When Jesus was crucified, he suffered under signage that bothered the religious leaders of Israel. Pilate the Roman governor of Judea had written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” But when the chief priests saw the sign, they objected saying, “Don’t write King of the Jews, but instead, that he said, I am the King of the Jews.” But Pilate said, “I have written what I have written.” (John 19:19-22).
Peter and Paul later acknowledged in separate statements that if the leaders of Israel had known who Jesus was, they never would have killed him. (Acts 3:17) (1Cor 2:8)
So here’s a question. Thinking back on all that led up to the most revealing and momentous event of human history, was Jesus hated and killed for his claim to be King? Or was he killed for the kind of King he claimed to be?