Deuteronomy 13:16

[Coder]

In an earlier post I explained that it wasn’t to be taken literally by the people it was written for (the Jews in exile)

Yes, I see now, thank you kindly.

Now that’s a great point. Many (called Zealots) expected Jesus to lead a violent revolt to expell the Roman invaders. As you can see-- this had some Scriptoral precedent for the orthodox Jew, so your hypothesis has some merit, yes!

To clarify (in case you missed my point) I was referring to the false/errant claim by some that Jesus was leading people astray. Perhaps teachings regarding the dangers of being led astray were strong in people’s minds and perhaps they sometimes also interpreted Scriptures like Deuteronomy 13:16 too literally. (It seems plausible that similar to today, there were people then who misinterpreted Scripture.) Such an accusation may have allowed those who sought the crucifixion of Jesus to either gain support among or encounter little resistance from the people.
Luke 23:2
usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke23.htm