They wanted him dead

From the beginning they wanted to kill Jesus, the first day he read the scriptures in the synagogue they wanted to throw him off a cliff Luke 4:28-30 "So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.“

Jesus being in control of the elements was able weave his way through to escape because there was a certain time he would give his life.

Mark 9:31-32 For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.”

Jesus told his closest disciple how the end of his life would come, he was in complete control of everything that would take place. Although Satan and religious men wanted him gone it would not happen until he allowed it to.

John 5:16-19 “For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

you can’t say you are equal with God who is spirit, the religious leaders did not understand even with all the evidence that God became a man.

John 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.”

Again with wisdom Jesus avoided those who made it their intention to get rid of him.

 John 7:19-31 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?" The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?"

They are playing dumb, they know exactly what is going on. V.21 Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

V.25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from." Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me." Then they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

Christ comes, no one knows where He is from was a lie being taught so that the people would not identify him by the Scripture. Jesus made it clear of who he is what his mission is and they were fearful of his authority and influence he displayed.

John 8:25 Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.”

Jesus did not hide who He was, he told them in every humble way possible.

John 8:37-40 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father." They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.”

Abraham’s descendant’s would have faith and not be fearful of God’s representative from heaven that was sent to give them freedom.

John 8:51-53 "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'"Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?"

That indeed is the question that they and everyone today must answer. It is not long after this Jesus answers

John 10:30-33"I and My Father are one." Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me? "The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."

v.:36 “do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

They wanted to stone Jesus because he spoke the truth. They understood he was claiming to be equal with the Father. He told us they will want to do the same to you when you speak his truth, carry His message.

John 15:20-21 “Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

Luke 22:1-2 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.”

Imagine the highest religious of the land want to take you out because you have been sent by God to tell the truth and make things right.

Matt 26:3-4 “Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.”

It took only 3 years for them to be fed up.

 Well the finally got their way, the day of execution came on the high holy Sabbath of Passover. Jesus allowed himself to be led to his crucifixion

John 19:5-6 after he is whipped he is brought out to Pilate who allows the people to have one of candidates  for crucifixion to be exonerated.  And Pilate said to them, "Behold the Man!" They were ready for this and stacked the crowd “Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"

Luke 23:23-24 “But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.”

Matt 27:62-64 “On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' "Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first."

They remembered that he said he would rise again. As he said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (Jn. 2:19-20)

This statement is what they used at his religious trial to falsely accuse him. We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.'(Mark 14:58-59) not understanding he was speaking of his body.

He is dead but they want to make sure he stays that way thinking they can out power God whom they have been fighting against this whole time

But he could not stay dead. He appears to his followers 11 different times in between the Feats of firstfruits (the resurrection) and before his ascension 43 days later.

Acts 1:3 “He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

The next Feast it all began, the church would now bring the message, the gospel, the reason Jesus died.

Acts 2:22-25 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--  Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;  whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. “

Acts 4:33 “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”

 All was now changed. A new era had begun. Now we are over 1900 years after and the resistance to the message is strong, Both enemies of God, the Devil and his angels and men try to stop the life changing message from getting out to the people of the world. Some use direct threats and persecution others from within distort it so it becomes useless.

Jesus said what they did to him they will do to those who really follow him. When Jesus calls them witnesses in Mt.28, it was the word martyr. Those who bring the message know they can face death. Missionary work can be the most risky of all vocations, especially in certain areas of the world. Yet it can also the most rewarding.

Right now we need to understand it is about to get darker. The opposition is growing and the heeding to the call has become greatly diminished.

 

Pt.2 They want you dead