The Roman rulers of Judaea were concerned, because a Jew named Jesus had been traveling around and preaching in temples.
He attracted crowds so large that he had to preach outside sometimes. Some people were taking him seriously, and a group of disciples, or followers, began to travel with him. It wasn’t so much what Jesus said that bothered the Romans. It was what others were saying about him. Some called him the Messiah. For years, the Jews had been expecting a messiah, or savior, who would free them from Roman rule—and the Romans were not going to allow that. Not all Jews believed Jesus was the Messiah, however, so he became a source of conflict among the Jewish people.