The Skeptics and Cynics Clashed; Who Were Which?
John 7:45-52
What happened . . .
45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
What’s going on . . .
Skeptical or cynical; which describes the Sanhedrin (a body of 70 high priests and leaders of the Pharisees who ruled the Jews)? Skepticism is open-mindedness but questioning; cynicism is close-mindedness and an unwillingness to consider the possibilities. Of the four actors in this drama: the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, the officers and the crowd, who were the skeptics and who were the cynics?
“The chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest [Jesus]” (v. 32b), a troublemaker, a blasphemer, an insurrectionist. But when the officers heard Jesus speaking, they realized that “‘No one ever spoke like this man!’” Their skepticism turned into acceptance on some rudimentary level. The cynical leaders, on the other hand, could only belittle the officers, “‘Have you also been deceived?’”
Some of the crowd were skeptical and willing to consider Jesus’ teachings. “So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted [Jesus arrested], but no one laid hands on him.” (v.43, 44) The cynical leaders’ response regarding those who were willing to consider Jesus was, “‘have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.’”
Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before as a skeptic (John 3:1-2), and who was one of the Sanhedrin, “said to them, ‘Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?’” (We learn later that this skeptic-turned-believer anointed Jesus body with spices before his burial, John 19:39) The cynical Sanhedrin deflected by asking a diversionary question in return. “They replied, ‘Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.’” To skeptics, who are open-minded and questioning, the facts matter. To cynics, who are by definition close-minded, the facts do not matter. Accordingly, their minds never change, and they remain in the dark.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.