John 7:48

48 Have any of the leaders or the Pharisees believed in him? No!

John 7:48 Meaning and Commentary

John 7:48

Have any of the rulers
In the sanhedrim, or of the synagogues; or the civil magistrates, the noble, rich, and wealthy:

or of the Pharisees, believed on him;
men famous for wisdom, learning, and holiness. It must be owned, there were but very few of this sort, and perhaps not an instance of this kind had as yet occurred to them; there was Nicodemus, who is mentioned in the context, who was both a ruler and a Pharisee; and Joseph of Arimathea, a rich counsellor; but they neither of them openly showed themselves to be the disciples of Christ till his death: and besides these, there were some women, as Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, Susanna, and some other women, who ministered to him of their substance; but the far greater part of his followers were poor and illiterate: and this has been the common case of those that have believed in Jesus, for the most part, ever since, and therefore should not be a stumbling to any. God is pleased to hide the great things of the Gospel from the wise and prudent, the rich and noble, and preach and reveal them to the poor and foolish: nor is a doctrine a whit the truer for being espoused by the rich, and wise men of this world, but rather to be suspected on that account.

John 7:48 In-Context

46 The guards answered, "The words he says are greater than the words of any other person who has ever spoken!"

47 The Pharisees answered, "So Jesus has fooled you also!

48 Have any of the leaders or the Pharisees believed in him? No!

49 But these people, who know nothing about the law, are under God's curse."

50 Nicodemus, who had gone to see Jesus before, was in that group. He said,