The hatred and discomfort leading to rejection of Jesus is really such an interesting phenomenon to think about. He wasn't cruel to people; he wasn't killing or torturing, but was scarier to some than those who are that brutal. You see that now too, and I think part of the fear is that we all hate to be exposed. People clothe themselves in false righteousness and hide their sin. Sometimes they aren't even aware of or acknowledging their sin. Well, when some kind of "light" comes and exposes that sin, it's a very uncomfortable thing. It's also uncomfortable knowing others see it as it has been exposed. As a mom, one of my most frequent prayers for my kids has been to ask the Lord to bring their sin to light in their hearts and to make them very uncomfortable with it.
I think it's very cool to read about Jesus going from place to place and not being arrested as he had been ordered to be. First of all, in God's sovereign plan which won't be thwarted, it was not his time yet. Also, the people were in awe because noone had spoken the way he was speaking. The fact that the pharisees and those so familiar with the law didn't believe Jesus was who he said he was, but those who weren't so versed in the law did, is certainly something we can also see in this day and age. The self righteousness and judgemental attitude of "christians" can definitely cause blinders to the truth. You have to be freed of self for the truth to be received.