Separate Houses

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. (John 7:40-53)

“Each went to his own house.”  That’s quite an outcome we all witness in today’s society and culture with politics and religion creating separate houses with wicked arguments between the householders of different factions.  There is division as all sides argue against each other as to who are the true prophets and who are the accursed deceivers.

The words of Jesus are strange to many ears that care not to hear.  Do we hear?  Moreover, where do each of us come from?  Do we reside with Jesus whether from Bethlehem or Galilee? It does not really matter.  What does matter is where we follow him.  Or better stated: “Do we follow him as the Christ, or do we follow accursed deceivers?

Deacon David Pierce