The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 4 March 2024 – Christ’s Messiahship Rejected By His People
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TOPIC: Christ’s Messiahship Rejected By His People
READ: John 7: 1-24 (NKJV)
- After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
- Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
- His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.
- “For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
- For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
- Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
- “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
- “You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”
- When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.
- But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
- Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?”
- And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.”
- However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
- Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.
- And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
- Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
- “If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or [whether] I speak on My own [authority.]
- “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
- “Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
- The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
- Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel.
- “Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
- “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?
- “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
THE MESSAGE:
The Gospel of John and other Synoptic Gospels contain cases of Christ’s rejection by the Jews. The evidence of this in our text corroborates the comment of John, the Baptist: “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not (John 1: 11). On many occasions that Jesus performed miracles that should ordinarily have spurred the Jews to believe in Him as their Messiah, such as the healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5); healing of a man born blind (John 9); raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11), etc;, the Jews rather responded with controversy and rejection. Paul would later show his dismay at the rejection of Christ as Messiah by his people and prayed for their salvation (Romans 10: 1-2). The Jews were looking for a messiah that would deliver them from Roman oppression and establish their kingdom. They were also deceived by their wilful ignorance, familiarity, self-centeredness, self-righteousness and unbelief.
Many today also equate Jesus to prophets, religious founders and miracle workers and do not appreciate Him as their Saviour and Messiah. It is not that they cannot believe; it is that they would rather not believe. It is not that they need more evidence; it is that they fail to act upon the plethora of evidence available to them. Are you denying the available truth about the Messiahship of Jesus? Repent now before it is too late.
PRAYER: Lord, help me never to deny You as my Messiah and Saviour now and always, Amen.
