Why did Jesus make so many enemies?
First there were the Roman occupying forces in Judea. They wanted the population to keep quiet and pay its taxes. Not only were new religious movements likely to cause political disturbances, but most were nationalistic and violently opposed to the rule of pagans. The coming Messiah was expected (by Jews) to cast out the Romans and make the nation great and glorious again. Naturally Rome would come down hard on any such goings on. Then there was the Jewish royal government. They were puppets appointed by Rome, and so opposed anyone whom Rome opposed. The Jewish religious establishment was in the hands of a group called the Sadducees, who had a great deal of power and wealth, and therefore their interest was in maintaining the status quo. It is not surprising that all these interests opposed what they thought Jesus stood for – and it’s also not surprising that Jesus had little respect for or interest in them. More surprising is that Jesus clashed with the Pharisees, because, like them,
