The importance of reality

When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” (John 7: 40-53)

Presumption, that is, thinking you know more than others or better than them, can be a great obstacle between people, but also between mankind and God. In fact, presumptuous persons confuse their own will with that of God, failing to properly assess their own shortcomings. Some Pharisees were already prejudiced against Jesus, as a native of Galilee. Moreover, they did not want to confront reality by listening directly to Jesus as Nicodemus wisely advised them to do. Do we want to face reality and the Word of God or do we prefer to stay in our comfort zones and worldly thinking?