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Rising Voices of Mutiny
It would not be unfair to say that the teachings and methods of Jesus were like a revolution within the prevalent traditions of Judaism. Moreover, many of the common people of his time were dissatisfied with the rigid practices and dogma of some of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Many were disgruntled by the injustices of a system that seemed to have become corrupt. There was great resentment toward some of the rabbis and scholars who paraded their righteousness in front of others, and claimed that outer conformity to their interpretation of the purity laws was of greater value than the attitude of a person's heart.
To be certain, the teachings of Jesus, which contained messages of love, peace and equality, were greatly savored by the common man. However, the Roman rulers and some of the Jewish priests found many of these teachings to be too threatening to their own selfish ends. For this reason, they viewed Jesus as the rival.
Jesus himself was repelled by the arrogance he saw in many of his fellow Jews. He was pained by the greed and materialism that had come to pervade the ritualistic sacrificial system of the Temple, and he was deeply offended by the practices of animal slaughter that had come to define worship. He publicly
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