Jesus has been turned into a cult figure, someone to be worshipped and adored. I'm sure this is not what he intended, his purpose was to remind people of Gods laws, and instruct them on the right way to live.
Rosie That's pretty obvious when you read up on the history of that region. Under Roman occupation, there was a lot of turmoil, with rebel groups springing up. There were also a lot of wandering preachers going around and gathering followers (pretty much like today's televangelists!). Jesus was one of these, but his teachings (as recorded) followed Jewish law and tradition; as far as can be determined, he had no intention of starting a different religion - it was Paul who did that. Paul never knew Jesus but took over his flock, eventually deciding to rebrand this particular sect to make it more appealing to gentiles - no circumcision was required to join, for example.
I wouldn't call people 'sheep' though, for following something that seems crazy to us. They're looking for certainty, security and community, a 'family' that will lavish love on them. All too often, they fail to find any of that comfort on the "real world" that the rest of us inhabit.
You might well ask "Why do these people stay in a cult that is harming them?" That's largely down to the type of thinking known as the Sunk Cost Fallacy - you've already sunk a huge amount of time, money and emotional energy into something, so that you cling on in the hope of getting something back; in the case of cults, that's the hope of getting rewarded in the afterlife. Also you can't bear admitting to yourself that you've been wrong all this time.