John 7:32

‘The Pharisees heard the crowds murmuring these things about him, and the Chief Priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.'

This surge of support for Jesus clearly had the Pharisees worried, and they reported back to the authorities, with the result that ‘the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him'. At last they had made up their minds that it was time to be bold. They felt that they dared not delay any longer. They were losing the confidence of the people.

The Chief Priests were the leading officials who controlled the activities of the Temple and were seen by the temporal powers as authorities over the people. They included the High Priest, the Captain of the Temple, the Temple Treasurer, the Temple Overseer, and the Directors of the daily and weekly courses of priests, and they controlled the Temple police.

The connection of the Chief Priests with the Pharisees is interesting as in the normal course of events they would have had as little to do with each other as possible. They were strange bedfellows. But in this case it was necessary for it was the Pharisees who had picked up on what the crowds were saying. However, as they had themselves no means of arresting Jesus in the Temple, they had to go to those who did have that power and seek their cooperation. Thus the two opposing parties (who were used to dealing with each other in the Sanhedrin) acted together in bringing about the sending of the Temple police. The writer clearly knew about the detail of Temple policing.