The People Argue About Jesus

⁴⁰The people heard these things that Jesus said. Some of the people said, "This man really is the Prophet.*" ⁴¹Other people said, "He is the Christ.*" Other people said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee. ⁴²The Scripture* says that the Christ will come from the family of David.* And the Scripture says that the Christ will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived." ⁴³So the people did not agree with each other about Jesus. ⁴⁴Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus. But no person tried to do this.

The Jewish Leaders Refuse to Believe

⁴⁵The temple* police went back to the leading priests and the Pharisees.* The priests and the Pharisees asked, "Why did you not bring Jesus?" ⁴⁶The temple police answered, "The things he says are greater than the words of any man!" ⁴⁷The Pharisees* answered, "So Jesus has fooled you too! ⁴⁸Have any of the leaders believed in Jesus? No! Have any of us Pharisees believed in him? No! ⁴⁹But those people [out there] know nothing about the law.* They are under God's curse!" ⁵⁰But Nicodemus was there in that group. Nicodemus was the one that had gone to see Jesus before.* Nicodemus said, ⁵¹"Our law will not let us judge a man without hearing him. We cannot judge him until we know what he has done." ⁵²The Jewish leaders answered, "Are you from Galilee too? Study the Scriptures.* You will learn that no prophet* comes from Galilee." The oldest and best Greek copies of John do not have verses 7:53-8:11] ⁵³All the Jewish leaders left and went home.

Prophet They probably meant the prophet that God told Moses he would send. See Deut. 18:15-19. Christ The "anointed one" (Messiah) or chosen one of God. Scriptures Holy Writings--Old Testament. David King of Israel about 1000 years before Christ. temple The special building in Jerusalem for Jewish worship. Pharisees The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group that claimed to follow carefully all Jewish laws and customs. law The law of Moses. Nicodemus was the one ... before The story about Nicodemus going and talking to Jesus is in Jn. 3:1-21. prophet A person that spoke for God.