Killing Jesus explores how the legacies of key figures—particularly Jesus, Judas, and leaders like Pontius Pilate and Caiaphas—have been shaped and redefined by the perspectives of those around them and those who come after them. As events unfold, these figures are in constant flux, until the climactic events of Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion cement their roles in a narrative that will long outlive them.

During his lifetime, Jesus was just one of many charismatic teachers and healers who arose in response to the increasingly repressive climate of Roman-occupied Judea. Such teachers competed for influence and often evinced radically different understandings of religious law and the relationship between religion and the state. Even Jesus’s disciples disagree about his exact role and significance.

His entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated by crowds waving palm branches, positions him as the prophesied Messiah, a figure with both religious and political significance. However, as Jesus consistently rejects the people’s expectations of a Davidic or Mosaic warrior-king, his followers struggle to understand his true mission. Judas, for example, initially sees Jesus as a political leader who will lead a rebellion against the Roman occupiers and turns against his teacher when he realizes that Jesus is not interested in political power.

Only Jesus himself—as presented in this text—has the foresight to understand how his life will end and how it will be interpreted after the fact. Jesus’s prescience, in fact, is presented as the first truly convincing evidence of his status as the Messiah. Even more than the resurrection itself, it is Jesus’s foreknowledge of his death and resurrection that grants him messianic status, in that it elevates him above the ordinary people who can understand events only in hindsight. Jesus’s eventual crucifixion appears at first to be a moment of defeat, especially for those who hoped he would overthrow the Roman oppressors. Yet, the disappearance of his body—the event that concludes the book—sparks the beginning of his transformation into a figure of divine significance, whose death is interpreted as a sacrifice for humanity’s redemption. Rather than one religious leader among many, Jesus becomes the cornerstone of a new religious movement.

Judas Iscariot, in his stubborn adherence to outmoded ways of thinking, acts as a foil to Jesus. Whereas Jesus has perfect foreknowledge not only of future events but also of how those events will take on meaning after the fact, Judas operates according to assumptions that are already becoming obsolete in the face of Jesus’s radical worldview. His first mistake is to follow Jesus for the sake of political power, becoming disillusioned when Jesus refuses to fulfill his expectations of a political rebellion against Rome. Judas then decides to betray Jesus, believing that this will force Jesus to reveal his divine power or prove him to be a false Messiah. Judas cannot imagine a Messiah who would willingly submit to the power of the Roman Empire and allow himself to be killed, and he thus commits an act of betrayal that forever associates his name with treachery.

Jesus, on the other hand, is changing what it means to wield authority, introducing an entirely new conception of the long-anticipated Messiah, and Judas’s failure to anticipate these changes leaves him forever on the wrong side of a rapidly solidifying narrative—remembered only for his act of betrayal rather than for any contributions he made as a disciple. Judas’s miscalculation illustrates how one pivotal action can overshadow an entire life, turning Judas into one of history’s most infamous villains.

Pontius Pilate also fails to anticipate how his actions will be perceived. In this version of the story, Pilate is portrayed as a reluctant participant in Jesus’s execution: He recognizes that Jesus’s execution poses a greater threat to Roman authority than Jesus himself does, and he is anxious to absolve himself of responsibility for the death. While Pilate ultimately gives in to the demands of the Jewish leaders and authorizes Jesus’s crucifixion, he first symbolically washes his hands to show that he takes no responsibility for what is about to happen. This attempt to escape the responsibility that comes with his office ultimately backfires. Despite his efforts to distance himself from the decision, Pilate is remembered as the Roman governor who condemned Jesus to die. His evolving reputation highlights how historical figures often cannot escape the consequences of their actions, even when they attempt to avoid direct involvement.

Caiaphas is similarly remembered primarily for his role in the crucifixion. Caiaphas views Jesus as a dangerous revolutionary whose growing influence threatens the delicate balance between the Jewish religious authorities and the Roman occupiers. His decision to push for Jesus’s execution is motivated by political necessity rather than theological conviction. Despite his intentions to preserve order, Caiaphas is historically remembered as a central antagonist in the narrative of Jesus’s death, his legacy tied to the unjust trial and execution of a figure who would later be regarded by many as the Son of God.