John 7:45-52
Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.
47 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”
Micah 5:1-5
A Promised Ruler from Bethlehem
1 Marshal your troops, O city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel's ruler
on the cheek with a rod.
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times. "
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be their peace.
Matthew 2:6
The Shepherd of His People
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”
Jesus did things like no other Man has done...He did miracles, especially many healing miracles...But He also spoke like no one has ever spoken before...The temple guards were supposed to bring Jesus back to the chief priests and Pharisees, maybe to have Him arrested...But they did not...Their reason, for not bringing Him back, was that “No one ever spoke the way this man does.”...In fact, no one before Him, or now after Him has ever spoken like He did...He had complete command man's language, because He created man...He knew and knows exactly what to say, and when to say it...He is from God...
The Pharisees and the chief priests accused the temple guards of being deceived...But they were not deceived, because Jesus teaches and speaks the Truth...When the guards heard Him, they must have believed what they heard...They heard the Truth coming from Him...So they could not arrest One, who was teaching and telling the Truth -and somehow they understood (either by Jesus or by God) they were not to bring Him back to the Pharisees...When Jesus speaks and the mind is open to what He is saying and teaching, there is this connection to Truth...Truth is like that...Truth is what we believe in...Or put another way, why would we believe in anything that we do not think is true...This is what the temple guards heard, and could not quite put their finger on and so they said “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” (and they were right)...
The Pharisees then say that the mob is somehow cursed...The crowd doesn't understand...Only they themselves, the Pharisees know the Law, the others do not...
Then Nicodemus, also a Pharisee, who came to Jesus one night (John 3), tries to defend Jesus...Nicodemus says that that their law does not condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing...He wanted to hear more of what Jesus had to say...But the majority of the Pharisees did not want to hear Jesus and ask Nicodemus questions about Him...The ask Nicodemus if he was from Galilee too...They said that if we look into it, no prophet comes from Galilee...Nazareth was a town in Galilee...The little town of Nazareth was one of the villages in Galilee....Jonah, the Prophet, son of Amittai appears in 2 Kings 14:25 is called a "prophet" and was from Gath-Hepher (a few miles north of Nazareth)...Most think this Prophet Jonah, is one and the same prophet that was swallowed by the great fish...So, it is possible the Pharisees are not clear on this (no prophet coming from Galilee), and maybe not clear on Jesus being born in Bethlehem, because they did not want to hear or believe where He was really from and what He rally taught...Their minds were closed and made up...Jesus was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth...And for some reason they think and keep their focus on Him being from Galilee, and not being born in Bethlehem...
As the Prophet Micah told where the promised Messiah would be born...And it was Bethlehem Ephrathah, or Bethlehem...Micah centuries earlier said out of the small clan of Judah, would rise a ruler over Israel...This Man would stand and shepherd His flock, the people of Israel, in the strength and majesty of the LORD, His God...His True Greatness would reach the ends of the whole earth...And one of the reasons the gospel reached the ends of the earth, was the way He spoke...No One ever spoke like He has...This is worth repeating, no man will ever speak like He did...If God were to send His Son to Shepherd us, we should expect him to utter the greatest words like no other ever would speak...He would speak the greatest words ever told...