For the Twelve, however, the death of Jesus was not something to be glossed over, because it had saving power. In Judaism, a martyr was said to have died for the “sins” of Israel. This did not mean the personal faults of individual Israelites but the failure of the people as a whole to observe the divine commandments and carry out their social responsibilities—failings that God had punished with political catastrophe. His readiness to die for these principles
