My Notes
What Does John 7:51 Mean?
"Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?" Nicodemus — the Pharisee who visited Jesus by night (chapter 3) — speaks up in the Sanhedrin with a LEGAL argument: our own law requires HEARING a person before judging them. The defense is procedural, not theological. Nicodemus doesn't declare Jesus innocent. He argues for PROCESS. The law demands a hearing. The hearing hasn't happened. The judgment is therefore premature and illegal.
The phrase "doth our law judge any man" (mē ho nomos hēmōn krinei ton anthrōpon — does our law judge a person) appeals to the Pharisees' OWN STANDARD: Nicodemus doesn't invoke an outside authority. He invokes THEIR law — the law they study, the law they teach, the law they claim to uphold. The defense uses the Pharisees' own commitment against them. Your own law says you can't do this.
The "before it hear him, and know what he doeth" (ean mē akousē prōton par' autou kai gnō ti poiei — unless it first hear from him and know what he does) identifies the TWO requirements of justice: HEARING (letting the accused speak) and KNOWING (understanding what the accused has actually done). Both are missing. The Sanhedrin hasn't heard Jesus AND hasn't investigated His actions. The condemnation is based on neither testimony nor evidence.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What procedural justice are you violating in your rush to judge someone?
- 2.What does Nicodemus using the Pharisees' OWN law against them teach about defending truth procedurally?
- 3.How does the Sanhedrin attacking Nicodemus (instead of answering) describe the response of power to uncomfortable questions?
- 4.What hearing have you skipped — and would your own standards condemn the skipping?
Devotional
Does our law judge anyone without HEARING them first? Nicodemus asks the question that exposes the entire proceedings: the law the Pharisees TEACH requires what the Pharisees AREN'T DOING. They're condemning Jesus without a hearing. Their own standard indicts their own behavior.
The 'our law' is Nicodemus's strategic weapon: he doesn't defend Jesus THEOLOGICALLY. He defends Jesus PROCEDURALLY — using the Pharisees' OWN legal standard. The argument isn't 'Jesus is right.' The argument is 'your PROCESS is wrong.' The Pharisees claim to honor the law above all else. Nicodemus says: then HONOR it. The law requires hearing. You haven't heard. The law requires knowing. You haven't investigated.
The 'before it hear him' requires that the ACCUSED BE GIVEN A VOICE: the fundamental principle of justice — even the accused gets to speak. The Pharisees are condemning Jesus in His ABSENCE. He hasn't been invited to defend Himself. He hasn't been heard. The condemnation is ex parte — one-sided, without the other party present. Nicodemus says: this is illegal by YOUR standards.
The Sanhedrin's RESPONSE (verse 52 — 'Art thou also of Galilee?') attacks NICODEMUS instead of answering the question: they don't refute his legal argument. They can't. Instead, they impugn his LOYALTY — are you from Galilee too? Are you one of THEM? The ad hominem replaces the legal response. The character attack substitutes for the procedural answer. The question Nicodemus asked is never answered because it's unanswerable.
What procedural justice are you violating in your rush to condemn — and would your own standards indict you?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Doth our law ... - The law required justice to be done, and gave every man the right to claim a fair and impartial…
Doth our law judge any man - Τον ανθρωπον, the man, i.e. who is accused. Perhaps Nicodemus did not refer so much to any…
The chief priests and Pharisees are here in a close cabal, contriving how to suppress Christ; though this was the great…
Doth our law -Law" is emphatic. -You condemn the multitude for not knowing the law; but are we not forgetting the law in…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture