Was Jesus popular or unpopular?

I guess you may think that the answer here is obvious. His ways and His teachings were unpopular but He was sure popular.

Do you remember a special page in your high school yearbooks called "The Popularity Page"? The idea is people get voted into categories such as: most likely to succeed, best smile and the list goes on. If  a popularity contest existed in the 1st century, would Jesus have been voted in for something or other? Perhaps, yes, perhaps, no. Regardless, He was, is, and will be the "Most Influential person in History."

Jesus had a unique power of attracting a crowd around Him. The circumstances which led to the mob or multitude varied from preaching on the mountaintop, to a simple stroll down the road, to the final trial and crucifixion. One would say, Jesus had the most number of friends and most number of enemies in 3 years of His ministry. He had no music to gather a crowd nor did He perform magic to attract people. Even the rich and affluent waited to see Jesus.

Perhaps, it is no exaggeration to claim that almost every person in the Jerusalem area has seen this influential person at least once. There was no mass media, no newsreels, no newspapers to make him popular but it was solely through the word of mouth.