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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_7:40-44
40Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, "This certainly is the Prophet." 41Others were saying, "This is the Christ." Still others were saying, "Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? 42Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" 43So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. 44Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
Joh_7:40 "This certainly is the prophet" This is an allusion to the Messianic promise of Moses that is found in Deu_18:15; Deu_18:18. Many recognized Jesus as a prophet (cf. Joh_4:19; Joh_6:14; Joh_9:17; Mat_21:11). They recognized Jesus' power, but misunderstood His person and work. Islam also uses this title for Jesus, but misunderstands His message.
Joh_7:41 "Others were saying, 'This is the Christ'" This shows that the term "Christ" is equivalent to the Hebrew term "Messiah," which means "an anointed one." In the OT kings, priests, and prophets were anointed as a sign of God's calling and equipping. See hyperlinkin the Bible at Joh_11:2.
▣ "Still others were saying, 'Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He'" The Greek grammatical construction expects a "no" answer to this question. But what about Isa_9:1?
Joh_7:42 The grammatical construction of this question expects a "yes" answer.
▣ "descendant of David" (cf. 2 Samuel 7; Mat_21:9; Mat_22:42).
▣ "from Bethlehem, the village where David was" This is another use of irony (cf. Mic_5:2-3 and Mat_2:5-6).
Joh_7:43 Jesus and His message always caused a division (cf. Joh_7:48-52; Joh_9:16; Joh_10:19; Mat_10:34-39; Luk_12:51-53). This is the mystery of the parable of the soils (cf. Matthew 13). Some have spiritual ears and some do not (cf. Mat_10:27; Mat_11:15; Mat_13:9; Mat_13:15 (twice), 16,43; Mar_4:9; Mar_4:23; Mar_7:16; Mar_8:18; Luk_8:8; Luk_14:35).