17 Bible Verses about Public Opinion

So Pilate, who wished to make himself strong with the crowd, released Barabbas to them, and gave Jesus over for crucifixion, after he had scourged him.

So Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them. "You brought before me this man as one who incited the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence, and I find no fault in this man regarding the charges that you brought against him. Neither does Herod; for he sent him back to us. You see that he has done nothing worthy of death. read more.
I will therefore, after flogging him, release him." "Now he had to release to them at the feast one prisoner." Then the whole crowd shouted out, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas." (This was a man who had been thrown in prison on account of a riot which had occurred in the city, and for murder.) Then Pilate spoke to them again, because he wished to release Jesus; but they continued to shout out and say, "Crucify! Crucify him!" For the third time he appealed to them. "But what crime has he committed? I have found in him nothing that deserves death. I will therefore flog him, and let him go." But they kept shouting the more insistently, demanding that he should be crucified, and their shouts won the day. So Pilate gave sentence what they wished should be done. He released the man who had been put in prison for riot and murder, the man whom they asked for; but Jesus he handed over to their will.

But Pilate said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they kept shouting the more fiercely, "Let him be crucified!" So when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that on the contrary a riot was threatening, he took water and washed his hands in the presence of the crowd, saying. "I am innocent of the blood of this man; you must answer for it." All the people answered, "His blood be upon us and upon our children." read more.
Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he scourged, and delivered to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the Governor took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered all the battalion together.

Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" As he said this, he went outside again to the Jews and said to them. "I find no crime in this man. Now it is a custom of yours that I release one prisoner to you at the time of the Passover feast. Do you wish me to release to you the King of the Jews?"

Pilate again came forth and said to the people, "See, I am going to bring his out to you, that you may clearly know that I find no crime in him," Then as Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "BEHOLD, THE MAN!" So when the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted. "Crucify him! Crucify him!" "Take him yourselves and crucify him," said Pilate, "for I find no crime in him." read more.
The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he made himself out to be God's Son," Now when Pilate heard these words he was more alarmed than ever, and entering the Praetorium again, he said to Jesus, "What is your origin?" Jesus made no answer. So Pilate said to him. "Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, or power to crucify you?" "You would have no power over me," answered Jesus, "unless it had been given you from above. For this reason he who has betrayed me to you has the greater sin." After that Pilate began to seek to release him, but the Jews shouted out. "If you release this man you are no friend of the Emperor. Any man who makes himself out to be king is a rebel against the Emperor." On hearing what they said, Pilate brought Jesus out and made him sit on the judge's seat in a place called the Mosaic Pavement (the Hebrew name is Gabbatha). And it was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about six o'clock in the morning. Then he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!"

"Do you think that I am come to make peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather dissension.

and there was much disputing about him among the crowd. Some would say, "He is a good man." Others. "No! he is misleading the people." "While I was with them I kept them by the power of thy name which thou hast given me. I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

So a division arose in the crowd concerning him. Some of them wished to apprehend him, but no one laid hands on him.

Then some of the Pharisees began to say, "This man in not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?"

The Jews were again divided over these words.

On the other hand, if we say, 'From men'!" They were afraid, however, of the people, for every one held that John had been really a prophet.

And they kept seeking to lay hold on him, but were afraid of the crowd, for they knew well that he had spoken this parable about them; so they left him and went away.

"If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet."

The chief priests and the Scribes heard this, and they began to seek means of destroying him; for they were afraid of him because all the crowd were greatly struck with his teaching.

When Jesus came into the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of man is?"

Now it happened that while he was praying by himself, the disciples were with him, and he asked them a question. "Who do the crowd think I am?"

But Festus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, answered Paul and said, "Will you go up to Jerusalem and be tried there by me upon these charges?"

But after two full years Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and because he wished to curry favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul still in prison.

So when they had further threatened them they let the apostles go, being quite unable to find any way of punishing them because of the people, for everybody was glorifying God over what had happened.

On this the officer went off with his men and fetched them, not, however, by force, for they were afraid that the people would stone them.

Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed on him, but did not confess in on account of the Pharisees, for fear lest they be put out of the Synagogue. For they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

And although he wished to kill John, he feared the people, for they considered John a prophet.

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and one of the maidservants came up to him and said, "You also were with Jesus, the Galilean!" But he denied it before them all; "I do not know what you mean," he said. Soon afterward he went out into the porch, and another maid saw him, and said to those who were there, "This fellow certainly was with Jesus, the Nazarene!" read more.
And again he denied it with an oath, saying, "I never knew the man." A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "You also are certainly one of them, for your speech betrays you." Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I never knew the man." Immediately the cock crew! Then Peter recalled the word that Jesus had spoken, "Before the cock crow, you shall three times deny me"??nd he went out and broke out into bitter weeping.

On the following day we went with Paul to call on James, and all the elders were present. After saluting them Paul rehearsed, one by one, the things that God had done among the Gentiles by his ministry. And they, when they heard it, glorified God, and said to him. "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews, of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law. read more.
"Now what they have been told about you, again and again, is that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses, and not to circumcise their children, nor to follow the old customs. "What then ought to be done? They will certainly hear that you are come. "So do this that we tell you. "We have four men here under a vow; associate yourself with them, purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses so that they may have their heads shaved; then every one will know that there is no truth in the rumors that they have heard about you; but that you yourself walk orderly obeying the law. "As for the Gentile believers, we wrote giving judgment that they should abstain from anything sacrificed to an idol, from blood, from what is strangled, and from fornication." Then Paul took the men, and after purifying himself with them next day, went into the temple to declare the fulfilment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them.

"but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who has opened his eyes. Ask him, himself. He is of age. He will speak for himself." This his parents said because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any one should confess that he was the Christ, he should be expelled from the synagogue.

But when Cephas came to Antioch I resisted him to his face, because he stood self-condemned. For until certain men came from James he used to eat with the Gentile Christians, but when they came, he began to draw back and to separate himself, because he was afraid of the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jewish Christians also dissimulated with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. read more.
But when I saw that they were not walking a straight path, in the presence of the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all. "If you, although you are a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, why do you try to compel the Gentiles to become Jews?

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but in secret because of fear of the Jews, asked Pilate for permission to take the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took the body.

No one, however, was speaking openly about him, for fear of the Jews. "But now I am coming to thee, and I am speaking these things while I am in the world, so that they may have my joy in all its fulness in themselves.

And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. (This was during the days of unleavened bread.)

Then the king was exceedingly sorry; yet on account of his oaths and his guests he was unwilling to disappoint her.

And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. (This was during the days of unleavened bread.)

Those who are trying to compel you to be circumcised are such as wish to make a fair show in the flesh, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

Now Paul, wishing that this man should accompany him on his journey, took him and circumcised him because of the local Jews, who all knew that his father was a Greek.

This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him. "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent from God; for no man can do these signs which you are continually doing, unless God is with him."