The Pharisees wanted to keep Judaism alive by strictly following the Mosaic Law, especially its holiness code. The fourth group resorted to armed rebellion. Jesus introduced a fifth alternative. The only group that Jesus did favor was the Pharisees, but the Pharisees were mainly concerned with Yahweh's holiness while Jesus stressed Yahweh's compassion. The Pharisees" concern with Yahweh's holiness led to a division of the people into social classes like the clean and the unclean, the sacred and profane, and the righteous and sinner. The issue to Jesus was not God's compassion, but it was whether the separation that the holiness code instituted was compassionate. Jesus protested on behalf of his belief, which led to his arrest and execution on charges of treason.
The article points out that there is a difference between the historical Jesus and the Jesus that the Christians followed and soon believed to be the human form of God. His disciples knew him as an all around good person as Peter had said, "He went about doing good." They have seen him counseling and healing ordinary people and misfits alike. It was not only the actual works of Jesus that made his followers perceive him differently, but it was also his language and sayings. The urgency and intensity of his language is what makes it fascinating. "If your hand offends you, cut it off. If your eye stands between you and the best, gouge it out." Jesus" language does not say much, but his teachings say a lot which is the reason why they have been repeated throughout history. Some of those teachings include, "Love your neighbor as yourself. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." The final factor that made the disciples and followers of Jesus decide that he was divine was the person they found him to be. They say that Jesus practiced what he preached. He lived his life in humility and total selflessness.