Catena Aurea

40. Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.

41. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?

42. Hath not the Scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

43. So there was a division among the people because of him.

44. And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.

45. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?

46. The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.

47. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?

48. Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?

49. But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.

50. Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)

51. Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?

52. They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.

53. And every man went unto his own house.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiii. 1) Our Lord having invited those, who believed in Him, to drink of the Holy Spirit, a dissension arose among the multitude: Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.

THEOPHYLACT. The one, that is, who was expected. Others, i. e. the people said, This is the Christ.

ALCUIN. These had now begun to drink in that spiritual thirst1, and had laid aside the unbelieving thirst. But others still remained dried up in their unbelief: But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the Scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? They knew what were the predictions of the Prophets respecting Christ, but knew not that they all were fulfilled in Him. They knew that He had been brought up at Nazareth, but the place of His birth they did not know; and did not believe that it answered to the prophecies.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. li. 2.) But be it so, they knew not His birth-place: were they ignorant also of His extraction? that He was of the house and family of David? Why did they ask, Hath not the Scripture said, that Christ cometh of the seed of David? They wished to conceal His extraction, and therefore put forward where He had been educated. For this reason, they do not go to Christ and ask, How say the Scriptures that Christ must come from Bethlehem, whereas Thou comest from Galilee? purposely and of malice prepense they do not do this. And because they were thus inattentive, and indifferent about knowing the truth, Christ did not answer them: though He had lauded Nathanael, when he said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? and called Him an Israelite indeed, as being a lover of truth, and well learned in the ancient Scriptures.

So there was a division among the people concerning Him.

THEOPHYLACT. Not among the rulers; for they were resolved one way, viz. not to acknowledge Him as Christ. The more moderate of them only used malicious words, in order to oppose Christ’s path to glory; but the more malignant wished to lay hands on Him: And some of them would have taken Him.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. li. 2) The Evangelist says this to shew, that they had no concern for, and no anxiety to learn, the truth.

But no man laid hands on Him.

ALCUIN. That is, because He Who had the power to control their designs, did not permit it.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. li. 2) This were sufficient to have raised some compunction in them; but no, such malignity believes nothing; it looks only to one thing, blood.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiii. 1) They however who were sent to take Him, returned guiltless of the offence, and full of admiration: Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought Him?

ALCUIN. They who wished to take and stone Him, reprove the officers for not bringing Him.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 1) The Pharisees and Scribes profited nothing by seeing the miracles, and reading the Scriptures; but their officers, who had done neither, were captivated with once hearing Him; and they who went to take hold of Him, were themselves taken hold of by the miracle. Nor did they say, We could not because of the multitude: but made themselves proclaimers of Christ’s wisdom: The officers answered, Never man spake like this Man.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiii. 1) He spoke thus, because He was both God and man.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 1) Not only is their wisdom to be admired, for not wanting miracles, but being convinced by His teaching only, (for they do not say, Never man did such miracles as this Man, but, Never man spake like this Man,) but also their boldness, in saying this to the Pharisees, who were such enemies of Christ. They had not heard a long discourse, but minds unprepossessed against Him did not require one.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiii. 1) The Pharisees however rejected their testimony: Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also led away? As if to say, We see that you are charmed by His discourse.

ALCUIN. And so they were led away; and laudably too, for they had left the evil of unbelief, and were gone over to the faith.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 1) They make use of the most foolish argument against them: Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him? but this people who knoweth not the law are cursed? This then was their ground of accusation, that the people believed, but they themselves did not.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiii. 1) They who knew not the law, believed on Him who had given the law, and they who taught the law condemned Him; thus fulfilling our Lord’s words, I am come, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind. (c. 19:39)

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 1) How then are they cursed, who are convinced by the law? Rather are ye cursed, who have not observed the law.

THEOPHYLACT. The Pharisees answer the officers courteously and gently; because they are afraid of their forthwith separating from them, and joining Christ.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 1) As they said that none of the rulers believed on Him, the Evangelist contradicts them: Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them.)

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiii. 1) He was not unbelieving, but fearful; and therefore came by night to the light, wishing to be enlightened, but afraid of being known to go. He replies, Doth our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he doeth? He thought that, if they would only hear Him patiently, they would be overcome, as the officers had been. But they preferred obstinately condemning Him, to knowing the truth.

AUGUSTINE. He calls the law of God, our law; because it was given to men.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 1, 2) Nicodemus shews that they knew the law, and did not act according to the law. They, instead of disproving this, take to rude and angry contradiction: They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee?

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiii. 2) i. e. led away by a Galilean. Our Lord was called a Galilean, because His parents were of the town of Nazareth; I mean by parents, Mary.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 2.) Then, by way of insult, they direct Him to the Scriptures, as if He were ignorant of them; Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet: as if to say, Go, learn what the Scriptures say.

ALCUIN. They knew the place where He had resided, but never thought of enquiring where He was born; and therefore they not only denied that He was the Messiah, but even that He was a prophet.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiii. 2.) No prophet indeed ariseth out of Galilee, but the Lord of prophets arose thence.

And every man went unto his own house.

ALCUIN. Having effected nothing, devoid of faith, and therefore incapable of being benefited, they returned to their home of unbelief and ungodliness.