Pride and Prejudice

Gospel JN 7:40-53

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.

Many of the Jews were in denial about Jesus identity.  They flat out refused to believe that the Christ could come from Galilee.  Was there something about Galilee that made it impossible for Christ to come from there? Apparently so.  The Judeans looked down on their "country cousins" to the north.  Galileans were even ridiculed for their accents.  They were considered second-class Jews because they weren't terribly strict with their observance  of Jewish ritual and tradition.  Prejudice against Galileans was strong, not unlike, our own prejudices.  You graduated from a community college?  You're not smart enough.  You're a woman and your running for President?  The country isn't ready for that.  You're gay and you want to attend my church?  That lifestyle is sinful - you can't come here.  Lord Jesus, help me to see others as they really are - children of God, just like me.