A Study of John 7:40-44

“When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.”

John 7:40–44 ESV

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

As the crowd in the Jerusalem temple court heard Jesus claiming to be the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies and the one true source of eternal, spiritual satisfaction and meaning, some said, “This really is the Prophet.” Some people said that He is the Christ, but others pointed out that the Christ was not to come from Galilee, but rather, the Christ was prophesied to be a descendant of David, from the hometown of David; the village of Bethlehem in Judea. Because of this the crowd was hotly divided in their opinions about Jesus, and although some people wanted to arrest Jesus, no one laid hands on Him.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

In the verses previous to these, Jesus stood up in the Jerusalem temple court on the last day of the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles (aka Succoth) and proclaimed in a loud voice, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”. By “living water,” Jesus meant the Holy Spirit, whom those who believe in Him receive immediately upon obtaining salvation through faith in Him. As Jesus said this, the Feast of Booths was drawing to a close, but for the past week the people had been celebrating and thanking Yahweh for His miraculous provision of water for their ancestors during the wilderness journey of Exodus.

During this festival celebration, the people were also looking forward to the future fulfillment of Messianic prophecy which promised to usher in an age in which water would flow from Jerusalem, satisfying and exceeding all physical and spiritual thirsts of all people everywhere. It was during this time of reflection and expectation that Jesus stood up and proclaimed Himself to be the fulfillment of all these prophecies. And with this proclamation, Jesus told all of us that He alone is the one who can satisfy our deep seated longing for ultimate and lasting satisfaction. He is the God who made us to enjoy a loving, personal relationship with Him; and to paraphrase the North African theologian Augustine, our restless hearts will remain so until we find rest in Him (Jesus), because He made us for Himself.

Now, we resume our study in verse 40, where we read of the crowd who heard Jesus, “When they heard these words, some of the people said, ‘This really is the Prophet.’”. As we will see, Jesus divided opinion here, and there are a few different reactions to Jesus’ words in this passage; but first we must determine what the people meant by saying Jesus really is “the Prophet.” This has come up before in John’s gospel account. In John 6, Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of thousands of people with only five barley loaves and two fish. Because of His miraculous multiplication of this scant amount of food, once everyone had eaten their fill, there were twelve baskets of barley bread left over. In response to this miracle they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (John 6:14).

This miracle of bread and fish brought the miracles Yahweh performed through Moses, to give their ancestors bread from heaven, to the mind of the people. As they recalled this, they also remembered the prophecy of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 18:15 which says, “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your countrymen, and to him you shall listen.” Some people at this time identified the “Prophet” prophesied of by Moses as the Messiah that was promised to come. So, while Jesus’ miraculous provision of bread in John 6 brought the miracles of Yahweh through Moses to mind, this pronouncement of providing living water likely also brought Moses to mind because of how Yahweh miraculously provided their ancestors with water from a rock in the wilderness. Because of this, some of the people wondered or even believed Jesus was this long awaited Messianic Prophet.

Next, while some may have identified the Prophet that was to come as the same person as the Messiah, in the first century AD, many people separated the Messiah and Prophet into two different figures who would come at or around the same time. For this reason, in verse 41, others differentiate between the Prophet and say, “No, this is the Christ.” In other words, “This is the Messiah.” This being the case, according to D.A. Carson’s commentary on this verse, Christians were likely the first to retrospectively identify Jesus as both the promised Messiah and Prophet because He so perfectly fulfilled both of these prophecies. This is similar to how no one had connected the suffering servant prophecies in places like Isaiah 52-53 with the royal Messianic prophecies until Jesus explained these things after His resurrection (Luke 24:44-47).

As some began to think Jesus may be the Christ, others raised objections saying, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”. These people in the crowd rightly noted it was prophesied that the Messiah would be a descendent from the line of King David (2 Samuel 7:12–16; Psalms. 89:3–4; Isaiah. 9:7; 55:3), and would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the hometown of David. However, Jesus had spent much of His life with His family in the region of Galilee, first in the town of Nazareth, and later in the larger town of Capernaum. So, the people who asked these questions clearly knew something of the Scriptures, and something of Jesus, but their conclusion reveals their broader ignorance, and with it, provides us with yet more of the classic Johannine irony. Importantly though, why were they wrong?

First, “out of” refers to one’s birthplace or origin, not to where one currently lives. So, while Jesus had moved with His family to the region of Galilee, He was first born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-7), and He is a descendant of David (Matthew 1:1-17, Romans 1:3). John, the gospel writer, does not explicitly explain this because he wrote this gospel to people who were already familiar with Jesus’ origin (both heavenly and earthly), and ironic statements that are explicitly communicated can hardly be called irony. This knowledge of Jesus’ birth and lineage had already been made known by the time John wrote this eyewitness account, and he saw no need to explicitly say what was obvious to his readers. This irony is for the benefit of the reader who has already read and learned of Jesus’ heavenly and earthly origin.

With this knowledge, as we read of these people’s problems with Jesus, we can see their conclusions are incorrect because they are based on incomplete or false information. The prophecies they cited as reasons why Jesus could not be the Messiah actually serve to prove His Messiahship. Having read this far in John’s gospel, we as readers know Jesus came from heaven and was born in Bethlehem And from John 1:10-11, the fact that these people reject Jesus based on petty quibbles and false information shows they belong to the world that so readily rejects Jesus and refuses to acknowledge Him as Christ and God. Even after hearing Him teach, and witnessing His many, varied miracles, they still found erroneous bits of minutiae to focus on instead of what was most obvious.

Jesus is the one and only, unique Son of God. No one ever spoke like Him, and no one did the things He did by fulfilling hundreds of prophecies, and miraculously feeding, healing, and even resurrecting people. Surely He is the Son of God; Yahweh incarnate.

Importantly, our questions are welcome with God, but He is the infinite One who created all things. We will always have more questions. So, we must believe what is plain to see, and bring our questions with us as we enter into a life-long and eternal relationship with our loving Savior wherein we will never lack for new, beautiful things to learn about Him.

In light of these differing opinions, verse 43 says, “So there was a division among the people over him.” The word translated as “division” here is “schisma” in the original Greek, from which we get our English word “schism”. This tells us there was more than simply a cordial disagreement, but rather, there was a near violent division among the people over Jesus. This vehement division did not arise because Jesus said anything wrong or because He spoke the truth in an abrasive, inflammatory manner. In everything Jesus says and does, He is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). This division arose in response to the perfectly truthful, gracious words and deeds of Jesus. This is seen again and again in response to Jesus throughout John’s gospel, and it is the response Christians today can still expect while being faithful to graciously share the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus warned about this in passages such as John 3:20, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”, or Matthew 10:34-36, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.” Before coming to faith in Jesus, we exist spiritually dead in our sin. When the light of Jesus first shines truth into our life, He exposes our sinfulness, and we do not like this. It takes a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit for us to humbly admit we are sinners and to accept Jesus’ free gift of forgiveness and salvation. As we share the light and truth of Jesus, with love and grace by the power of His Spirit working in and through us, we need to expect division to arise; division between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of this world.

When we submit to and believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are rescued from slavery to and citizenship in a world condemned to perish, and we are raised to new life as children and citizens of God’s kingdom. And whether the people around us can articulate it or not, we have become members of a different kingdom; the Kingdom of Heaven. This will cause division between us and people who do not follow Jesus, even the members of our own household. This division will look different in every situation but it can range from mockery all the way to violence. This is how the world responded to Jesus, and as we follow Jesus, we need to know the world will respond to us in the same way. 

So, the important question is, will the threat of division keep us away from Jesus? As we contemplate this decision we should consider yet more words from Jesus in Matthew 10:37-39 where He also said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

By this Jesus does not mean we shouldn’t love our unbelieving family and friends. On the contrary, following Jesus should cause us to love them more. What Jesus is saying is that we must love Him more than anyone else. It is only by giving Jesus the preeminence in our heart that we will be able to love others rightly. It is only by loving Jesus, the very source of all love, more than anything else, that we can truly love people, even when they distance themselves or begin to hate us because of our love for Jesus.. 

Lastly, from verse 44 we also learn that because of this some people wanted to arrest Jesus, but no one laid hands on Him. This is another allusion to the “His hour had not yet come” motif seen throughout John’s gospel. This is one of many times where there was a strong desire to arrest Jesus, but the aggrieved parties were unable to arrest Him because it was not yet time for His arrest and execution. Jesus knew what He was getting into when He came to earth. He is God incarnate. He willingly chose to come to us as fully human and fully God to provide a way of salvation for all who believe. And He knew this would only come by way of the cross. He knew when He came to us, some would believe, but most would hate Him and eventually crucify Him. 

In spite of this, He selflessly and willingly chose not to use certain aspects of His power, and submitted to this kind of treatment to save us who would believe. As we follow Him, are we willing to pick up our cross, and face what comes from the division the message of Jesus causes between us and the world’s doomed kingdom we have forsaken and been rescued out of? Are we willing to face shame, mockery or even violence, like Jesus was, to share this same message of hope with others?

As we face the division caused between us and the world by our believing loyalty to King Jesus the Christ, we should also note that such division should not exist among us and fellow followers of Jesus. While the message of Jesus causes division in this world, ultimately it is a unifying message for His people. As Jesus was soon to go to the cross He prayed for all who did and would follow Him in John 17:21-23, asking “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

Much could be said about this passage, but for now, let us simply consider the fact that ultimately the message of Jesus is a unifying one. All people are called and invited to accept peace with God, and by extension with each other, by unifying around Jesus Christ. While we lament the division experienced in this world, let us who follow Jesus strive for unity here with other disciples of Him, and look forward to the perfect unity that awaits us in His eternal kingdom.

Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

As we read of the division among the crowd in the temple court, we should consider how this pattern persists today in response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus causes division because He came to establish His kingdom and overthrow the sinful, fallen and condemned kingdom of this world. Our allegiance must be to Christ above all else, no matter what division is caused between us and the world. Are we prepared to face the division caused by believing in Jesus while we reside on Earth? Are we prepared to respond to such division with love and grace? Are we prepared to seek the unity Jesus wants us to have with our fellow Christian now?

These things are only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. It requires supernatural love from outside of us to respond to mockery or even violence with grace. Lord Jesus please help us to respond with love, and to seek peace and unity with all people.

Self Reflection:

1. How have I responded to division that has arisen because of my faith in Jesus in the past?

2. Am I willing to face unpleasant or even violent reactions because of my loyalty to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior? How can I prepare to respond to such things with love and grace?

3. What does Jesus’ willingness to face even a torturous death on a cross to save me tell me about His love for me and for the whole world?

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage (Source: Logos Exegetical Guide and Blue Letter Bible Interlinear):

-Really: “ἀληθῶς”, “alēthōs”; adverb | emphatic adverb – truly, really, most certainly.

-Prophet: “προφήτης”, “prophētēs”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine | predicate nominative – foreteller; prophet; inspired speaker; That illustrious prophet whom the Jews (apparently on the ground of Deuteronomy 18:15) expected to arise just before the Messiah’s advent.

-Christ: “χριστός”, “christos”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine | predicate nominative – Christ = “anointed”, “Messiah”; of the Messiah. 

-Galilee: “Γαλιλαίας”, “Galilaias”; noun, genitive, singular, feminine | proper name – Galilee = “circle” or “circuit.” the name of a region of northern Palestine, bounded on the north by Syria, on the west by Sidon, Tyre, Ptolemais and their territories and the promontory of Carmel, on the south by Samaria and on the east by the Jordan. It was divided into Upper Galilee and Lower Galilee.

-Scripture: “γραφὴ”, “graphē”; noun, nominative, singular, feminine | subject – the holy scripture (of the O. T.), — and used to denote either the book itself, or its contents [some would restrict the singular γραφή always to a particular passage].

-Offspring: “σπέρματος”, “spermatos”; noun, genitive, singular, neuter | prepositional object – seed, descendants, progeny.

-David: “Δαυίδ”, “Dauid”; noun, genitive, singular, masculine | proper name – David, the second king of Israel, and ancestor of Jesus Christ.

-Bethlehem: “Βηθλέεμ”, “Bēthleem”; noun, genitive, singular, feminine | proper name – Bethlehem = “house of bread”; a village about six miles (10 km) south of Jerusalem.

-A Division: “σχίσμα”, “schisma”; noun, nominative, singular, neuter | subject – schism, division, dissension.

-To Arrest: “πιάσαι”, “piasai”; verb, aorist, active, infinitive | substantival infinitive – seize, take into custody, to lay hold of, to apprehend.

-Laid: “ἐπέβαλεν”, “epebalen”; verb, aorist, active, indicative, third person, singular | finite verb – lay a hand on, to cast upon, to throw one’s self upon; used of seizing one to lead him off as a prisoner.
-Hands: “χεῖρας”, “cheiras”; noun, accusative, plural, feminine | direct object – hand, power, means.