43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.
Verses 43-45 link various stories in chapter 4. In verse 43 Jesus resumed His trip to the north of Israel.
4:43
Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.
Jesus stayed with the Samaritans in Sychar for two days and then proceeded north to Galilee (4:40).
4:44
For
“For” explains Jesus’ motivation for returning to Galilee. The Samaritans accepted Him as Savior, but a few would believe on Him in Galilee.
Jesus Himself testified
Jesus was not surprised by the Galileans’ rejection of Him as Savior. He went to Galilee knowing the hostility He would face there.
that a prophet has no honor in his own country [Galilee].
Jesus had no “honor” with His own people (Mt 13:57; Mr 6:4). Although Jesus grew up among the Galileans, they did not believe on Him. This is a stark contrast to the Samaritans, who embraced Jesus as Savior.
4:45
So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him,
The word “received” means welcomed. The Galileans welcomed Jesus because they saw His miracle at the feast in Jerusalem. This welcome does not imply that they became genuine believers in Christ.
having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast;
The Galileans were impressed by Jesus’ cleansing of the temple during the Passover (Jn 2:13-22). They merely believed in Him as a miracle worker who turned water into wine. Their interest was sensationalism. This shallow and superficial approach rested merely on curiosity, not trust in Christ.
for they also had gone to the feast.
The Galileans had gone to the feast in Jerusalem when Jesus cleansed the temple.
PRINCIPLE:
Not all belief is genuine.
APPLICATION:
There are many people who believe by their emotions rather than by discerning what is true. Many phony preachers create sensationalism to make it appear that their message is true. True biblical Christianity rests on the message of Christ (Jn 4:41-42).
