Galilee

““Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? […] You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”—John 7:41, 52 NASB

Many Judeans looked down on people from Galilee. They felt superior since the time of Joshua when areas of Galilee remained under the influence of native people.

When the Jewish population went into exile, the influence of non-Jews intensified. At times, the Galilean area had a different political structure. Judeans even felt Galileans had an inferior accent.

Jesus faced these kinds of prejudices when He came to Jerusalem because He was from Galilee. Some received His message, concluding that He was “the Prophet” (v. 40). But others rejected Him because He came from Galilee.

When the chief priests and Pharisees asked their officers why they had not brought Jesus to them, they responded, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks” (v. 46).

But the religious leaders wondered if these officers had been “led astray” (v. 47). To them, Jesus could not be the Messiah! Demonstrating prejudice, these leaders claimed that the crowd was “accursed” (v. 49).

It can be easy to criticize these leaders. But even now it is possible to have these types of prejudices.

Search your heart and mind. Do you have biases and prejudices that prevent you from hearing from God? Are you open to the movement of His Spirit, or blinded by your assumptions?

Ask God to speak to you afresh.

Reflection Question:What prejudices do you need to change in your own heart?