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.
Les explains that Jesus' early ministry was confined to the lost sheep of the house of Israel because this was covenant ground. The Abrahamic covenant promised a nation, land, and government under the King, but it also required a Redeemer to solve the sin problem. Old Testament prophecy ran on parallel lines: the coming King and Kingdom, and the coming suffering Savior. The Jews of Jesus' day wanted the King and Kingdom and wanted the Romans thrown out, but they did not want to deal with the sin problem because it got too close to home. That was their whole problem.