Verse 41... And Ovii said, "Does Christ come from Galilee?"3 But He was not born in Galilee either.

Verse 42. Did not the Scriptures say, "From the seed of David, and from the whole of Bethlehem, where David, the Christ will come?4 But He was also from there, and it was only out of malice that the Jews called Nazareth His homeland, whence was His Mother and His father, lest on the basis of this prophecy they should believe in Jesus Christ, if they said that He was from Bethlehem.

Verse 43. For there was strife among the people for His sake,5 because every party disputed its opinion.

Verse 44. And some of them wanted to eat Him:...,6 precisely as a troublemaker.

Verse 44... but no one laid down the hands of Nan,7 which were invisibly restrained, as was shown above.

Verses 45-46. And the servants came to the bishop and the Pharisee, and said unto them, Why do ye not bring Him? And the servants answered, "Thus hath a man spoken, for this is the man.8 They went to bind Jesus Christ, but they returned, bound in wonder, to His words. And so, those who sent, although they heard many of His words, saw many miracles, read prophecies about Him and were considered wise, did not take advantage of this in the least, while those who were sent quite the opposite – they were captivated only by the conversation of Jesus Christ to the people, since they still had an uncorrupted mind. And it is not only their prudence that should be marveled at, but also their boldness. They do not say, "We have let Jesus Christ go so that there may be no rebellion among the people," nor do they invent any other excuse, but speak the truth plainly and declare His wisdom.

Verse 47. For the Pharisee answered them, "Food, and ye are deceived?"9 What mad envy! They should have asked and found out what Jesus Christ taught, but they did not wait for it, but immediately flattered them, sparing them and not allowing them to be harsh, for fear that they would not cling to Jesus Christ at all.

Verses 48-49. Who is the food of the prince who believes in Him, or of the Pharisees? But this people, who are not the message of the law.10 That the people believed, and you did not believe, is a still greater condemnation to you. The law here is generally called the entire Scripture.

Verse 49... Curse the essence.1 But the law cursed those who rejected the law. Therefore cursed are you who reject the law, but they keep the law by believing in Jesus Christ, because the law commands you to believe in God.

Verses 50-51. Nicodemus said to them, who came to Him in the night, the only one of them: "Does our law judge a man, if he does not hear from him first, and understands what he is doing?"2 The Evangelist added, "He is one of them," in order to show that some of the rulers also believed, although they themselves said that none of the rulers believed in Him. Thus, Nicodemus convicts them of breaking the law, although secretly and cautiously, since he did not yet have the proper courage to say so. If the law does not condemn before they hear and know, and they condemn Him before they hear and know, then they have broken the law.

Verse 52. And she answered and said to him, 'Thou art food also from Galilee?3 Do you not help Him because you come from the same country and homeland with Him? Look how strictly and harshly they answer.

Verse 52... Try and see, that a prophet does not come from Galilee.4 But Nicodemus did not say that Jesus Christ was a prophet, but only that he should not condemn him without investigating the matter; but they haughtily say, "Examine and learn, for you do not know the Scriptures." But if he did not know the Scriptures, how did he convict you of breaking the law? It should be noted that there are no further words, beginning with this passage even up to the words: "And Jesus spake unto them," saying, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12), in more precise lists there are either no words at all, or they are enclosed between the dash. Therefore, they seem to be incorrectly ascribed and added, as evidenced by the fact that Chrysostom does not mention them at all. We must, however, try to explain these words as well, since what is contained in this section is not without use, such as the chapter on the woman taken in adultery.

Verse 53. And he went to his house,5 being angry at the words of Nicodemus, and fearing lest any other of the rulers should say the same.