No, people didn’t turn against Jesus because He had done something criminal — not at all. Even Pilate, the Roman governor, declared, “I find no basis for a charge against him” (John 19:4). But in spite of Pilate’s conviction that Jesus was innocent, he gave in to the pressure of the crowd and ordered his soldiers to crucify Him.

Why did people turn against Jesus? Some wanted Him to become a king and lead a rebellion against Rome — and when He refused to do this, they were disappointed and turned against Him. Others were jealous of His popularity among the common people, and were afraid they might lose their positions as a result. Still others were content with their lives, and were afraid Jesus might make them change the way they were living.

But behind these was a deeper reason: Satan was doing all he could to defeat Jesus’ work. He knew Jesus had come from heaven for one purpose: to overcome Satan’s power over us and bring us back to God. Whether they realized it or not, those who opposed Jesus became tools in Satan’s hands, as he attempted to defeat God’s plan to save us.

But he didn’t succeed — because Jesus’ death was not the end! By the power of God, He triumphed over death — and because of that, we don’t need to fear death or Hell or Satan any longer. The Bible says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). Make sure you’re on the winning side, by giving your life to Jesus Christ today.