John 7:40-51

⁴⁰When they heard these words, many in the crowd were saying, “This is really the prophet.”

⁴¹Others were saying, “This is the Christ,” but some were saying, “Surely the Christ isn’t going to come from Galilee, is He?

⁴²Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”

⁴³So there was a division among the crowd because of Jesus.

⁴⁴Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

⁴⁵When the officers went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, they asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him in?”

⁴⁶The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!”

⁴⁷Then the Pharisees answered, “You haven’t been deceived, too, have you?

⁴⁸Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?

⁴⁹But this accursed crowd doesn’t know the Law.”

⁵⁰Nicodemus (who came to Jesus before, being one of them) asked them,

⁵¹“Does our Law permit us to judge a man before hearing him and finding out what he is doing?”