Gospel: John 7:40-53
Many who had been listening to these words began to say, “This is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some wondered, “Would the Christ come from Galilee? Doesn’t Scripture say that the Christ is a descendant of David and from Bethlehem, the city of David?” The crowd was divided over him. Some wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.The officers of the temple went back to the chief priests, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man.” The Pharisees then said, “So you, too, have been led astray! Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees believed in him? Only these cursed people, who have no knowledge of the law!” Yet one of them, Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier, spoke out, “Does our law condemn people without first hearing them and knowing the facts?” They replied, “Do you, too, come from Galilee? Look it up and see for yourself that no prophet is to come from Galilee.” And they all went home.
Reflections
“No one ever spoke like this man.”Jesus catches the attention of each one in the Temple. They do not know how to handle him. To those who believe he is a prophet, he must be treated as such. They should be careful what to do with him. Otherwise, they will be condemning an innocent man.To those who know their little faith in him argue that he cannot be a prophet because he is a Galilean, though he can do wonderful things.To those who do not give him an inch, even a benefit of the doubt, like the elders and Sadducees, he must be arrested and eliminated. Such person should not be allowed to disturb their peace and the status quo.Jesus can be a source of controversy. Until now, we have different views of Jesus. It depends on where we are coming from. Catholics can avoid being embroiled in useless debates if they study their faith, the scriptures and truly have a sense of belongingness to the Church. We get Jesus wrong if one of these elements is absent. We can do harm to our faith and to others when we just say anything about Jesus without knowing his context.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019
