Why crucified Jesus Christ? This question may arise in a person who either refers to this event only as a historical fact, or takes the very first steps towards faith in the Savior. In the first case, the surest decision is to try not to satisfy your idle interest, but to wait for a sincere desire to understand this with your mind and heart over time. In the second case, to begin the search for the answer to this question, of course, you need to read the Bible.
In the process of reading, various own considerations in this regard will inevitably arise. This is where a certain division begins. Some believe that each person has the right to his own reading of the Holy Scripture and remain of his own opinion, even if it is fundamentally different from the opinions of other people. This is the position of the Protestants. Orthodoxy, which is still the main Christian denomination in Russia, relies on the reading of the Bible by the Holy Fathers. This also applies to the question: why was Jesus Christ crucified? Therefore, the next right step in an attempt to understand this topic is to appeal to the creations of the Holy Fathers.
Do not search for an answer on the Internet
Why does the Orthodox Church recommend such an approach? The fact is that any person who is trying to live a spiritual life necessarily reflects on the meaning of events related to the earthly life of Christ, on the meaning of His sermons and apostolic epistles. If a person moves in the right direction, then the meaning, the hidden subtext of Scripture, is gradually revealed to him. But attempts to unite the knowledge and understanding accumulated by all spiritual and trying to be people, gave the usual result: how many people - so many opinions. On each, even the most insignificant question, so many understandings and evaluations were revealed that, as inevitability, a need arose to analyze and summarize all this information. The result was this picture: several people necessarily covered the same topic absolutely, almost literally, the same way. Following the pattern, it was easy to notice that the opinions exactly coincided with a certain kind of people. Usually they were saints, theologians who chose monasticism or simply led a particularly strict life, more attentive than other people, to their thoughts and actions. The purity of thoughts and feelings made them open to fellowship with the Holy Spirit. That is, they all received information from one source.
Differences arose from the fact that not a single person is perfect. No one can escape the influence of evil, which will surely seduce, try to mislead a person. Therefore, in Orthodoxy it is customary to consider the opinion confirmed by the majority of the Holy Fathers to be true. Single assessments, which do not coincide with the vision of the majority, can be safely attributed to personal speculation and error.
It is better to ask the priest about everything related to religion.
For a person who has just begun to be interested in such issues, the best solution would be to seek help from a priest. He will be able to advise literature suitable specifically for a beginner. You can ask for such help in the nearest temple or in the spiritual and educational center. In such institutions, priests have the opportunity to devote enough time and attention to the issue. It is more correct to look for the answer to the question "Why did they crucify Jesus Christ?" in that way. A definite answer to it simply does not exist, and independent attempts to seek clarification from the Fathers are dangerous, as they wrote mainly for monks.
Christ was not crucified
Any gospel event has two meanings: explicit and hidden (spiritual). If you look from the point of view of the Savior and Christians, the answer could be this: Christ was not crucified, He voluntarily allowed himself to be crucified for the sins of all mankind - past, present and future. The obvious reason is simple: Christ questioned all the usual views of the Jews on piety, undermined the authority of their priesthood.
The worship of God among the Jews, before the coming of the Messiah, consisted in excellent knowledge and the exact fulfillment of all laws and rules. The Savior's sermons made many people think about the falsity of such a view of relations with the Creator. In addition, the Jews awaited the King promised in the Old Testament prophecies. He had to free them from Roman slavery and stand at the head of a new earthly kingdom. The high priests were probably afraid of the open armed uprising of the people against their power and that of the Roman emperor. Therefore, it was decided that “it is better for us to have one person die for the people than for the whole people to perish” (see John Gospel chapter 11, verses 47-53). That's what Jesus Christ was crucified for.
Good Friday
What day was Jesus Christ crucified? All four Gospels unanimously state that Jesus was arrested on the night of Thursday to Friday of the Easter week. He spent all night in interrogations. Priests betrayed Jesus into the hands of the governor of the Roman emperor - procurator Pontius Pilate. Desiring to avoid responsibility, he sent a captive to King Herod. But he, having not found anything dangerous for himself in the person of Christ, wanted to see some miracle from the prophet known among the people. Because Jesus refused to entertain Herod and his guests, He was again returned to Pilate. On the same day, that is, on Friday, Christ was brutally beaten and, holding the instrument of execution - the Cross on His shoulders, was taken outside the city and crucified.
Good Friday, which happens on the week leading up to Easter, is a day of especially deep sorrow for Christians. In order not to forget on what day Jesus Christ was crucified, the Orthodox throughout the year observe fasting every Friday. As a sign of compassion to the Savior, they limit themselves to food, try to especially carefully monitor their mood, do not swear, and avoid entertainment.
Calvary
Where was Jesus Christ crucified? Turning again to the Gospel, one can be convinced that all four "biographies" of the Savior unanimously point to one place - Golgotha, or the Frontal place. This is a hill outside the city walls of Jerusalem.
Another difficult question: who crucified Christ? Will it be true to answer this way: the centurion Longinus and his colleagues are Roman warriors. They drove nails into the hands and feet of Christ, Longinus pierced the already cooling Body of the Lord with a spear. But the order was given by Pontius Pilate. So he crucified the Savior? But Pilate tried in every possible way to persuade the Jewish people to release Jesus, since he was already punished by being beaten, and there was “no guilt” worthy of a terrible execution in Him.
The procurator ordered, under fear, to lose not only his place, but also, possibly, his life. After all, the accusers claimed that Christ threatened the power of the Roman emperor. It turns out that the Jewish people crucified their Savior? But the Jews were deceived by the high priests and their lying witnesses. So after all, who crucified Christ? Such an answer would be honest: all these people together executed an innocent person.
Hell, where is your victory ?!
It would seem that the high priests won. Christ accepted the shameful execution, the regiments of angels did not descend from Heaven to remove Him from the cross, the disciples fled. Only his mother, best friend, and several devoted women remained with him until the end. But that was not the end. The imaginary victory of evil was destroyed by the resurrection of Jesus.
At least see
Trying to erase any memory of Christ, the Gentiles bombarded the land of Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher. But at the beginning of the 4th century, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helen arrived in Jerusalem to find the Cross of the Lord. She tried unsuccessfully for a long time to find out where Jesus Christ was crucified. An old Jew named Judas helped her, reporting that now on the site of Golgotha is the temple of Venus.
After excavation, three similar crosses were discovered. To find out which Christ was crucified on them, crosses were alternately applied to the body of a deceased person. From the touch of the Life-Giving Cross, this man came to life. A huge number of Christians wished to worship the shrine, so they had to raise the Cross up (to erect) so that people could at least see it from afar. This event occurred in 326. In memory of him, Orthodox Christians celebrate on September 27 a holiday called: Exaltation of the Holy Cross.