Others said, This is the Christ. Others said, Does then the Christ come out of Galilee?
The crowd at the feast has just heard Jesus speak, and their reaction splits three ways. Why do the same words bring one hearer to faith and start an argument in another?
The crowd felt the force of what Jesus said. That feeling on its own settled nothing.
The words of our Lord made a certain impression; but it is all in vain unless it reaches the conscience before God.
Instead of coming to Him, the crowd started debating about Him.
A conscience that had been stirred would have awakened a sense of need. It would have brought the soul to Christ in answer to His gracious invitation: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." Then, as so often since that day, and even among true believers, speculation about Christ led to "a division … because of Him".
The crowd treated "the Prophet" and "the Christ" as rival titles for two different men. Faith can be short on knowledge too, but it takes a different route.
Men do not only join what God separates, but separate what God joins. Some called Him the prophet, others the Christ, as we have seen from the beginning of this Gospel: a distinction then common but unfounded. … With faith too there may be, and often is, a lack of light. But in spite of obstacles, faith holds on to what it sees to be of God, instead of stumbling at a difficulty which more knowledge would have shown to be unreal.
The question about Galilee sounds like an appeal to Scripture. In fact it was a refusal to check the facts.
Honesty on the part of the people could not keep them from saying that this must be the true Prophet of God, the Messiah. How could any serious-minded person escape this? But others looked for arguments to avoid it. Because He had recently come from Nazareth in Galilee, they did not care to ask where He had been born. Scripture had certainly spoken of His coming from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and of the offspring of David; but both were perfectly true of Him. Why did they not care enough to find out?
The objectors quoted one prophecy and forgot another. Scripture had promised light to the very region they treated as proof against Him.
Men were unwilling to think that the northern province should be the scene of the ministry of the Prophet of the Lord. Some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? … No prophet arises from Galilee" (John 7:41, 52). But the speakers forgot another Scripture. It spoke plainly of Galilee of the Gentiles: its people who walked in darkness should see a great light, and upon them the Light should shine (Isa. 9:1-2).
The difference between the two groups was not what they knew, but what they had already decided. The words of Jesus carried their own power.
The people who were not armed with a breastplate of ill-will, and of a decision already made, felt this. Without any miracle, under the influence of the words of Jesus, they cried out, "This really is the Prophet." Others said, thinking that Jesus was the Christ, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee?" But the reasoning of the human mind raises difficulties, and closes other hearts to the power of the word in His mouth.
His Person should have drawn them together. Unbelief made Him the reason they broke apart.
But unbelief is blind to His glory, and finds only an occasion of division in the one centre of union.
- Impression. His words moved the crowd. An impression that never reaches the conscience changes nothing.
- Speculation. When the conscience stays quiet, talk fills the gap. Here it split the Prophet from the Christ, as if two men were meant.
- Ignorance. The smallest honest inquiry would have settled the Galilee objection. Bethlehem and David's line were both true of Him. The objectors never asked.
- Scripture. They quoted one prophecy and forgot another. Isaiah had promised Galilee of the Gentiles the shining of a great light.
- Division. Christ is the one centre where all should meet. Unbelief turned Him into the reason people split apart. The same words that draw one heart harden another.
Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes of the seed of David, and from the village of Bethlehem, where David was?
At the feast the crowd has just heard Jesus offer living water. Instead of coming to Him they argue about where He was born, sure of a Bible text they never checked against the facts.
Nothing in the objection is false. The Christ does come from David's line, and Micah 5:2 does name Bethlehem. The problem is not their text. It is that they never asked. One honest question would have removed the whole difficulty.
The objections that come from lack of knowledge show up an ignorance that the least honest inquiry would have cleared away... He was no less the Messiah from Bethlehem, and of David's line, because He was the despised prophet of Galilee.
Both halves of what they recited were true of the Man standing in front of them. They preferred the argument to the answer.
He had recently come from Nazareth in Galilee, so they did not care to ask where He was born. Scripture had indeed spoken of His coming from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and of the seed of David. But both were perfectly true of Him. Why did they not have concern enough to find out?
They were sure of their verdict, but never did the work behind it. They ruled on a matter of fact without checking the fact.
Others objected that the Christ could not come from Galilee. They said He must come of the seed of David, and from the town of Bethlehem. But they never took the trouble to find out the fact... This is the picture of the heart of man when truth stands in front of him. The religious leaders have made up their minds. The masses are confused and uncertain, wavering between their prejudices and the power of the word of God. Faith was in neither the one nor the other.
The crowd splits into camps — some say Prophet, some say Christ, some say neither can come from Galilee. Each camp holds a fragment and treats it as the whole.
Men do not only join what God separates, but separate what God joins.
Guessing about God is not a neutral activity; it works with whatever is visible and gets it backwards.
Human speculation in divine things is always at fault. So they separated truths which God has joined, and imagined that the Prophet and the Christ are different Persons. What is more, appearances easily deceive idle speculation. Because our Lord had come from Galilee, they imagined He was not of the seed of David, and was not born at Bethlehem.
Their case against Galilee rested on the verses they liked. Scripture had already spoken about that province too.
Men did not like to think that the northern province would be where the Prophet of the LORD carried out His ministry... But the speakers forgot another Scripture. It clearly foretold about Galilee of the Gentiles that its people who walked in darkness would see a great light — the Light would shine upon them (Isa. 9:1-2).
A believer can be short of light and still not stumble. Kelly sets that beside unbelief, which sees no glory in Christ at all.
Faith too may lack light, and often does. But despite obstacles it holds on to what it sees to be of God. It is not tripped up by a difficulty which more knowledge would have shown to be unreal. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was near, he did not fail to cry, "Son of David, have mercy on me;" and his faith reaped the blessing at once. ... But unbelief is blind to His glory. In the one centre of union it finds only an occasion for division.
Jesus had just invited anyone who was thirsty to come to Him. Debating His birthplace was one way to avoid answering.
A conscience truly at work would have awakened a sense of need. It would have brought the soul to Christ in answer to His gracious invitation, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink". Speculations about Christ led then, as so often since that day, even among true believers, to "a division… because of Him".
While Christ is the source of living waters to the believer, unbelief is busy discussing Him.
- Right text. The crowd quoted Scripture right. Christ comes of David's seed and from Bethlehem — and both were true of Jesus.
- No inquiry. They settled the question without asking where He was born. One honest check would have removed the objection.
- Selective reading. Their case against Galilee ignored a Scripture. It promised light for that very region.
- Divided pieces. Speculation splits truths God joined — Prophet and Christ, Galilee and Bethlehem. Appearances fool it.
- Debate or drink. He invited the thirsty to come to Him. Unbelief argued about Him instead — and the argument split the crowd.