Why didn't Jesus' preaching and miracles convince more Jews to follow him?

Why didn't Jesus' preaching and miracles convince more Jews to follow him?

Full Question

Why didn't Jesus' preaching and miracles convince more Jews to follow him? It seems that he should have been more successful in influencing them.

Answer

It is a mistake to believe that Jesus wasn't successful in influencing people to believe in him. The Pharisees and chief priests who had him arrested and killed testify otherwise. When Jesus entered triumphantly into Jerusalem, the Pharisees exclaimed, "Look, the whole world has gone after him" (Jn 12:19). When the chief priests and scribes were plotting a way to arrest and kill Jesus, they said, "Not during the festival [Passover], for fear that there may be a riot among the people" (Mk 14:2). The plotting and arrest were done at night for fear that the people would revolt. He was seized in Jerusalem where he had come for only a few short visits; most of his preaching and miracles were done in Galilee. The original Jewish converts lost their Jewish identity once they intermingled with Gentile Christians. This, along with the fact that modern Jews are descendants of those who rejected Jesus, gives us the mistaken notion that few were influenced by him 2,000 years ago.

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff