Jesus and the Detractors

"His critics had painted themselves into a corner. Once you label what is in fact the work of the Holy Spirit as the work of the devil, there's no way back. It's like holding a conspiracy theory: all the evidence you see will simply confirm your belief. You will be blind to the truth. It isn't that God gets particularly angry with one sin in particular. It's rather that if you decide firmly that the doctor who is offering to perform a life-saving operation on you is in fact a sadistic murderer, you will never give consent to the operation. 

There is no middle way for the world today as for Israel then. Jesus isn't just a 'mildly interesting historical figure,' as some in today's world would like him to be (another label, please note, designed to neutralize Jesus and keep him out of harm's way). He is either the one who brought God's kingdom, or a dangerous madman." —N.T. Wright, Mark for Everyone, 38.