Expert: Brian Thompson - 4/8/2004

Question
Hello,

I was wondering,
 When Jesus was brought to Pilate for the capital punishment to be administered, the High Priests stated that in their religion they couldn't put anyone to death; but weren't they the ones who were planning to stone to death the adulteress? A friend of mine said the high priests were just lying because they wanted someone else to do their work and they knew that Jesus had a large following among the Jews so they didn't want to do it themselves. Is this so?
Thanks for your help."
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Answer
Hi Enit

The Jesus couldn't put anyone to death because the Romans wouldn't allow them to. In taking Him to the Romans they were being sly in allowing Pilate to confirm their judgement. Jesus was a public figure and a public execution by the Jews would have drawn the attention of the Romans. The Jewish Law demanded the death of blasphemers.

It seems this same problem didn't exist a few years later at the stoning of Stephen, again not a public figure.

I have formed the impression that the attempt to stone the adulteress wasn't because she was convicted before the Council but because there was a lynch mob mentality and people taking the Law into their own hands. The woman wouldn't have been missed and how would the Romans find out who had killed her when she was found. Jesus was eventually subjected to this lynch mob mentality.