We know that the answer to that question is “Jesus did nothing wrong?” But not everyone would agree. Those who don’t accept Jesus have their own criticism of Jesus to justify to themselves why they are not His followers. But in the world today, the number of members of the Catholic Chuch cited in the public press at the time when Pope Francis was elected was one billion two hundred million (1,200,000,000). If the other Christians who accept Christ are added to that figure, then we have a fantastic number of followers of Jesus. As the saying goes, “He must have done something right to have succeeded so admirably.”
To go back to our original question, we can imagine some of today’s organizers of political campaigns, for instance, who would not agree with how Jesus campaigned in promoting the Kingdom of God in the Holy Land.
For them, Jesus should have allied Himself with the civic leaders of His day in order to gain their support. If He had done so then when He travelled from town to town He would be accompanied with an impressive group of supporters. Instead He was accompanied by a motley group of ‘no-namers’ like uneducated fisherman and women who had no political prestige in the society of those times. And when Jesus arrived in a town, He should have been met by the local civic leaders and welcomed to stay while there at the home of a highly respected man. As it was Jesus had “no place to lay his head.” Why would anyone be impressed with what He said if He had not gained the support of those in the community to whom most looked up to for leadership?
Also, scouts should have prepared in advance the towns to be toured so He would be expected and welcomed. In addition, there should have been some people scheduled to ask prepared questions that would give Jesus an opportunity to speak about the topics most likely to win followers.
I think that it is obvious that the point we are making is that applying today’s techniques and understanding of how to campaign for supporters could fit today’s society. But projecting that strategy to the distant past for an entirely different milieu, does not make for a valid comparison or evaluation of what should have been done then.
If one bases one’s acceptance of Jesus by using today’s yardstick of what He should have done, the conclusion is bound to be at odds with what He did then. To make an honest and valid evaluation, one should take into consideration the culture that Jesus faced. To mention only one vital characteristic, Jesus lived in a society that was steeped in the religious beliefs and practices that had been passed down through many generations. Whatever He taught and recommended would be evaluated by His audience in the light of what they already understood and accepted as what God expected from them.
Our conclusion is that if Jesus is not accepted today by someone, then it could be due to a misunderstanding of what Jesus said and did that was meant for the audience of His day. An honest effort to clear up the misunderstanding should result in accepting the truth that Jesus did nothing wrong. An honest effort includes asking God’s help for enlightenment.