Why did the Jews attempt to kill Jesus according to Islam?-Another reason the Islamic Jesus makes no sense
In an earlier article, we have highlighted that the Jesus of Islam does not fit the Islamic theology because the Quranic accounts of His life are all plagiarized from sources that portrayed Him as the Son of God. From the Bible to various Gnostic sources and apocryphal gospels. Please read, “The problem with the Islamic Jesus: Plagiarism and Inconsistency” for more information around this.
Islam on the other hand teaches that Jesus was just another prophet, a mere man who just happened to be sinless, born of a virgin, perform miracles to a degree never seen before, create life, give life to the dead and so on yet is in no way, shade or form God. Hence the Quran ends up with a Jesus it cannot account for. The only reason Jesus is so different from anybody else in Islam can be summed up in three words by our Muslim friends, “Allah knows best”.
There is still another big issue with the Jesus of Islam people do not pick up on. The issue is this, there was clearly an attempt to kill Jesus. Why is this?
In Christianity, the reason the Jews wanted Jesus dead is clear. He claimed to be the divine Son of God. This can be seen from the synoptics and more explicitly in the gospel of John. I know how our Muslim friends feel about the gospel of John so I will make the case from the synoptics first.
During Jesus’ trial, He is asked several questions which He does not answer, until they ask Him,
“Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?”
And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.”
(Mark 14:60–64)- Emphasis mine.
The “Son of Man” title refers to the divine figure in the book of Daniel who is equated with God and is given dominion over the whole earth.
“I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.”
(Daniel 7:13–14)
John’s gospel reads,
“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.”
(John 5:18)
The Jews explain in clear detail to Pilate why they wanted Jesus dead,
“The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”
(John 19:7)
Interestingly even Judaism is in agreement with the Bible on why Jesus was sentenced to death, The Jewish Talmud reads,
“On the eve of Passover, Jesus the Nazarene was hanged and a herald went forth before him forty days heralding, “Jesus the Nazarene is going forth to be stoned because he practiced sorcery and instigated and seduced Israel to idolatry. Whoever knows anything in defense may come and state it.” But since they did not find anything in his defense they hanged him on the eve of Passover.”
(Sahendrin 43a)
The Mishna here is stating that Jesus was hanged for “seducing Israel into idolatory”, i.e. worship of another God. Again, this is in line with the Christian claim that the charge against Him was blasphemy.
In the Quran however, it is very clear that Jesus’ message was that people ought to worship Allah, the one true God. He never put Himself out as God to be worshipped.
“[Jesus said], “And indeed, Allāh is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.”
(Surah 19:36)
“And [beware the Day] when Allāh will say, “O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as deities besides Allāh?’” He will say, “Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen.
I said not to them except what You commanded me — to worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.”
(Surah 5:116–117)
So Jesus did nothing but go about performing miracles and saying people should believe in one God, Allah. However, the Jews according to Islam still wanted to kill Him.
“And [for] their saying, “Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh.” And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.”
(Surah 4:157)
The big question is why they would want to kill somebody who has done nothing but say the most mundane thing that can ever be said to a Jew, “Believe in one God”, something that was already common knowledge and common belief among Jews. That would be as mundane as saying to an English man “Would you like a cup of tea?”.
What is it about the Islamic Jesus that would have flipped out the Jews to the point they would have wanted Him dead on a cross? In Christianity, Judaism and history, it is the fact He claimed to be divine, in Islam, which came 600 years later, He made no such claim, so what is it? Why did the Jews want Him dead?
