The chief priests and Pharisees had earlier dispatched the temple guards to arrest Jesus (v32), but the guards had failed to do so. When questioned about this the guards could have referred to the divisions among the crowds (and hence the risk of a riot, which they would wish to avoid). Instead they referred to the way that Jesus spoke. Elsewhere it was noted that Jesus spoke with authority, and this was contrasted with the way that the Pharisees taught (Matt 7:29).
The religious leaders were utterly dismissive. They rebuked the guards with a series of rhetorical questions. Ironically, their answer to both were actually wrong. Nicodemus, a ruler and Pharisee, had been to meet Jesus and was impressed by Him. Hence Nicodemus speaks to urge caution on the Pharisees actions, though he does not admit outright to believing in Jesus.
The religious leaders were very dismissive of the general people, they considered them uneducated and unclean. In fact it was the Pharisees who were going against the Law, for they were willing to condemn a man without a proper hearing. Today, there are some educated people in the church who are dismissive of "ordinary" people who have a "simple faith". Often it is people with a simple faith who have the most wisdom.
They were also wrong in saying that a prophet does not come from Galilee, Jonah, Nahum and Hosea came from there. There is some evidence for saying that the text should read "the Prophet" rather than "a prophet". In this case they would still be wrong, for Jesus actually came from Bethlehem.
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