And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
There was division among the people over whether He was the Christ, and amid that division some of His enemies wanted to seize Him. Behind the drive to take His life was Satan and his angels, blinding Jewish eyes and darkening understanding and stirring the chief men and rulers against Him. Those rulers sent officers to bring Him in and arrest Him. This was not the first effort to silence or condemn Him, for earlier attempts had already been thwarted when He quietly withdrew from those who tried to stone Him.
Even so, the officers who came to seize Him were so influenced by His divine presence that they could not do it. As they came near they were greatly amazed and captivated by His sympathy and compassion over human woe, His love and tenderness in encouraging the weak and afflicted, His voice of authority in rebuking Satan's power and freeing captives, His miracles, and His words of wisdom, love and knowledge. No one laid hands on Him because the appointed time had not yet come.
The officers therefore returned to the priests and elders without Him, reporting what they had witnessed and heard and declaring that no one had ever spoken as He did. Their failure brought the accusation that they too were deceived, along with the mocking question whether any of the rulers had believed. In fact many magistrates and elders did believe, but they were kept from acknowledging it because they feared the reproach of the people more than they feared God.
There was division among the people over whether He was the Christ, and amid that division some of His enemies wanted to seize Him. Behind the drive to take His life was Satan and his angels, blinding Jewish eyes and darkening understanding and stirring the chief men and rulers against Him. Those rulers sent officers to bring Him in and arrest Him. This was not the first effort to silence or condemn Him, for earlier attempts had already been thwarted when He quietly withdrew from those who tried to stone Him.
Even so, the officers who came to seize Him were so influenced by His divine presence that they could not do it. As they came near they were greatly amazed and captivated by His sympathy and compassion over human woe, His love and tenderness in encouraging the weak and afflicted, His voice of authority in rebuking Satan's power and freeing captives, His miracles, and His words of wisdom, love and knowledge. No one laid hands on Him because the appointed time had not yet come.
The officers therefore returned to the priests and elders without Him, reporting what they had witnessed and heard and declaring that no one had ever spoken as He did. Their failure brought the accusation that they too were deceived, along with the mocking question whether any of the rulers had believed. In fact many magistrates and elders did believe, but they were kept from acknowledging it because they feared the reproach of the people more than they feared God.