Jesus was killed for challenging the political status quo

For generations scholars have worked hard to develop a deeper understanding of the historical circumstances surrounding the events in the life of Jesus but not directly attested to in the gospels. In many areas there is disagreement, but in one area in particular there is widespread agreement: part of the reason why Jesus was killed is that he was a threat to the political status quo. “The written notice of the charge against him read: The King of the Jews” (Mark 15:26) and we already noted that the guards mocked Jesus and crowned him with thorns as if a king. A long line of Messianic hopefuls before Christ had been executed for leading a revolution, either armed or cultural, against Greco-Roman society. Simon ben Giora and Judas of Galilee are the most notable example of figures whose teaching challenged the hegemony of the Emperor and the privilege of the ruling class. Even after Jesus’ death, when it was clear that his followers were not attempting to establish a new government, his followers continued to be killed, for (among other things) the political consequences of the young Christian religion, which frequently questioned military service, refused swearing loyalty to the Emperor when it contradicted the Old Testament or the teachings of Christ, and even professing Christ as Lord rather than Caesar. Christian apologetics and theology for centuries would take on a political tone. All of this historical context suggests that one reason Jesus was killed was because his message and the teachings preserved by his followers were viewed as a threat to the status quo, so he was treated in the same fashion as previous political dissenters and executed.

Jesus was a victim, executed as a threat to the political status quo. He was also God in the flesh, Lord, and Savior.