John 7:47

John 7:47, in plain English

The Pharisees snap back: Have you been deceived too? Instead of considering that Jesus might actually be special, they try to shame the guards into silence.

Why it's here

When people cannot argue with the truth, they often attack the people who speak it. The Pharisees chose intimidation over investigation.

Who's speaking

The Pharisees respond to the guards with contempt and dismissal.

Where it sits in the story

The leaders had a choice: investigate Jesus' claims or shut down anyone who was impressed by Him. They chose the coward's path. When your only defense is mockery, the other side is probably right.

The scholarly reading

The Pharisees respond with contemptuous dismissal, asking mē kai humeis peplanēsthe (have you also been deceived?), using the verb planaō (to lead astray) that characterizes their view of Jesus as a false teacher.

Language and setting

Rather than engaging with the officers' testimony or investigating Jesus' teaching, the Pharisees resort to social pressure and intellectual snobbery, revealing their closed-minded approach to the evidence.

Voice

The Pharisees attempt to shame the officers back into compliance, dismissing their testimony with contempt.

Significance

The Pharisees cannot refute what the officers experienced, so they resort to mockery and intimidation. When truth becomes inconvenient, those in power often attack the messenger rather than address the message.

45Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him in?”

46“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.

47“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees.

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

49But this crowd that does not know the law—they are under a curse.”

Read all of John 7 — Jesus appears at the Festival of Tabernacles and divides the crowd. Some say he's a prophet, some say he's the Messiah, and some want him arrested.