They did not know what to make of Jesus. Nothing seemed to add up. The religious leaders were known to have issued an arrest warrant for Him, but they did not dare to seize Him in the temple or preaching publicly. Perhaps they had changed their opinion. But if He was the Christ (Messiah), they believed that He would be previously unknown and come in a surprising way. So they dismissed that possibility, because they assumed He came from Nazareth: they did not know about His Bethlehem entrance into the world, and His pre-existence with the Father in heaven.
But when Jesus tried to tell the crowd about His intimate relationship with Father God, and that they had no real relationship with Him, some of them became very angry and rushed to grab Him. However they were supernaturally restrained and could not even touch Him although He was so close. Yet, at the same time, others believed in Him - His miracles were enough to prove that He was no ordinary man, but the Holy One from God.
Perhaps, if we had been there, we might also have been confused. If we were holding the reins of religious power, we might also have defended our position against Jesus. Unless we wanted God's way and not our own, we would be blind; unable to see the identity and heavenly pre-existence of Jesus. But if we were praying for the Christ to come, longing to see God's Saviour, then Jesus would have exceeded all our expectations. It is the same today. That is why it is essential that we share who Jesus is and where He came from. Some will become angry or may ridicule us; but others will believe and put their trust in Him. He is far greater than the limits of human understanding, and when we know we need more than ourselves - then He is the only answer.
