Jesus Opposed From All Fronts

In verses 11:27-28 Mark describes this clash as follows. “They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus
was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him.
`By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked. `And who gave you authority to do this?’” It
is vital to notice that when Jesus returns to Jerusalem the next day, virtually the entire religious
establishment of Israel turns out to oppose him. Here, Mark mentions the chief priests (who conducted the worship in the temple), the teachers of the law (the religious lawyers and theologians) and then the
elders (the older wise men). In the next chapter, Mark (12:13) adds the Pharisees (the theological
conservatives, who believed in angels and the resurrection), the Herodians (those who sought to make a
political peace with Rome–as opposed to the zealots, who were seeking to bring about a Jewish
revolution), and then the Sadducees (the theological liberals who denied the resurrection and accepted
only the Torah, and not the prophets, as Scripture). Every known religious group and faction is mentioned. These men did not agree upon anything and they hated and mistrusted each other, but they are united in their opposition to Jesus.
By mentioning all these groups, Mark is making it as plain as he can that Jesus was opposed by the entire
Jewish religious establishment, and not just a few isolated groups.