John 7:40-53

John 7:40-53

Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
“This is truly the Prophet.”
Others said, “This is the Christ.”
But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.

So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”
The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.”
So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.”
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
“Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?”
They answered and said to him,
“You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Then each went to his own house.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you sent your only begotten Son to save the world. In all things, you

manifest your infinite love for humanity. You did not abandon us when we deserved death.

Instead, you sent your Son to redeem us, to lift the ancient curse, and to restore us as your children.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Christ is from David’s Family: During the week-long Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus began to teach in the Temple area. There, he demonstrated a deep knowledge of Scripture without having attended a rabbinic school in Jerusalem. He also addressed the concern of the people that he worked on the Sabbath to cure a paralytic (John 5:1-18). During his teaching, the people began to wonder whether Jesus was the Prophet-like-Moses or the Messiah (the Christ). One issue was that for Jesus to be the Messiah, he had to come from David’s family and be born in Bethlehem as prophesied in Micah 5:1. The Gospel of John indicates that the crowds were seemingly ignorant of the circumstances of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem as well as his Davidic lineage. This is something we know from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. John alludes to this but also teaches that Jesus has a divine and eternal origin. Jesus, the Son of David born in Bethlehem, is the Word of God, eternally begotten of the Father, who became flesh in the fullness of time (John 1:1-18).

2. The Galilean Prophet: When the guards, sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees to arrest Jesus, returned without him, they professed their admiration for Jesus’ teaching and words. The Pharisees and religious authorities tried to downplay the authority of Jesus’ teaching and accused the crowds of being accursed and ignorant of the Law of Moses. The Pharisees were adamant that Jesus violated the Sabbath rest by curing the paralytic on the Sabbath, during either the Feast of Pentecost or the Feast of Tabernacles the prior year. The Pharisees also addressed those in the crowds who thought Jesus was the Prophet. Earlier, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and proclaimed him “a teacher who has come from God” (John 3:2). Here, Nicodemus asks that the religious authorities follow the Law of Moses and listen to Jesus and find out what he is doing before condemning him (Deuteronomy 1:16-17). When the Pharisees responded to Nicodemus, they accused him of being ignorant of the fact that no prophet arises from Galilee. On the one hand, this was a false claim since there were at least five northern prophets – Jonah, Nahum, Hosea, Elijah, and Elisha – all connected to the land known as Galilee; and Isaiah 8:23 prophesied that Galilee would see a great light (see Matthew 4:12-17). On the other hand, Jesus was born, not in Galilee, but in Bethlehem. This is something John’s readers know from Matthew’s Gospel.

3. Members of the Kingdom and Disciples of the Prophet: The Gospel proclaims Jesus as the Christ, the royal Son of David, sent by God to redeem his people. It also proclaims Jesus as the Prophet-like-Moses, who will teach the New Law of grace and truth. For the Christian, this dual revelation invites a profound shift in identity and daily living: we are called to live as members of the Kingdom of God and as disciples of Christ Himself. As members of the Kingdom, believers enter into the reign of the divine King, submitting every aspect of life – priorities, relationships, choices, and ambitions – to his royal authority. This membership is not passive; it demands active allegiance, seeking first the Kingdom and its righteousness (Matthew 6:33), pursuing justice, mercy, and faithfulness, and allowing the King’s values to reshape moral conduct in a world often governed by competing loyalties. As disciples of Christ the Prophet, Christians are summoned to sit at His feet, learning from His words of grace and truth, and remaining teachable even when His teaching challenges cultural assumptions or personal comfort. Like Nicodemus, who urged fair hearing before judgment (John 7:50–51), disciples cultivate humility and openness to truth, refusing the Pharisees’ error of dismissing Jesus because of fear of the crowd. In practice, this life of Kingdom membership and discipleship calls for courageous faithfulness – bearing witness to Christ – while walking in the humility and love he modeled. By coming to Jesus and drinking the living water he promises (John 7:37-38), believers receive the Holy Spirit, who empowers them to live out this identity: producing the fruit of the Kingdom inwardly and outwardly, glorifying the Father, and drawing others to the King who is also the true Teacher. Thus, confessing Jesus as Christ and Prophet is far more than a mere doctrinal affirmation; it is a lifelong vocation to belong fully to His Kingdom and to follow Him as devoted disciples in every sphere of life.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the Anointed One who reigns at the right hand of

the Father. You bring the gift of eternal life and the joy of salvation to the world. Grant me this

gift today and the joy that springs from love.

Living the Word of God: How can I imitate Nicodemus’ defense of Jesus and his teaching today? What can I learn from the prophetic teaching of Jesus? How am I called to profess my faith in Jesus to others? How can I honor Jesus today?