17 Bible Verses about Public Opinion

So, as Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, he released Bar-Abbas for them; Jesus he handed over to be crucified, after he had scourged him.

Then summoning the high priests and rulers and the people, Pilate said to them, "You brought me this man as being an inciter to rebellion among the people. I have examined him before you and found nothing criminal about him, for all your accusations against him. No, nor has Herod, for he has remitted him to us. He has done nothing, you see, that calls for death; read more.
so I shall release him with a whipping." -- But they shouted one and all, "Away with him! Release Bar-Abbas for us!" (This was a man who had been put into prison on account of a riot which had taken place in the city and also on a charge of murder.) Again Pilate addressed them, for he wanted to release Jesus, but they roared, "To the cross, to the cross with him!" He asked them a third time, "But what crime has he committed? I have found nothing about him that deserves death; so I shall release him with a whipping." But they loudly urged their demand that he should be crucified, and their shouts carried the day. Pilate gave sentence that their demand was to be carried out; he released the man they wanted, the man who had been imprisoned for riot and murder, and Jesus he handed over to their will.

"Why," said the governor, "what has he done wrong?" But they shouted on more fiercely than ever, "Have him crucified!" Now when Pilate saw that instead of him doing any good a riot was rising, he took some water and washed his hands in presence of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this good man's blood. It is your affair!" To this all the people replied, "His blood be on us and on our children!" read more.
Then he released Bar-Abbas for them; Jesus he scourged and handed over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium and got all the regiment round him;

"Truth!" said Pilate, "what is truth!" With these words he went outside to the Jews again and told them, "I cannot find anything wrong about him. But it is your custom that I should release a prisoner for you at the passover. Is it your will that I release you the king of the Jews?"

Again Pilate went out and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you. Understand, I cannot find anything wrong about him." So out came Jesus, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe; and Pilate said, "Here the man is!" Now when the high priests and their attendants saw him, they yelled, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said, "Take him and crucify him yourselves! I find nothing wrong about him." read more.
The Jews retorted, "But we have a Law, and by [our] Law he is bound to die, because he has made himself out to be God's Son." Now when Pilate heard that, he was still more afraid; he went inside the praetorium again and asked Jesus, "Where do you come from?" Jesus made no reply. Then Pilate said, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know it is in my power to release you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me, unless it had been granted you from above. So you are less guilty than he who betrayed me to you." This made Pilate anxious to release him, but the Jews yelled, "If you release him, you are no friend of Caesar's! Anyone who makes himself a king is against Caesar!" On hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out and seated him on the tribunal at a spot called the 'mosaic pavement' ??the Hebrew name is Gabbatha (it was the day of Preparation for the passover, about noon). "There is your king!" he said to the Jews.

You think I am here to make peace on earth? No, I tell you, it is dissension.

And the crowd disputed about him hotly; some said, "He is a good man," but others said, "No, he is misleading the people."

So the people were divided over him;

Then said some of the Pharisees, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath"; others said, "How can a sinner perform such Signs?" They were divided on this.

The Jews were again divided over these words.

No, let us say, From men" ??but they were afraid of the multitude, for the people all held John had been really a prophet.

Then they tried to get hold of him, but they were afraid of the multitude. They knew he had meant the parable for them. So they left him and went away.

And if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet."

This came to the ears of the scribes and high priests, and they tried to get him put to death, for they were afraid of him. But the multitude were all astounded at his teaching.

Now when Jesus came to the district of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of man is?"

Now it happened that while he was praying by himself his disciples were beside him. So he inquired of them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

As Festus wanted to ingratiate himself with the Jews, he asked Paul, "Will you go up to Jerusalem and be tried there by me upon these charges?"

But when two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and as Felix wanted to ingratiate himself with the Jews, he left Paul still in custody.

Then they threatened them still further and let them go; on account of the people they found themselves unable to find any means of punishing them, for everybody was glorifying God over what had happened

At this the commander went off with the attendants and fetched them ??but without using violence, for fear that the people would pelt them with stones.

Still, a number even of the authorities believed in him, though they would not confess it on account of the Pharisees, in case of being excommunicated; are relocated after vs 50] With these words Jesus went away and hid from them. they preferred the approval of men to the approval of God.

He was anxious to kill him but he was afraid of the people, for they held John to be a prophet.

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A maidservant came up and said to him, "You were with Jesus the Galilean too." But he denied it before them all; "I do not know what you mean," he said. When he went out to the gateway another maidservant noticed him and said to those who were there, "This fellow was with Jesus the Nazarene." read more.
Again he denied it; he swore, "I do not know the man." After a little the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "To be sure, you are one of them too. Why, your accent betrays you!" At this he broke out cursing and swearing, "I do not know the man." At that moment a cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said, that 'before the cock crows you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Next day we accompanied Paul to James; all the presbyters were present, and after saluting them Paul described in detail what God had done by means of his ministry among the Gentiles. They glorified God when they heard it. Then they said to him, "Brother, you see how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, all of them ardent upholders of the Law. read more.
Now, they have heard that you teach all Jews who live among Gentiles to break away from Moses and not to circumcise their children, nor to follow the old customs. What is to be done? They will be sure to hear you have arrived. So do as we tell you. We have four men here under a vow; associate yourself with them, purify yourself with them, pay their expenses so that they may be free to have their heads shaved, and then everybody will understand there is nothing in these stories about you, but that, on the contrary, you are guided by obedience to the Law. As for Gentile believers, we have issued our decision that they must avoid food that has been offered to idols, the taste of blood, flesh of animals that have been strangled, and sexual vice." Then Paul associated himself with the men next day; he had himself purified along with them and went into the temple to give notice of the time when the days of purification would be completed ??the time, that is to say, when the sacrifice could be offered for each one of them.

But how he can see to-day, we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask himself; he is of age, he can speak for himself." (His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed him to be Christ should be excommunicated.

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face. The man stood self-condemned. Before certain emissaries of James arrived, he ate along with the Gentile Christians; but when they arrived, he began to draw back and hold aloof, because he was afraid of the circumcision party. The rest of the Jewish Christians also played false along with him, so much so that even Barnabas was carried away by their false play. read more.
But I saw they were swerving from the true line of the gospel; so I said to Cephas in presence of them all, "If you live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, though you are a Jew yourself, why do you oblige the Gentiles to become Jews?" ??15 We may be Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners,'

After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, a disciple of Jesus but a secret disciple ??for fear of the Jews ??asked Pilate for permission to remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate allowed him. So he went and removed the body,

For fear of the Jews, however, nobody spoke of him in public.

and when he saw this pleased the Jews, he went on to seize Peter. (This was during the days of unleavened bread.)

The king was very vexed, but for the sake of his oaths and his guests he did not like to disappoint her;

and when he saw this pleased the Jews, he went on to seize Peter. (This was during the days of unleavened bread.)

These men who are keen upon you getting circumcised are just men who want to make a grand display in the flesh ??it is simply to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.

so, as Paul wished him to go abroad with him, he took and circumcised him on account of the local Jews, all of whom knew his father had been a Greek.

he came one night to Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we know you have come from God to teach us, for no one could perform these Signs of yours unless God were with him."