127.  The popular enthusiasm was not indifferent to the question who this new teacher might be.  At first Jesus impressed the people by his authoritative teaching and cures.  After the raising of the widow’s son at Nain the popular feeling found a more definite declaration,—­“a great prophet has risen up among us.”  The cure of a demoniac in Capernaum raised the further incredulous query, “Can this be the Son of David?” The notion that he might be the Messiah seems to have gained acceptance more and more as Jesus’ popularity grew, for at the time of the feeding of the multitudes the enthusiasm burst into a flame of determination to force him to undertake the work for which he was so eminently fitted, but from which for some inexplicable reason he seemed to shrink (John vi. 15).

128.  Parallel with the growth of popular enthusiasm, and in part because of it, the religious leaders early assumed and consistently maintained an attitude of opposition.  The gospels connect the critics of Jesus now and again with the Pharisees of the capital—­the Galilean Pharisees being represented as more or less friendly.  At the first appearance of Jesus in Capernaum even the Sabbath cure in the synagogue passed unchallenged; but on the return from his first excursion to other towns, Jesus found critics in his audience (Luke connects them directly with Jerusalem).  From time to time such censors as these objected to the forgiveness by Jesus of the sins of the paralytic (Mark ii. 6, 7), criticised his social relations with outcasts like the publicans (Mark ii. 16), took offence at his carelessness of the Sabbath tradition in his instruction of his disciples (Mark ii. 24), and sought to turn the tide of rising popular enthusiasm by ascribing his power to cure to a league with the devil (Mark iii. 22).  Baffled in one charge, they would turn to another, until, after the feeding of the multitudes, Jesus showed his complete disregard of all they held most dear, replying to a criticism of his disciples for carelessness of the ritual of hand-washing by an authoritative setting aside of the whole body of their traditions, as well as of the Levitical ceremonial of clean and unclean meats (Mark vii. 1-23).

129.  The wonder is, not that popular enthusiasm for Jesus was great, but that it was so hesitating in its judgment about him.  The province which provided a following to Judas of Galilee a generation earlier than the public ministry of Jesus, and which under John of Gischala furnished the chief support to the revolt against Rome a generation later, could have been excited to uncontrollable passion by the simple idea that a leader was present who could be made to head a movement for Jewish liberty.  But there was something about Jesus which made it impossible to think of him as such a Messiah.  He was much more moved by sin lurking within than by wrong inflicted from without.  He looked for God’s kingdom, as did the Zealots, but he looked for it within the