for blasphemy was stoning.

There's also the issue of whether the Romans reserved ALL capital punishment for themselves, or if they sometimes granted the Jews permission to carry out CP against convicted offenders of their own people. In John 18, the Jewish leaders told Pilate that it was unlawful for them to put anyone to death. This was after Pilate has told them to take Jesus and judge Him by their law. Now, whether the Romans in fact forbade the Jews during that time from executing anyone or if the Jews had a limited allowance to do so is up for debate. It's hard to say whether they lied to Pilate or told him the truth when they said they weren't allowed to put anyone to death.

In addition, the Scriptures say in both Deuteronomy 21 and Galatians 3 that anyone who is hung on a tree is "cursed by God".

I believe that (aside from God's plan and other theological reasons), the Jews really wanted Jesus to be crucified rather than stoned. They hated Him so much that they felt He deserved to be hung on a tree and thus "cursed by God". On the other hand, when someone was stoned, that person was justly punished for breaking the specific law that prescribed the death penalty. However, that doesn't mean that the offender was necessarily cursed.

Of course, there's also the matter of Jesus shedding His blood for sin. A stoning wouldn't have accomplished that.

To be sure, Jesus was almost stoned at least once (John 8), but His time had not yet come.

I'm not questioning the fact that Jesus had to be crucified; I just like to dig into the theological and human reasons for it. To better understand the interplay between God's plans and human decisions/events.

$0.02

Truthfully, our dear Savior was only viewed as cursed by those who don't know the truth. When Galatians quotes Deuteronomy, it's understood that putting a man to death who did nothing worthy of death is a violation of Gods law (Deut.21:22)

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him....hands that shed innocent blood, Pro.6:16-17

Christian theology is a mess .

I think they essentially manipulated Pilate, probably lied, because they wanted Pilate to crucify Jesus.

I think Pilate would have preferred the Jewish authorities would handle it, but they put pressure on Pilate when they said: "And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: "If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar." (John 19:12)

In other words they were applying political pressure by forcing Pilate to make a political decision that may have ruined his career.

Furthermore, the chief priests also persuaded the crowd to crucify Jesus: But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. (Mark 15:11)

I really doubt the Pharisees had any issues putting someone to death for real or perceived blasphemy. Take the story of Stephen in Acts for example. Didn't they lay their coats at the feet of Saul (later renamed Paul) prior to stoning Stephen for perceived blasphemy? (Acts 7)

So why weren't they practicing the same standard in Stephen as they did on Jesus? We can speculate all day but there is a lot that is not definitively stated.

According to the Talmud and still to some a Tradition from those very days, Yeshua, to the Jews committed [TREASON] by equaling Himself to God. Treason was a accusation that [ONLY] the Roman Courts handled back in those days.

The book of Genesis is written to give us spiritual truths of God, how our spiritual world works, but it is mostly told in symbols. We live in a world of the flesh, God uses what we understand to show us the spiritual truths. Christ is one of the very first, the most important spiritual truths of the Lord for sin has been let loose in our world and sin results in death. God wants life for us. As soon as death was brought on for us, God immediately gave us a way of life, and that way was Christ.

Genesis tells us so, but in symbolic language. The mystery was only brought to light when Christ lived as a man and explained it to us. In Genesis, it is told when Adam and Eve realized they were naked as a result of becoming aware of sin. God gave them covering for their nakedness. It is a symbol of Christ who covers our sin so we may live.

The method God did this is told in the gospels, but we are not to get so caught up in the method that we lose sight of the reality of Christ and what Christ did those three days in the grave.

It was prophesied in the OT that Jesus would be crucified
Psalm 22:16-18
16For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet.
17I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
18They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.

Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.

In order for me to be forgiven and my debt to be paid in full Jesus needed to die. His death was the only way, His blood the only thing that could pay the price of my sin (past, present and future).
I caused Jesus to die when i sin. Sin = death. The righteousness of the lamb can only cover me because the lamb died. Jesus thought i was worth dying for, but i should not continue to crucify Him by sinning this is what really hurts Jesus.

Our decisions and plans are what make up the Plan of God, for He could not fulfill His Plans if our Plans are not superseded.

Christ on the Cross is quickly identified in Genesis 3:22-24, where if Adam and Eve could have eaten from the Eternal Tree of Life, they would have been lifted of the Evil Curse that had beset the ground (all of Creation). To eat from the Tree of Life would have set them apart from Sin; and any Laws that would come about because of sin. But the Plan of God would be that humanity would have to wait . . . what . . . some 5,500 years before we could all freely eat from the Tree of Life, who is still Jesus?

From Genesis to Revelation, our Bible is an explanation of the Plan of God and how He operates through people, to accomplish His Willful and pre-designed Plan, pre-written upon Heavenly Scrolls that cannot be thwarted.

This plan is described in Ephesians chapters 2 and 3, and the fulcrum of the Plan, which is the Circumcision of Christ, is fully described in Colossians 2:9-15. To discuss these things is to discuss the Core of the Bible. To discuss these things is to discuss the Work of Christ.

I believe the Jews manipulated the Romans into executing Jesus because they feared the common people many of whom saw Jesus as a Prophet..

Matthew 21: KJV
9 "And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. {10} And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? {11} And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."

Luke 22: KJV
1 "Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. {2} And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people."

Matthew 21: KJV
42 "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? {43} Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. {44} And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. {45} And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. {46} But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet."

How could they get Jesus killed and avoid any potential backlash from the multitudes? Solution, manipulate the Roman authorities into executing Jesus.. That way if there was any backlash from the multitudes it would be directed at the Romans.. I believe Pilate and the Romans where not totally ignorant to this scheme and that is why Pilate resisted the calls by the religious elites to crucify Jesus..

Matthew 27: KJV
17 "Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? {18} For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. {19} ¶ When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him."

Jesus was a Hot Potato to Pilate so he sought to wash his hands of him and other twists like releasing Barabbas.. This all changed in the heat of the moment when the Jewish mob hyped by the religious elites shouted out the following..

Matthew 27: KJV
24 "¶ When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. {25} Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." 26 "¶ Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified."

That let Pilate off the hook.. by loudly and publicly taking responsibility for the execution of Jesus the Jews had failed in their bid make the roman authorities responsible for the execution of Jesus.. So any potential backlash would be felt by the religious Authorities not the Roman Authorities..