John 7:41, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?” “This, they think, is preposterous. Nothing more ridiculous and nonsensical, they suppose, has ever been said. … They say that it is impossible for the Christ to come from Galilee. If He did, He would be but a poor Christ. But that is the work of the devil. In Matt. 11:6 Christ declares: ‘Blessed is he who takes no offense at Me.’ This doctrine gives and ever will give offense if one presumes to fathom and comprehend it with his reason, if one approaches it with his head and five senses. We refer to the doctrine that Christ is the Light of the world, able to help everybody—though He walked this earth as a poor carpenter who often lacked bread; though He could not call one foot of ground His own, neither He nor His father Joseph; though finally He was nailed to the cross like the worst criminal. The thought that He was a poor carpenter’s apprentice is too offensive and cannot be brought into harmony with the words: ‘He who believes in Me, etc.’
Thus the Word of God everywhere suffers offense, defection, and obstruction. Those who would approach it are offended, as is the case here. Men offer a specious argument, still adduced by all the worldly-wise, and they repel many when they say: ‘Is the Christ to come from Galilee?’ Admittedly, Holy Writ does declare that He is to come from Bethlehem. This is stated by Micah, who adds the lineage of Christ to the place of His birth. Scripture is explicit on both. Micah says (5:2): ‘But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, etc.’ And David is told that a child of his lineage, flesh, and blood will be the Christ (2 Sam. 7:12). The Jews knew that the Christ was to come from the lineage and family of David and from the small town of Bethlehem. These facts had been drilled into them….” (Luther’s Works, v. 23, p. 282-283).