John 7:52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
Search and Look
For just about anyone who has known the Lord Jesus for any length of time, there are times when the Lord seems out of character. There are times when it is hard to reconcile what we know of the Lord Jesus to what we see Him doing in our lives. This is partly because what we see is so limited in its scope and perspective.
We read in John 7 about a debate among the people about Who Jesus was. There were those who said He was a prophet. Some said He was the Christ. But some said, “Shall Christ come out of Galilee?” And they followed that up by saying, “Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” Later the Pharisees said, “Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”
So here was a worthwhile debate between the Pharisees and those who were inclined to believe the Lord Jesus. Three or four times in this passage the Scriptures are invoked. The Pharisees themselves pointed to the Scriptures on a couple of occasions. They said, “Search, and look.” They knew from the Scriptures that Messiah was to come out of Bethlehem and that Jesus was of Galilee. They had a problem. So they gave good advice, “Search and look.”
They had searched the Scriptures, but was that enough? Did they have the answer? The answer is “no.” Their advice, “Search and look,” was good so far as it went, but it was obviously not enough because it did not answer their question.
The Pharisees thought Messiah was supposed to be born in Bethlehem and Jesus was not from Bethlehem. Well, yes He was. He was born in Bethlehem, but raised elsewhere. That was an apparent contradiction that could easily have been handled if they had searched the Scriptures with an attitude of faith and an open heart.
Perhaps you have some question about the Lord Jesus yourself. If so, you need to search the Scriptures with curiosity, faith, and an open Bible. God will give answers to those who seek the Scriptures with a submissive heart. When Jesus is unclear to you, search and look with an open heart.