The question can be posed why Jesus - a wandering prophet, healer and teacher - was arrested by the high priest Caiaphas and crucified by the Romans. During his ministry in Galilee there appears to have been some conflict with the Pharisees and scribes about aspects of the law. This would, however, not have been enough reason to execute him. The Pharisees, in fact, play no part in the stories of Jesus's arrest and trial.

Jesus's talk about the kingdom of God and related activities may provide a clue in this regard. These utterances certainly had social and political implications, and could have created suspicion in a region which formed part of the Roman Empire (kingdom) and could have been regarded as a threat to political stability. It is significant that Jesus, who proclaimed the kingdom, was crucified in Jerusalem as the ‘king of the Jews’ (Matt 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19).

The more immediate cause of Jesus's arrest and crucifixion was probably his ‘cleansing’ of the temple during his and his disciples’ visit to Jerusalem at Passover. This action was a symbolic act through which he prophesied the destruction of the temple. Apart from the fact that Jews would regard such action against the temple as a serious offence, it probably confirmed the Jewish and Roman authorities’ impression of Jesus as a troublemaker and therefore a threat to peace and order. That this happened during the Passover, when many people were together in Jerusalem, made an uprising among the people an even greater possibility. Jesus's actions as well as the context in which they took place in the end led to his crucifixion.

Jesus's crucifixion came to have immense theological significance for his followers. They believed that his embarrassing death on the cross was not in vain; that he died as a martyr ‘for others’.