Reply #61: I'm not sure Pilate would have found the priests particularly tricky

[DivinBreuvage]

He provoked Jewish outrage once by raiding the Temple treasury to build an aqueduct, and people came out to protest. Pilate disguised some of his troops as civilians and sent them to mingle with the crowd, and when the signal was given the soldiers beat the crap out of the protestors. Later on the Samaritans launched a religious revolt and Pilate crushed it so ruthlessly that even the Roman government felt he had gone too far and recalled him.

Biblical whitewashing aside, I don't think Pilate crucified Jesus because the priests demanded it. I agree with you that the priests probably felt he threatened their position and wanted him dead, but in that case couldn't they have had him stoned to death? I think Pilate crucified Jesus because Pilate wanted him dead, either because he was becoming too much of a popular idol or saying things he shouldn't have been saying, or in some other way making Pilate think he was a direct threat to Roman power.

Some people theorize that the claim of descent from King David was not just for the sake of Messianic fulfillment but a serious political claim: that Jesus was in fact saying, I am the rightful King of Israel. I'm not sure I go that far in my own belief, but I do think he was making more trouble in those days than the Gospels are willing to admit.