John 7:40-43, Division Among the People

40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This really is the Prophet." 41 Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" 43 So there was a division among the people over him.

As always, Jesus causes division among the people. Some, upon hearing his words about being the source of living water, may have been reminded of how Moses gave people living water from the rock in the wilderness. Therefore, they associate Jesus with the Prophet that Moses promised God would send his people (Deuteronomy 18:15). Others argue that they should consider Jesus to be the Christ, the promised Messiah. Yet there is a problem. All who know the prophecies (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 89:3-4; Isaiah 9:7; Micah 5:2) know that the Messiah is to come from the line of David and will be born in Bethlehem. Jesus, however, comes from Galilee.

John knows Jesus was born in Bethlehem and is from the line of David. Yet like Jesus, he leaves this fact unstated. Why do both of them refrain from giving this vital fulfillment of the messianic prophecies? In the case of John, he follows Jesus’ lead. In Jesus’ case, we can only surmise that in this context he purposefully refrains to allow for his coming execution. He will not defend himself, so to speak, by producing his birth certificate.

Have you ever wanted Jesus to produce his birth certificate for you? By this I mean prove his legitimacy to you. As Jesus told Nicodemus, that is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The Spirit turns us toward Jesus and shines a light on him that we may believe.

O God, who teaches the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP p. 227, modified)