And they wanted to seize Him, but they were afraid of the crowd, because they considered Him a prophet.
The chief priests and the Pharisees, although they understood that Jesus’ parables were condemning them, did not dare to seize Him, because the people accepted Him as a prophet. This fear was not repentance, but only an outward restraint, from the anxiety of not losing their own position. This episode shows their spiritual blindness: they recognized the truth, but did not accept it, because they were guided by people’s opinion, not by the path of truth. Here the people’s respect toward Jesus is set against the hatred of the religious leaders, emphasizing that when authority becomes blind, the guardians of truth become simple hearts. This word also shows that no one can stop the will of God: human fear or opposition cannot frustrate His plan.