What did the Jews in Jesus' day want?

The Jews in Jesus' day wanted the King and the Kingdom, and they wanted the Romans thrown out. They desired national deliverance and the promised kingdom, but they did not want to deal with the sin problem, which was their whole problem.

Les explains that during His earthly ministry, Jesus initially approached only the Jew because it was covenant ground. The Abrahamic covenant promised a nation, a land, a government, a King, and a Redeemer to solve the sin problem. The Jews of Jesus' day wanted the King and the Kingdom and wanted the Romans thrown out, but they did not want to deal with the sin problem, which was too close to home.

What did the Jews of Jesus' day want instead of dealing with sin?

They wanted the promised King and Kingdom, including deliverance from Roman rule, instead of facing the need for redemption from sin. Thus their expectation centered on political and national restoration, while the sin problem felt too personal and was avoided.