Did the Jews Really Kill Yeshua?

Kwame Ajamu was only 17 years old when his life changed dramatically.

The young man was accused of murdering a man in his hometown. The authorities threw him in jail, where he waited to be executed. 

It took 39 years for the truth to come out: the witness against Ajamu had given a false statement. Though Ajamu was finally set free, the best years of his life had been wasted.1 Unfortunately, false accusations can impact our lives in devastating ways. 

One such accusation is that the Jewish people killed Yeshua the Nazarene and have been under the judgment of God for the past two thousand years because of it. This idea has led to much unjust hatred toward the Jewish people. Is the accusation true or false? Let’s look at the evidence.

Yeshua’s Widespread Fame Among Jews

There is a common myth that the Jews in Yeshua’s time fully rejected him and were part of a unified plot to kill him. However, according to apostolic writings, many Jews received the teachings of Yeshua with gladness, and “large crowds followed Him” (Matthew 4:25). Sometimes over five thousand people came at once to hear Yeshua (Luke 9:10–17). 

Yes, a significant faction of the religious leaders was plotting against him, but they did not represent the entire population. The writings say that they could not arrest Yeshua during Pesach because they feared a riot among the people (Mark 14:1, 2). He was so well accepted that the first believers in Yeshua claimed that “myriads” of Jews, even some priests, believed in him after his death (Acts 21:20; 6:7). 

Not even the religious elite were unanimous in their assessment of him. Some declared his teachings heretical, while others believed his teachings to be in harmony with the Tanakh.

Who Is Responsible?

Many Jews in our day have suffered pogroms, genocides, and bullying because of the belief that the Jewish people are responsible for Yeshua’s death. One of the verses that anti-Semitic literature often cites is from the narrative of Yeshua’s death. His detractors arrested him and took him to a Roman official, who was authorized to give him the death sentence. When the official declared that Yeshua had done nothing worthy of death, the riotous crowd urged the matter and cried out, “His blood be on us and our children” (Matthew 17:25)! Some people believe that this statement transferred a type of curse upon all future descendants of the Jewish race. But did this really happen?

The Tanakh is clear that God holds us accountable for the sins that we ourselves have committed, not the sins of our ancestors: “The son will not bear the iniquity of the father with him . . .  the wickedness of the wicked will be on him” (Ezekiel 18:20). Although our individual sins frequently create a cascade of consequences (such as the generational effects of alcoholism), the principles of God’s law only permit this to the third or fourth generation (Exodus/Shemot 20:5).

Yeshua’s Willing Sacrifice 

When we ask who killed Yeshua, we must consider his own words. He said, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, so that I may take it up again. No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own” (John 10:17, 18).

Yeshua did not have to go through with the crucifixion (Matthew 26:39). And yet, he chose to offer his life freely to fulfill the Scriptures. The prophet Isaiah wrote, 

“But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. The chastisement for our shalom was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us turned to his own way. So ADONAI has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, like a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth” (Isaiah 53:5–7).

Yeshua’s Prayer of Forgiveness 

Certainly, some Jews were involved in obtaining a death decree for Yeshua. Romans also participated by doing the “dirty work” of crucifying him. But ultimately, it was Yeshua who chose to give his life as a sacrifice—one which he claimed had the power to bring about forgiveness and healing.

While on the cross, Yeshua even prayed for forgiveness, not judgment, for those who had a direct role in his crucifixion. He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). 

It may come as a surprise to realize that Yeshua was Jewish and loved the Jewish people. Hatred towards Jews is nowhere in his teachings. What we find instead is a radical message of love and sacrifice for all people. His message was given in the cultural and religious context of Judaism and thus is most native to the Jewish mind. He taught that his death functioned like the sacrifice of the sin offering, providing atonement for all who would receive it. This is not a message of division, but of reconciliation.

I’m sure you’ve heard about Yeshua in the context of insult and bigotry. But wouldn’t you like to learn about the real Yeshua? Please, contact us at the information on the back of this paper.