John 7:49

The rulers claimed knowledge of the law that was superior to that of the common people (Gr. ochlos, crowd or mob) who accepted Jesus. They condescendingly judged the officers’ opinion of Jesus as worthy only of the uneducated. The rabbis taught, "It is forbidden to have mercy on one who has no knowledge." [Note: Midr. Sam 5.9 (cited by Beasley-Murray, p. 120).] If more of these leaders had taken the time to listen to Jesus, as Nicodemus did, they may have formed a different opinion of how well He fulfilled the law. Pride in one’s knowledge often results in spiritual blindness. The mob was supposedly under God’s curse since they did not obey it (Deuteronomy 28:15). Really it was the leaders who were under His curse for not believing in Jesus (John 3:36).