Others said, “He is the Christ.” Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?
There were others who went further in their view of Jesus and thought Him to be the Messiah. Note that throughout this chapter of John there is division over the words of Jesus. Being unaware of His birthplace, some assume Jesus to have been born in Galilee since he was raised there, and find objection to the possibility of Him being the Messiah since He was not (so it was thought) born in Bethlehem as was foretold in Micah 5:2. The irony is that His dwelling in Nazareth was a fulfillment of scripture, too. (Mat 2:23) It was a fulfillment of Isaiah 11:1 which foretold the Messiah being a “Branch” or netzer, which is from whence “Nazareth” is derived. [Note that according to David de Pomis, a Nazarene “is one that is born in the city Netzer, which is said to be in the land of Galilee, three days journey distant from Jerusalem.” (Lexic Heb. fol. 141. 2.)] Even more directly, it is a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1, 2.
Mic 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Mat 2:23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
Isaiah 9:1-2 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honour Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.