No good can come from those people

One of the themes of today’s Gospel (John 7:40-53) is something of a prejudice against Galileans: Jesus cannot be the Christ because he is from Galilee.

This echoes Nathanael’s remark from the very first chapter of this Gospel (verse 46)

"Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

And when Nicodemus tries to stand up for fairness, he is smacked down.

"Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?"
They answered and said to him,
"You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."

Then each went to his own house.

Although we need to be prudent in the dangerous day and age, we would do well not to shut our ears and hearts to people and withdraw to our insular cliques, but rather to follow the example of Nicodemus: to listen, to be fair, and to seek the will of the Lord.