Gospel
John 7:40-53
40 Of that multitude therefore, when they had heard these words of his, some said: This is the prophet indeed.
41 Others said: This is the Christ. But some said: Doth the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Doth not the scripture say: That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was? 43 So there arose a dissension among the people because of him. 44 And some of them would have apprehended him: but no man laid hands on him. 45 The ministers therefore came to the chief priests and the Pharisees. And they said to them: Why have you not brought him?
46 The ministers answered: Never did man speak like this man. 47 The Pharisees therefore answered them: Are you also seduced? 48 Hath any one of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees? 49 But this multitude, that knoweth not the law, are accursed. 50 Nicodemus said to them, (he that came to him by night, who was one of them:)
51 Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth? 52 They answered, and said to him: Art thou also a Galilean? Search the scriptures, and see, that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not. 53 And every man returned to his own house.
It certainly does seem incredible in today’s Gospel just how myopic the Pharisees were! Could it be that these experts on the writings and traditions of Judaism did not recognize Jesus? Could it be that they see Him fulfilling every prophesy to prove He was the Messiah, but refused to believe in Him because of a technicality? I don’t know. I do know that several Jewish friends of mine have gone to Law School and some have become attorneys. While I would not wish to disparage the entire Jewish race by comparing them to lawyers… I can only say that these friends of mine seem to enjoy few things more than debating technicalities! I find it hard to believe that the Pharisees denied the Christ just due to His hometown. They also deny His lineage, but we must wonder how hard they tried to learn the origins of Jesus.
It seems most likely that the Pharisees chose to deny Jesus, no matter what evidence they witnessed. Why would they do this? Well, the simplest answers are most often the most accurate. Human nature is generally motivated by pride, greed and lust. I suppose we could remove lust from this list. But, their pride in their authority and their job security and incomes were certainly threatened by our Lord. If He was the Messiah, He would turn everything on its head and they may be out of positions. That seems so mundane, doesn’t it?
Well, how often in life have we compromised based on employment or social status? We know that unnecessary work is forbidden on Sunday. How often do we explain that to our employer and ask the day off if possible? How often do with mow the lawn of do other chores on Sunday? How often to do we “bite our tongues” and fail to speak about our faith or moral issues in social situations for fear of condemnation? How often have we turned a blind eye to politicians who promote policies that oppose Christian morality? If we really think about it, each of us has likely failed in our religious duty more times than we would like to admit, going along with the crowd, failing to act, witness or resist. And, that doesn’t even count the many acts of charity we should have performed but didn't due to laziness or discomfort.
The way the Pharisees reacted to Nicodemus shows us that peer pressure and group think were very much in force. Few dared to speak up. It reminds me of how no one stood up for the kid being bullied in junior high…. Or politics, including church politics. It reminds me of Fr. Pavone being removed from the priesthood. Sure, the denial of Christ by the Pharisees is an extreme example, but humanity never changes.
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.
So true! You are spot on, and I am guilty myself!!!