The traditional reason for the crucifixion of Jesus is that Jesus died for our sins.

Certainly, there are many references in the scriptures to support this core Christian teaching.

100 Bible Verses about Jesus Dying On The Cross For Our Sins

A partial theology for the need to have Jesus crucified.

Pelagius and Augustine were two of the first figures in early Christianity to debate the nature of the human will after the fall of Adam and Eve and the nature of the grace needed to allow humans to exercise faith. The Battle of the Will, Part 1: Pelagius and Augustine – The Gospel Coalition

“It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.” C. S. Lewis

A further explanation for the crucifixion.

The atonement or satisfaction theory of redemption was further articulated and explained by Anselm of Canterbury in the 10th century. According to this theory, which was based on the feudal structure of society, an offender was required to make recompense to the one offended but according to that person’s status.

Thus, a crime against a king would require more satisfaction than a crime against those of lesser status. According to this way of thinking, humans could never to anything to appease an almighty God. Only death would suffice. Thus redemption was only accomplished by someone who was equal to God but in human form. (The idea of the “scapegoat” come to mind. It is believed that the “scapegoat” was first coined in the 16th century to describe the ritual animals that the Jewish community placed their sins onto in preparation for Yom Kippur.) Satisfaction theory of atonement – Wikipedia

Another interpretation of the crucifixion

“In the thirteenth century, the Franciscans and the Dominicans invariably took opposing positions in the great debates in the universities of Paris, Cologne, Bologna, and Oxford. Both opinions usually passed the tests of orthodoxy, although one was preferred.” 

“Thomas Aquinas and the Dominicans agreed with Anselm’s (by then mainline) view that a debt had to be paid for human salvation. But Franciscan John Duns Scotus (c. 1266-1308) said that Jesus wasn’t solving any problems by coming to earth and dying. God did not need Jesus to die on the cross to decide to love humanity. God’s love was infinite from the first moment of creation; the cross was Love’s dramatic portrayal in space and time. That, in a word, was the Franciscan nonviolent at-one-ment theory.”

“Duns Scotus built his argument on the pre-existent Cosmic Christ described in Colossians and Ephesians. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) who came forward in a moment of time so we could look upon “the One we had pierced” (John 19:37) and see God’s unconditional love for us, in spite of our failings.”

“The image of the cross was to change humanity, not a necessary transaction to change God—as if God needed changing! Duns Scotus concluded that Jesus’ death was not a substitution but a divine epiphany for all to see. Jesus was pure gift. The idea of gift is much more transformative than necessity, payment, or transaction. It shows that God is not violent, but loving. It is we who are violent.“

“Duns Scotus firmly believed that God’s freedom had to be maintained at all costs. If God “needed” or demanded a blood sacrifice to love God’s own creation, then God was not freely loving us. For the Franciscan school, Jesus was not changing God’s mind about us; he was changing our minds about God. If God and Jesus are not violent or vindictive, then our excuse for the same is forever taken away from us. If God is punitive and torturing, then we have permission to do the same. Thus grew much of the church’s violent history.”

“Jesus’ full journey revealed two major things: that salvation could have a positive and optimistic storyline, neither beginning nor ending with a cosmic problem; and that God was far different and far better than religion up to then had demonstrated. Jesus personally walked through the full human journey of both failure and rejection—while still forgiving his enemies—and then he said, “Follow me” and do likewise (see John 12:26; Matthew 10:38). The cross was not necessary, but a pure gift so that humanity could witness God’s out flowing Love in dramatic form.” Reference:
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Dancing Standing Still: Healing the World from a Place of Prayer (Paulist Press: 2014), 70-73.

It’s my opinion and that of some scripture scholars, is that Jesus was crucified by the Romans for sedition based upon his remarks about the Kingdom of God. Caesar was regarded as “god” and King of the Romans.

Any threat to his “Kingship” or rule over the Empire was met with jail resulting in crucifixion or some other form of torture and death.

“Jesus’ death was seen by Jesus himself … as the ultimate means by which God’s kingdom was established. The crucifixion was the shocking answer to the prayer that God’s kingdom would come on earth as in heaven.” N. T. Wright

From the gospels

As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

Pilate questioned him,“Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so”.The chief priests accused him of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.”

The Sentence of Death

Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them one prisoner whom they requested

A man called Barabbas was then in prison along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.

The crowd came forward and began to ask him to do for them as he was accustomed.Pilate answered, “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed him over.But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead.

Pilate again said to them in reply, “Then what [do you want] me to do with [the man you call] the king of the Jews?”

They shouted again, “Crucify him. Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”

“Jesus’ death by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate is as sure as anything historical can ever be. For if no follower of Jesus had written anything for one hundred years after his crucifixition, we would still know about him from two authors not among his supporters. Their names are Flavius Josephus and Cornelius Tacitus.” John Dominic Crossan

Jesus death- sacrifice “make death sacred”- martyr  give up your life for resistance against Roman imperialism- “capitalism”

“At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good, and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship.” Josephus

Crucifixion was considered a brutal way to die. Some scholars claim the Assyrians and Babylonians, and Persians used it in the 6th century BCE

Alexander the Great was responsible for introducing it to Mediterranean countries in the 4th century BCE, and the Phoenicians introduced it to Rome in the 3rd century BCE.

The Romans used crucifixion until it was abolished by Constantine I in the 4th century CE. Crucifixion in Roman times was applied mostly to slaves, disgraced soldiers, and those leading or suggestion sedition.

Death, usually after 6 hours–4 days, was due to many physical factors, but progressive asphyxia caused by impairment of respiratory movement was the most common reason.

The Roman guards could only leave the site after the victim had died, and were known to precipitate death by means of deliberate fracturing of the tibia and/or fibula, spear stab wounds into the heart, sharp blows to the front of the chest, or a smoking fire built at the foot of the cross to the victim. For more go to: history and pathology of crucifixion

It is a crime to put a Roman citizen in chains, it is an enormity to flog one, sheer murder to slay one: what, then, shall I say of crucifixion? It is impossible to find the word for such an abomination. Marcus Tullius Cicero

There is much more that can be presented about the crucifixion of Jesus. Here are a few for your study, reflection, and further understanding. This is certainly not an exhaustive list but one that might provide some different perspectives about a core doctrine of Christianity and Catholicism in particular. For a modest bibliography that might address other concerns about Jesus, check the Bibliography for Seekers tab at the top of this page

Why Did Pontius Pilate Have Jesus Executed?

The Time of the Crucifixion: Chronological Issues in the Gospels

Passion Narratives:The Four Gospel Accounts of the Crucifixion of Jesus

A Comparison of the Gospel Passion Narratives

For your reflection, meditation and contemplation

“Lord, help us to see in your crucifixion and resurrection an example of how to endure and seemingly to die in the agony and conflict of daily life, so that we may live more fully and creatively. You accepted patiently and humbly the rebuffs of human life, as well as the torture of the cross. Help us to accept the pains and conflicts that come to us each day as opportunity to grow as people and become more like you-make us realize that it is only by frequent deaths of ourselves, and our self-centered desires that we can come to live more fully, only by dying with you that we can rise with you.” Mother Teresa

“Stoning prophets and erecting churches to their memory afterwards has been the way of the world through the ages. Today we worship Christ, but the Christ in the flesh we crucified.” Mahatma Gandhi

“The earthly form of Christ is the form that died on the cross. The image of God is the image of Christ crucified. It is to this image that the life of the disciples must be conformed; in other words, they must be conformed to his death (Phil 3.10, Rom 6.4) The Christian life is a life of crucifixion (Gal 2.19) In baptism the form of Christ’s death is impressed upon his own. They are dead to the flesh and to sin, they are dead to the world, and the world is dead to them (Gal 6.14). Anybody living in the strength of Christ’s baptism lives in the strength of Christ’s death.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“This is the crucifixion of Christ: in which He dies again and again in the individuals who were made to share the joy and freedom of His grace, and who deny Him.” Thomas Merton

“. . . an absurd problem came to the surface: ‘How COULD God permit that (crucifixion of Jesus Christ)!’ . . . the deranged reason of the little community found quite a frightfully absurd answer: God gave his Son for forgiveness, as a SACRIFICE . . . The SACRIFICE FOR GUILT, and just in its most repugnant and barbarous form – the sacrifice of the innocent for the sins of the guilty! What horrifying heathenism!” Friedrich Nietzsche

“The utter failure came at the Crucifixion in the tragic words, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ If you want to understand the full tragedy of those words you must realize what they meant: Christ saw that his whole life, devoted to the truth according to his best conviction, had been a terrible illusion. He had lived it to the full absolutely sincerely, he had made his honest experiment, but it was nevertheless a compensation. On the cross his mission deserted him. But because he had lived so fully and devotedly he won through to the Resurrection body.” Carl Jung