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Why the Jews Rejected the
Messiah Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled. We all know the
Jews rejected Christ and it is believed that they committed a
grave error in so doing. Their guilt is possible however, only
if Christ fulfilled all that was written concerning Himself in
the Old Testament. If He failed to fulfill any particular
prophecy spoken by the prophets concerning the Messiah, then the
Jews were justified in rejecting Him as an imposter. This fact
accounts for the constant appeal both Christ and His apostles
made to the Old Testament in support of His work and ministry.
Due to the fact that the Jews had developed a carnal conception
of the kingdom of God, they expected the Messiah to conquer all
their oppressors and give them a preeminent place in the world
with plenty of everything for the enjoyment of human life. When
it became apparent that Christ had a very different idea of the
Messiahship, the Jews first became impatient and then
maliciously opposed to Him and sought to slay Him.
At one time, apparently John the Baptist wondered if Jesus
were indeed the true Messiah, for we read in Matt. 11:2, 3:
"Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ,
he sent two of his disciples, and said unto Him, Art thou he
that should come or do we look for another?" To this
question Jesus replied by quoting Isa. 35:5, 6. "Then the
eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall
be unstopped…" This was sufficient to convince John that
Jesus was the Messiah. So far as the disciples were concerned,
the supreme test appeared to have taken place at Caesarea
Philippi, where Jesus asked, "Whom say Ye, that I am?"
It was on this memorable occasion that Peter uttered his
inspired confession, "Thou art the Christ (Messiah) the Son
of the living God." Matt. 16:16.
Man Cannot Defeat God's Eternal Purpose The disciples,
having become convinced of His Person at last, Jesus unfolds the
mission He had come to perform. And we read that, "From
that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that
he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders
and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again
the third cay." Matt. 16:21. Although Jesus knew the Jews
would reject Him, still the events leading to the crucifixion
are most tragic. God's foreknowledge does not interfere with
man's freedom of choice. God knows the end from the beginning,
but He does not will any man's choice. For that reason the Jews
were responsible for their part in crucifying Christ.
We should bear in mind that the kingdom that Christ came to
establish was set up in spite of His rejection by the Jews, for
His kingdom was founded on God's will and not on their
plebiscite. In Luke 10:9-11 we read, "And heal the sick
that are therein, and say unto them, the kingdom of God is come
nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye enter and they
receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same
and say, Even the very dust of your city which cleaveth to us we
do wipe off against you; notwithstanding be ye sure of this,
that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." This shows
that their rejection did not prevent the coming of the kingdom
of God as proclaimed by Christ.
In Matt. 21:33-46, the parable of the Wicked Husbandman is
recorded. The entire passage should be read in this connection.
In it we are told of a householder who planted a vineyard and
took a journey to a distant land. During his lengthy absence the
husbandman took the servants of the householder and beat them
and otherwise mistreated them. When the heir of the vineyard
came they took him also and slew him, thinking thereby to obtain
possession of the vineyard for themselves. Having stated the
parable, Jesus asked those Pharisees what the householder ought
to do to the husbandman, and they answered, "He will
miserably destroy those wicked men and let the vineyard out to
others." Unwittingly they pronounced their own fate. Jesus
made it clear that the vineyard He had reference to was the
kingdom of God, concerning which He declared, "It shall be
taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof." Matt. 21:43. Turning now to Luke 12:32, we read,
"Fear not little flock; for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom." This little flock of
believers became the nucleus of the new nation of believers who
receive Christ as Saviour and King. The unbelieving Jews could
not receive the kingdom because of their unbelief and hardness
of heart, but the saved remnant of Israel who were born again
became heirs of the promises.
In this connection we should remember the 23rd chapter of
Matthew where Jesus delivered His most scathing address to the
Pharisees and Sadducees. In addition to seven "woes,"
we find this stern judgment, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto
thee, how often would I have gathered they children together
even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye
would not! Behold your house is left unto you desolate."
Vv. 37, 38. These chilling words, spoken on quivering lips and
with eyes filled with tears, show how hopelessly the Jews
rejected the Messiah and how they reaped the inevitable
consequences.
Sin the Underlying Cause for Rejecting Christ. We ask
now, why the Jews rejected the Messiah when they had so much to
gain by receiving Him. The answer is found in the words of
Christ. In John 3:19-21, we read, "And this is the
condemnation, that light is come into the world and men loved
darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For
everyone that doeth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the
light lest his deeds should be reproved." Also John 5:40,
"Ye will not come to me that ye might have life." Just
as salvation opens your eyes to see the Kingdom of God and opens
the door so you can enter in, so sin blinds the eyes, hardens
the heart and shuts the door. The real reason for His rejection
was sin in the human heart.
As a nation the Jews rejected Christ because they trusted in
the flesh that they were Abraham's descendants, but they failed
to have Abraham's faith. John 8:39, they rejected Christ because
they belonged to Satan's kingdom rather than the kingdom of God.
John 8:44. We must remember that Jesus came to destroy the works
of the devil. 1 John 3:8. It was sin that caused men to reject
Christ. Sin led Him to prison and judgment. Sin mocked Him and
cruelly scourged Him. It was sin that led Him to dark Calvary
and nailed Him to the cursed cross. It was sin, but not the sin
of the Jews alone. In Acts 4:26-28 it says, "The kings of
the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together
against the Lord and against His Christ. For of a truth against
thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and
Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel (the
whole world) were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy
had and thy counsel determined before to be done."
The Guilt of the Human Race Manifested. You will
notice that it was the sin of the human race and not the Jewish
nation alone that brought Christ to Calvary. How dark is the
record of sin! How blinding its folly and how ruinous its
results! How tragic its history! It degrades the mind and
corrupts the heart of man! It warps his judgment and perverts
his appetites! Its story is an unbroken record of sorrow and
tears, heartaches and woe, of corruption and infamy, deceit and
defilement. It leaves a trail of reproach, remorse and death.
Sin is all that and more, for it is rebellion against God. It
disputes His Sovereignty and rejects with scorn His righteous
rule. You can hear the echo of its defiance in the words of the
angry mob at the trial of Jesus. "We have no king but
Caesar." John 19:15. Thus the words of the parable become
applicable, "We will not have this man to reign over
us." Luke 19:14.
Because God loved us with an everlasting love even when we
were enemies, lost and undone, full of trespasses and sins, He
came in the Person of the Son and suffered and died in our
stead. In doing so He broke the fetters of Satan and established
His right to rule and reign in the hearts of the redeemed in the
manner described by Paul in Rom. 5:21. "That as (in like
manner) sin hath reigned unto death, even so (in like manner)
might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by
Jesus Christ our Lord." Christ came to oppose the reign of
Satan and sin and to establish the reign of righteousness, in
accordance with Isa. 31:1, "Behold a King shall reign in
righteousness."
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