17 Bible Verses about Public Opinion

And as Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, he set Barabbas free for them, and after having Jesus flogged handed him over to be crucified.

Pilate summoned the high priests and the leading members of the council and the people, and said to them, "You brought this man before me charged with misleading the people, and here I have examined him before you and not found him guilty of any of the things that you accuse him of. Neither has Herod, for he has sent him back to us. You see he has done nothing to call for his death. read more.
So I will teach him a lesson and let him go." OMITTED TEXT But they all shouted out, "Kill him, and release Barabbas for us!" (He was a man who had been put in prison for a riot that had taken place in the city and for murder.) But Pilate wanted to let Jesus go, and he called out to them again. But they kept on shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" And he said to them a third time, "Why, what has he done that is wrong? For I have found nothing about him to call for his death. So I will teach him a lesson and let him go." But they persisted with loud outcries in demanding that he be crucified, and their shouting won. And Pilate pronounced sentence that what they asked for should be done. He released the man they asked for, who had been put in prison for riot and murder, and handed Jesus over to their will.

He said, "Why, what has he done that is wrong?" But they shouted all the louder, "Have him crucified!" When Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing but that a riot was beginning instead, he took some water and washed his hands in the presence of the crowd, saying, "I am not responsible for this man's death; you must see to it yourselves." And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" read more.
Then he released Barabbas for them, and he had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified. Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the barracks, and got the whole battalion together about him.

Pilate said to him, "What is truth!" With these words he went outside again to the Jews, and said to them, "I can find nothing to charge him with. But it is your custom to have me release one man for you at Passover time. Do you want me therefore to release the king of the Jews for you?"

And Pilate went outside again and said to the Jews, "See! I will bring him out to you, to show you that I can find nothing to charge him with." So Jesus came out, still wearing the wreath of thorns and the purple coat. And Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" When the high priests and their attendants saw him, they shouted, "Have him crucified! Have him crucified!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and have him crucified, for I can find nothing to charge him with." read more.
The Jews answered, "We have a law, and by our law he deserves death, for declaring himself to be a son of God." When Pilate heard that, he was more frightened than before and he went back into the governor's house and said to Jesus, "Where do you come from?" But Jesus made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that it is in my power to release you or to have you crucified?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power at all over me, if it were not given to you from above. So you are less guilty than the man who betrayed me to you." This made Pilate try to find a way to let him go, but the Jews shouted, "If you let him go, you are no friend of the emperor's! Anyone who calls himself a king utters treason against the emperor!" When Pilate heard that, he had Jesus brought out and had him sit in the judge's seat in the place they call the Stone Platform, or in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about noon. And Pilate said to the Jews, "There is your king!"

Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? Not peace, I tell you, but discord!

and there was a great deal of muttering about him among the crowds, some saying that he was a good man, and others that he was not, but was imposing on the people.

So the people were divided about him,

Then some of the Pharisees said, "This man does not come from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinful man show such signs as this?" And there was a division of opinion among them.

These words caused a fresh division of opinion among the Jews.

Yet can we say, 'It was from men'?" For they were afraid of the people, because all the people thought John was really a prophet.

And they tried to have him arrested, but they were afraid of the people, for they knew that the illustration was aimed at them. And they left him and went away.

But if we say, 'From men,' we have the people to fear, for they all consider John a prophet."

The high priests and the scribes heard of this, and they cast about for a way of destroying him, for they were afraid of him, for all the people were amazed at what he taught.

When Jesus reached the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

Once when he was praying by himself, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?"

Then Festus, wishing to gratify the Jews, said to Paul, "Will you go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges?"

But when two whole years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and as he wanted to gratify the Jews, Felix left Paul in prison.

But after further threats they let them go, as they could find no way to punish them, on account of the people, who were all giving honor to God for what had happened,

Then the commander and his men went and brought them back, but without using violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

Yet for all that, even among the leading men, many came to believe in him, but on account of the Pharisees they would not acknowledge it, for fear of being excluded from the synagogues, for they cared more for the approval of men than for the approval of God.

And while he wanted him killed, he was afraid of the people; for they considered him a prophet.

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maid came up to him, and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean, too!" But he denied it before them all, and said, "I do not know what you mean." And he went out into the gateway, and another maid saw him, and said to the men there, "This fellow was with Jesus the Nazarene!" read more.
He denied it again, with an oath, and said, "I do not know the man!" A little while after the bystanders came up to Peter and said, "You are certainly one of them too, for your accent shows it!" Then he started to swear with the strongest oaths, "I do not know the man!" And at that moment a cock crowed. And Peter remembered Jesus' words when he had said, "Before a cock crows, you will disown me three times!" And he went outside and wept bitterly.

On the next day we went with Paul to see James, and all the elders came in. Paul greeted them warmly and gave a detailed account of what God had done among the heathen through his efforts. They praised God when they heard it, and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousand believers there are among the Jews, all of them zealous upholders of the Law. read more.
They have been told that you teach all Jews who live among the heathen to turn away from Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children nor to observe the old customs. What then? They will be sure to hear that you have come. So do what we tell you. We have four men here who are under a vow. Join them, undergo the rites of purification with them, and pay their expenses so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will understand that there is no truth in the stories about you, but that you yourself observe the Law. As for the heathen who have become believers, we have written them our decision that they must avoid anything that has been contaminated by idols, the tasting of blood, the meat of strangled animals, and immorality." Then Paul joined the men and went through the rites of purification with them and the next day went to the Temple to give notice of the time when, upon the offering of the sacrifice for each one of them, their days of purification would be over.

But we do not know how it is that he can see now, or who has made him able to see. You must ask him. He is grown up. Let him tell you about himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already made an agreement that if anyone acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, he should be excluded from the synagogues.

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, for his own conduct condemned him. For until some people came from James, he used to eat with the heathen, but after they came, he began to draw back and hold aloof, for fear of the party of circumcision. The other Jewish Christians followed his example in concealing their real views, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their pose. read more.
But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the good news, I said to Cephas, right before them all, "If you live like a heathen, and not like a Jew, though you are a Jew yourself, why should you try to make the heathen live like Jews?"

After this, Joseph, of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one, because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him remove Jesus' body, and Pilate gave him permission. So Joseph went and took the body down.

But no one spoke of him in public, for fear of the Jews.

and when he saw that this gratified the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, at the time of the festival of Unleavened Bread.

The king was exceedingly sorry, but on account of his oath and his guests he did not like to break his word to her,

and when he saw that this gratified the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, at the time of the festival of Unleavened Bread.

These men who are trying to force you to let yourselves be circumcised want to present a good appearance externally, to save themselves from having to stand persecution for the cross of Jesus the Christ.

Paul wished to take this man on with him, and so on account of the Jews in that district he had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

This man went to Jesus one night, and said to him, "Master, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can show the signs that you do, unless God is with him."