Jesus could sure read a room. As He saw the end approaching, He continued to make clear His mission. While preaching to the crowds, Jesus knew and acknowledged that He was being watched by three unique groups.
First, He was being watched by those that believed and wanted to follow Him. Jesus spoke clearly to reassure them that their discovery of the light of God would forever release them from the darkness of sin and death.
Next, Jesus was being watched by several of the Jewish elite that knew the Messiah was in their presence. Even with their knowledge of the Messiah, they could not acknowledge Him. If they did acknowledge Jesus, they would be kicked out of the Temple and lose their standing as the Jewish elite. They were the saddest of the bunch because they knew where their freedom from sin and death was standing, but like the rich young ruler, they were too attached to their prestige and acclaim to forsake it and follow Jesus.
Finally, there were those in the crowd that rejected the truth of Jesus and literally hated Jesus and wanted Him dead. They were the ones that should have been the first to bow the knee. They knew Torah! They had the law, the poetry, and the prophecy practically memorized.
They watched as Jesus healed, freed, cleansed, and fed people and raised others from the dead. However, as Isaiah had prophesied hundreds of years before, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” Isaiah 6:10.
There would never be enough signs, miracles, or revelations to sway that crew. Their hatred of Jesus was, in fact, a deeper hatred of God. There is an old joke that says, “God created man in His image, and man has been trying to return the favor ever since.” These men wanted God to check off their boxes for the Messiah. God’s refusal to do so was an affront to them, and these men would have none of it!
In modern day, the same groupings observe the works of our Lord and just like the folks at the temple, they line up in the same way. The question each of us has to answer is, “In which one am I going to stand?”
Please do not let the world or the things of the world stop you from submitting to the grace so freely offered. It would truly break the Father’s heart!
If you find yourself considering the entire message of God to be ludicrous and there is no proof sufficient to sway you, sadly, you are in the last company. Like the Jewish elite, your real hatred for God has blinded your eyes and deafened your ears. Apart from the Holy Spirit doing a work to open your eyes and ears, you will never be convinced.
Please understand, it will not be Jesus condemning you in the end. He loves you and came to save you. Your rejection of His love will lead to judgement. That judgement will lead to eternal separation from the Lord. Let it never be!
God Bless You
37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:
“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”[h]
39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.”[i]
41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
Walking With God 