text: The Romans executed Jesus for treason against the state.  To declare oneself the messiah, as it was understood among the Jews in Palestine at that time, was to present oneself as an heir to indigenous rule and in opposition to Roman rule.  Jesus' ministry was, in essence, in complete opposition to the Roman empire.  (Which is why the Gospel of John had to be manufactured at a later date than the Synoptic Gospels, to make Jesus less of a threat and more palatable to Roman audiences.)