His Ministry
Jesus was a charismatic, first century cult leader who may've claimed Messiahhood. His "working-class-hero" propaganda was readily received by the lower classes and he became popular. Many of his sermons (like many current televangelists) encouraged people to divest themselves of all their money and "give to the poor"... who kept the poor bag? Could it be the Jesus cult? Read through some of his stuff with new eyes and the greed will turn your stomach! A rich man comes to him asking about how to be saved... Jesus then tells him that by works ye cannot be saved but only through believing in him.... Oh, wait he doesn't... he says to follow the Ten Commandments BUT to be perfect he should SELL EVERYTHING HE HAS AND GIVE IT TO THE POOR (The Jesus Cult). Jesus gives a parable about the beggar Lazarus: Lazarus goes to Abraham's Bosom because (he accepted Jesus? No..) he was afflicted in this life whereas the rich man goes to hell because (he rejected Jesus? No..) he DIDN'T help the poor. What a LOUSY salvation parable but a GREAT story to shake rich people down for their money while passing the hat. Wouldn't a REAL Messiah or Son of God use this opportunity to preach salvation and good living instead of going after the money of the rich?
Some anti wealth sermons Jesus used to shake people down for their money:
Matt. 6:19-21, 24; Mark 8:34-36; Matt. 19:23-24; Luke 18:24-25; Luke 6:24-25; Luke 12:16-21; Luke 12:16-21; Luke 12:33
Some "Don't worry give me your money and God will provide" sermons so people won't worry about giving up their money:
Matt 6:25, 31-34; Matt. 13:45-46; Matt: 19:21; Luke18:22; Luke 11:10-13; Matt. 7:7-11; John 6:35.
Doesn't that parable of the widow's mite just get to you? Jesus was HAPPY with the widow giving more than she could afford and of course she will be rewarded in heaven.. blah blah blah
When you read the NT with new eyes you find that Jesus is absolutely obssessed with two things: NOT God and Salvation but wealth and evangelism. In this way Jesus was your typical conman/cult leader.
Jesus' Poverty
Jesus behaved like a cult leader again in denying his disciples property and belongings but not himself. Like Koresh and some other current cults Jesus would have his disciples sell everything they had and give it up to the cult... oh the poor. Luke 14:33
Jesus had a house and could afford to feed large groups of people:
Mark 2:14-15; Matt 9:9-10; John 1:38-39.
He was descibed as a glutton and drunkard by his enemies which may've had some merit.
Matt 11:18-19; Luke 7:34
His garments weren't simple robes as you see in movies:
John 19:23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom;
Jesus' Supporters and Detractors
Who supported Jesus? The illiterate, unwashed, working-class masses that believed what they were told. These are the necessary "True Believers" of every cult, people in a crisis whisked away to a comforting delusion and completely immune to reason. These people knew little or nothing of the Torah and were only too happy to put those rich, know-it-all priests in their place.
Who opposed Jesus? The literate Jewish priesthood who were familiar with the scriptures and thereby KNEW that this cult leader was no Messiah. The Messiah would be preceded by Elijah and then come in glory to bring all of Israel back to the land of their ancestors, judge the gentiles and then sit on a throne that will reach from sea to sea. Jesus isn't even in the ballpark, not even in the state that the ballpark resides at.
Where do Christians reside on this issue? Christians will prattle on about how the Jews at the time were too "prideful" to see that Jesus was the Messiah but, in fact, no Christian would've either. Christians dismiss wanna-be Messiahs because they DON'T come in power and glory with the angels in heaven and yet this was exactly the mindset of the Jews during the time of Christ. Christians don't allow Messiah wanna-bes to completely reinterpret the Bible to somehow shoehorn themselves into prophecies - yet this is how the Jews felt at the time. Christians see the followers of Moon and Meier as ignorant and naive - having no knowledge of the Bible so they can be fooled by Bible twisting conmen and they see themselves as knowing the Bible too well to be conned by these 'messiahs.' Surprise - that's what the Jews at the time thought as well! The followers of Jesus knew next to nothing about the Torah and were easily influenced by this cult leader. Reverend Moon and Joseph Smith similarly twist(ed) scriptures to somehow try to reflect their ministries but mainstream Christians shun these men immediately as charlatans.
Decline, Death and Burial of Jesus
Let's imagine Israelis during the time of Jesus. They were watching a real cult taking hold. The cult leader is making stupid, outrageous claims that only the superstitious, illiterates of the time believed. They hope that it'll go away but the message of the virtuous poor is taking hold and he is being acclaimed as a Messiah by every tramp and drunk that stumbles by. The literate know that if he was the Messiah he would have to come with great power and glory preceded by a REAL Elijah yet most countrymen are ignorant illiterates and are starting to tell fanciful stories of healings and miracles. The cult is absolutely vicious demanding that its followers hate their parents and even their spouces if they do not want the potential cultist to join. The leader keeps his cultists busy with tasks and evangelism while he indulges in things like having his feet washed in oil by a woman. The natural reaction is to STOP IT! I'm certain that a number of families were pressuring the priests as loved ones would get whisked away into this cult. The priests hated it. The Romans would hate it since the Messiah was supposed to be an Israeli leader who would lead a rebellion against Rome. Maybe the Romans wanted to do something about Jesus but were afraid of retribution from the Jews if they did. Maybe the priests complained to Rome and once the Romans discovered that the Jewish leadership wouldn't back Jesus, they hesitated about 3 nanoseconds to get rid of this potential Gentile Killing Messiah. Wouldn't cult-leader Jesus have renounced his ways? Who knows - according to the Gospels his answers were weasely "You say that I am." (Christians try to make it sound like he makes an emphatic yes but that's not true.) Like all cult leaders he weasels his words to try to be innocent and yet Messiah at the same time. Pilate, sick of this Greek style double-talk sarcastically remarks "What is truth." and executes him. His followers scatter and he is disposed of. Like Jehovah's witnesses after the FAILED 2nd coming the cult changes theologies and goes on.
The Resurrection?
What happened to Jesus' body after he was executed? There are two good theories.
Burial
Jesus may've been buried in a common grave with the whole 'tomb' story coming much later. Evidence for this is found in the letters of Paul. Paul never makes mention of Jesus being laid in a tomb but instead says three times that he was BURIED.
Qapto: (Buried) 1 Cor
Sunquapto (Buried with): Ro 6:4, Col 2:12
This is used throughout the New Testament to refer to people actually being buried - not laid in a tomb:
Mt 8:21, Mt 8:22, Mt 14:12, Lu 9:59, Lu 9:60, Lu 16:22, Ac 5:6, Ac 5:9, Ac 5:10
Acts 2:29 is the only verse stating that someone was buried and a tomb was there to look at. Tomb here may mean some sort of memorial like a headstone. Note that it doesn't say buried (Qapto) in a tomb (Mnema) but that he was buried and there is a tomb (Mnema - tomb or any kind of postmortem memorial) to look at.
Every other reference to being entombed uses the term: Tiqemi: (Laid in)
Mat 27:60, Mr 6:29, Mr 15:46, Lu 23:53, Joh 19:42, Ac 7:16, Ac 13:29.
I don't see it as insignificant that none of the Gospels use the term Qapto with reference to Jesus' internment whereas the epistles ONLY use the term Qapto and never reference a tomb. The story of an empty tomb - like the story of Lazarus (only found in John) may've come later.
Temporary Entombment
Another logical option is that a Jewish leader, maybe Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea wanted to take Jesus and the others down from the crosses in accordance with Deuteronomy 21:22-23.
22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree; 23 his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt surely bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is accursed of God; that thou defile not thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Also John 19:31
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross upon the sabbath (for the day of that sabbath was a high [day]), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away.
There is no reason to believe that Joseph or Nicodemus were secret disciples. Not only are they barely ever mentioned but Acts 13:29 tells us that Jesus was buried by enemies:
Acts 13:28 They found no just cause to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. 29 "When they had fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his death, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb.
So let's say Joseph really existed. He placed Jesus and the thieves (more probably insurrectionists - Rome didn't crucify thieves) in his tomb to be buried later. The disciples hear about this but when they get to the tomb they find that Joseph has buried the criminals somewhere else in unmarked graves. Joseph has no interest in the grave turning into a sacred memorial so he won't tell the disciples where Jesus is buried. The rumor gets started that the Jews won't say where he's buried because he had risen from the grave and then later we get the story about Jesus rising from the tomb.
Why didn't they show Jesus' body to the disciples?
I personally believe that the resurrection story begins years, maybe decades after Jesus' death so there is no chance that a corpse could've been used as evidence. Let's say, however, that the Christian account is correct - the Christians still don't speak about Jesus' resurrection until weeks after his death. Weeks in a grave will denegrate a corpse to the point where it is simply unidentifiable. Realize that the Jews at the time saw the Jesus sect as a bizarre little cult and probably had as little incentive to argue with a Christian as a modern Christian has to argue with a Moonie - much less, shove a decaying corpse in his face and claim that it is his Messiah.