. For the first time in this gospel, a group identified as “the Jews” are seen as they investigate whether John is the Messiah. In this gospel, the title “the Jews” refers to the religious bureaucracy, particularly those Pharisees hostile to the gospel. They were the leadership who lived in Jerusalem, not the common Jews who lived outside the capital city. According to verse 19, both priests and Levites were sent to John. The priests were descendants of Aaron, the first high