They were not pagans, infidels or barbarians who killed the Christ. Even the despised Samaritans were innocent of His blood. No. It was His own people who rejected Him (John 1:11). “Holy” and “righteous” men presided over His death. “Holy” and “righteous” men broke their own laws by secretly trying Him in the night. “Holy” and “righteous” men pronounced him guilty and rushed Him off to be crucified. When Pilate would have released Him these “holy” and “righteous” men led the crowd in shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Why did they hate Christ so much?
Nearly everything Jesus said and did threatened the very existence of Judaism. “What are we to do?”, reasoned the chief priests and the Pharisees, “For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation” (see John 11:47-48).
In spite of their declarations of holiness and righteousness and their soring rhetoric about “drawing close to God” and “obeying God,” they would kill God’s only Son in order to save their place and nation. Christ was a fundamental threat to Judaism and He remains a threat to religion today.
A Wilderness Voice 
Amen and amen!
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As I have written elsewhere, I would just walk into a building (church), and the head honch feels threatened immediately. Not by me, by Jesus who dwells within me. Took me decades to finally get to the place where I don’t take it personally.
When you grow up in a home feeling like you are less than nothing, it doesn’t help when that saga is intensified in the organized ‘church’.
I conclude with this observation. Those that have had the albatross of disdain and worthlessness hanging around their necks, who also make a complete, no bars held, surrender to the Pearl of great price,
these are those who Jesus reveals His secrets to by the conduit of solid rock and increased agony perpetuated by churchianity and all of its glory. A trail of tears that goes on for years until His truth is solidly revealed and fixed in our hearts of understanding.
Delivered once again. The first time from the evils of the surrounding world, of which we were part, the second time from the evils of a worldly ‘church’ of which we could never be a part.
God established that separation between us and the system. Took a life time to finally understand why.
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