He had no problem with a foreign occupation that oppressed his people and paying taxes to the occupier without protest, he insisted on upholding "righteousness" at the expense of supporting the need for even the indigent to engage in Temple sacrifice, he had no problems making friends with tax collectors ("tax farmers" in those days) and with the wealthy. He didn't argue that the powers that be shouldn't be those in power, but that they shouldn't be hypocritical and arrogant, always saying how good they were and how bad the people they didn't like were.
He not only had no problem with taxes imposed by the Romans but also said that even paying the standard local 10% flat tax on things like herbs was something that should be done. And while he was generally sympathetic to those of a different ethnicity, he also drew a sharp line between his people and others.
Cleansing the Temple was to support the law in spite of the fact that the small businesses at the Temple did a much needed service (albeit at a profit)--you needed animals for sacrifice if you were out of town, and you needed to pay what amounted to a poll tax in the right currency. Much easier to do your business there if you were a stranger than to tramp all over town to find a lamb or pigeon and to get your drachmas converted to shekels. The Temple probably got a cut of the profit and allowed the businesses there. Since Israel was a kind of theocracy, this was the closest they had to a business tax. He ended it. For a day or two.
He called on individuals to help others.
Although perhaps the worst is saying that the meek will be blessed, in addition to those poor in spirit and those who hunger for righteousness. Meek isn't a virtue these days, it's a character flaw; being "poor in spirit" will get you a psychiatrist or a bunch of self-help books; and righteousness is just an out-dated concept. Oddly, there's not much in ther Sermon on the Mount that talks about dealing with others except to be merciful and peacemakers. Been humble and merciful enough to make peace with somebody with opposite political views this Thanksgiving?
Not hard to make somebody who's portrayed in such a complex way into a 20th century caricature--just turn on the cognitive filter to remove the unwanted noise from the message. (And if that doesn't work, upgrade to MS-Confirmation Bias 2.0. Yeah, it's considered malware by some, but it's an integral part of the standard-issued Human OS.)
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Holy smoke!!
