What does John 7:42 mean?
Some people have seen Jesus' miracles, listened to His words, and concluded that He is everything He claims to be (John 7:31; 7:40–41). Others are confused by Jewish traditions and reject Jesus' role as the Messiah as a result (John 5:27). Still others are ready to search the Scriptures (John 7:41), but don't know enough about Jesus to make the right decision, as shown in this verse. This last group rightly sees that the Old Testament predicts Messiah coming from Bethlehem, the city of David (Micah 5:2), and being of David's family. For the crowd, Jesus is "from" Nazareth, where He has lived since He was very young. However, these same people do not realize that Jesus was, in fact, born in Bethlehem, making Him the fulfillment of that prophecy.This tangled web of interpretations, intentions, and arguments leads to more than just civil debate. The Greek term used in verse 43 is schisma, which implies a contentious, unhappy split between groups. This is much more than just a "controversy."