There were not only merchants in the Temple, but also wealthy leaders in politics, commerce, and law. They had several reasons for wanting to get rid of Jesus. He had damaged business in the Temple by driving the merchants out. In addition, He was preaching against injustice, and His teachings often favored the poor over the rich. Further more, His great popularity was in danger of attracting Rome’s attention, and the leaders of Israel wanted as little as possible to do with Rome.