The following was written by a friend of mine:
Sometimes Jesus is referred to as a rebel because of the things He opposed in His society, but He was not a rebel. He never marched against the government, or tried to overthrow the pattern of Jewish worship. He went to the synagogue, and told the people to do what the priests told them. What He opposed was the hypocrisy he found in people when they professed to be faithful to God and yet did things that hurt God’s people. Jesus sought to open hearts to the depth of love God had for them, but could become quite angry when they intentionally blocked that love. He would go against the taboos of His time by talking to women, touching lepers, doing good works on the Sabbath, and eating with tax collectors. He would shock the teachers by forgiving sins, something they knew only God could do. He did not try to overthrow anything in His world, but to change that world, and ours, by living the love of God for all people.