Because he forgave the “duly convicted” crucified thieves and whipped the unconvicted bankers from the temple;
Because with stinging words he lashed the whited sepulchres called “the very best people”;
Because he was so fine and great he promptly became extremely unpopular with coarse and savage little “prominent people”;
Because he was so gentle and terrible that the noisy and cruel “law-abiding leading citizens” in their swaggering ignorance and malignance decided he was an anarchist and proceeded to shut off his free speech;
Because he was neither narrow enough to be national nor ignorant enough to be orthodox;
Because on the last morning of his life be so proudly despised the official political bull-pups who teased him and insulted him—and could not understand him;
Because, on the same morning, he so finely scorned the bigoted little orthodox holy bullies who hindered him and wolfishly screamed for the Carpenter’s blood;
Because children charmed him;
Because the humble “common people” swarmed around him and loved him—in spite of their pious and orthodox “spiritual advisers”;
Because he scorned the “dignity” of some men and saw the Dignity of Man;