Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?
The officers sent to arrest and silence Jesus came back to the chief priests and Pharisees without Him, and were angrily asked why they had not brought Him. They could not lay hands on Him because they forgot their errand, held spellbound and captivated by His presence and by gracious words of truth, compassion, wisdom and divine authority as He taught in the temple. They extolled Him before His enemies by testifying that no one had ever spoken as He did, but the priests and rulers answered with scorn, called them deceived, cursed the people as ignorant of the law, appealed to their own unbelief, and suppressed their conviction to evade the truth. The verse warns against judging the message of salvation by whether priests, rulers and leading men believe it, for their standing may become a barrier to others, while their rejection springs from envy and hatred rather than from seeking to know the truth for oneself.
The Officers Return Alone
The officers had been sent by the chief priests and Pharisees to arrest Jesus and silence His voice, yet they came back to those who sent them without bringing Him. Their return empty-handed was a failure to seize the One they had been charged to take. The chief priests and Pharisees, with the Jewish authority behind them, met that failure with an angry demand for why He had not been brought. That question exposed them as opponents who remained hostile even while those they sent were being moved.
They had gone to lay hands on Him, but they forgot their errand and could not bring themselves to do it. They were deeply affected and moved by His words and presence, so that they forgot the assignment laid upon them. His gracious words had captivated them and held them spellbound, and the power of His speaking held them back. Struck by what they heard and saw, they stepped back rather than advancing to arrest Him.
What they had heard was His teaching in the temple, with His disciples around Him. There He preached the gospel to the common people and explained the Scriptures, not in a hesitating, undecided manner but with unhesitating power and authority that impressed and convinced the hearers. His words were gracious words of truth and compassion, spoken with a compassion, wisdom, authority, divine presence and divine glory that melted even hardened hearts. It was that revelation in word and presence that made it impossible for the officers to take Him.
Leaders Reject The Testimony
The officers answered those who had sent them by declaring that no human being had ever spoken as Jesus spoke, and in doing so they exalted Him to His face before His enemies. Their testimony was drawn from them because they had returned without seizing Him, and when pressed for the reason they could only confess the power that had held them back. That confession displeased the religious teachers precisely because it praised Christ in the presence of those seeking to condemn Him, and the repeated hearing of such witness only deepened their hostility.
The chief priests and rulers met this report with scorn and anger, demanding whether the officers also had been deceived. They cursed the common people as ignorant of the law and pointed to their own unbelief, asking whether any of the rulers had believed on Him, as if the unbelief of leading men proved the message was not truth. In this they suppressed their own inward conviction of His unique authority and sought an excuse to evade the truth rather than seeking to know it. The people in that day judged the tidings of salvation by whether priests and rulers received them, and the same test is repeated when the message of truth for this time is rejected because leading men have not received it and united in heralding it.
Having heard such testimony to Christ's power again and again, the religious teachers were stirred to envy and to greater hatred of Him. The warning of the verse is therefore against making the faith of priests, rulers, and leading men the standard, for each soul must search for himself whether these things are so instead of treating their rejection as proof against present truth. The rulers' appeal to their own standing also shows how the standing of those who join Christ's people can become a barrier to others, while at the same time persons of ability and influence, if converted, may become channels of light.
The officers sent to arrest and silence Jesus came back to the chief priests and Pharisees without Him, and were angrily asked why they had not brought Him. They could not lay hands on Him because they forgot their errand, held spellbound and captivated by His presence and by gracious words of truth, compassion, wisdom and divine authority as He taught in the temple. They extolled Him before His enemies by testifying that no one had ever spoken as He did, but the priests and rulers answered with scorn, called them deceived, cursed the people as ignorant of the law, appealed to their own unbelief, and suppressed their conviction to evade the truth. The verse warns against judging the message of salvation by whether priests, rulers and leading men believe it, for their standing may become a barrier to others, while their rejection springs from envy and hatred rather than from seeking to know the truth for oneself.
The Officers Return Alone
The officers had been sent by the chief priests and Pharisees to arrest Jesus and silence His voice, yet they came back to those who sent them without bringing Him. Their return empty-handed was a failure to seize the One they had been charged to take. The chief priests and Pharisees, with the Jewish authority behind them, met that failure with an angry demand for why He had not been brought. That question exposed them as opponents who remained hostile even while those they sent were being moved.
They had gone to lay hands on Him, but they forgot their errand and could not bring themselves to do it. They were deeply affected and moved by His words and presence, so that they forgot the assignment laid upon them. His gracious words had captivated them and held them spellbound, and the power of His speaking held them back. Struck by what they heard and saw, they stepped back rather than advancing to arrest Him.
What they had heard was His teaching in the temple, with His disciples around Him. There He preached the gospel to the common people and explained the Scriptures, not in a hesitating, undecided manner but with unhesitating power and authority that impressed and convinced the hearers. His words were gracious words of truth and compassion, spoken with a compassion, wisdom, authority, divine presence and divine glory that melted even hardened hearts. It was that revelation in word and presence that made it impossible for the officers to take Him.
Leaders Reject The Testimony
The officers answered those who had sent them by declaring that no human being had ever spoken as Jesus spoke, and in doing so they exalted Him to His face before His enemies. Their testimony was drawn from them because they had returned without seizing Him, and when pressed for the reason they could only confess the power that had held them back. That confession displeased the religious teachers precisely because it praised Christ in the presence of those seeking to condemn Him, and the repeated hearing of such witness only deepened their hostility.
The chief priests and rulers met this report with scorn and anger, demanding whether the officers also had been deceived. They cursed the common people as ignorant of the law and pointed to their own unbelief, asking whether any of the rulers had believed on Him, as if the unbelief of leading men proved the message was not truth. In this they suppressed their own inward conviction of His unique authority and sought an excuse to evade the truth rather than seeking to know it. The people in that day judged the tidings of salvation by whether priests and rulers received them, and the same test is repeated when the message of truth for this time is rejected because leading men have not received it and united in heralding it.
Having heard such testimony to Christ's power again and again, the religious teachers were stirred to envy and to greater hatred of Him. The warning of the verse is therefore against making the faith of priests, rulers, and leading men the standard, for each soul must search for himself whether these things are so instead of treating their rejection as proof against present truth. The rulers' appeal to their own standing also shows how the standing of those who join Christ's people can become a barrier to others, while at the same time persons of ability and influence, if converted, may become channels of light.