Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? — the Pharisees appeal to institutional authority: no one of significance (rulers, Pharisees) has believed, so why should the officers? The argument is that authority and credibility belong to the institutional establishment. Yet the question becomes accusatory against themselves: neither rulers nor Pharisees have believed, revealing their opposition to be willful rejection rather than rational judgment. By 7:50-51, Nicodemus (a ruler) will defend Jesus, creating the first crack in institutional solidarity.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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