Jesus was crucified by the Romans because some Jews claimed he called himself the "King" of the Hebrews and with Jerusalem under Roman control there could only be one king, the Roman Emperor. Jews weren't allowed to put anyone to death over what was a cultural issue, so they offered up the "He claims to be King" fallacy and that made it a state crime against Rome.

Those who made that false claim were Hebrew (Jewish) men of power in Jerusalem who saw the teachings of Jesus as a direct threat to their own financial income and the authority they held over other Jews.

Great story, thanks for sharing it!