- Jews Zeal in Faith
- The Reasons Why the Jews Could not Accept Jesus
- #1 Complacency for being Abraham’s Descendants
- #2 They Didn’t Understand the Prophecy
- #3 They Didn’t Know About the Present Time (Era)
- #4 Slander and Persecution
- #5 Deception
- The Result of Those Who Could Not Keep the Promise
- True Faith of Today
- Conclusion
As a believer living in today’s time, have you tried asking yourself why the believers or the Jews at the time of the first coming didn’t accept Jesus as the Savior or Messiah promised by God?
To some, this might be a little of a mystery. For others, such a thing hasn’t crossed their minds yet or maybe hasn’t challenged their curiosity leaving the matter as it is.
But for those who are wondering and have been meaning to know the reasons why the Jews failed to accept the Messiah, who is Jesus, then keep on reading because this one is for you!
Jews Zeal in Faith
Jewish people are known to be the chosen people of God, originating from the land of Israel. With their religious life, they had an unparalleled zeal for their life of faith, examining the scriptures in particular (Acts 17:11-12).
They keep their faith life by studying the scriptures even at an early age; they go to the synagogue to worship God every sabbath; they keep their offering to God; and do other things that please God as taught by the scriptures. They sure have a well-rounded religious life.
However, despite doing all these things, the fact didn’t change as seen in Biblical history. Still, they were not able to accept and believe in Jesus. Why do you think so? What did the Jewish people miss? Where did they go wrong in their zeal for faith?
The Reasons Why the Jews Could not Accept Jesus
There are several reasons why the Jews didn’t accept Jesus at the time of the first coming that the Bible points out. And we’ll go one by one with them. But these reasons boil down to one thing–it’s because of Satan’s existence. To go into detail, let’s keep reading.
#1 Complacency for being Abraham’s Descendants
All along, the Jews thought at that time that they were doing things according to God’s will. They claimed that they were Abraham’s descendants, and biologically, they were indeed. But when Jesus came, they were exposed to their spiritual blindness because they didn’t realize that they were slaves of sin (John 8:33).
Hence, they protested in front of Jesus that they were not illegitimate children of God and that God himself is their only father (John 8:41). However, it clearly showed that they were only acknowledging God as their father by lips and not by deeds because they did not believe what Jesus was proclaiming. Otherwise, they would have come to Jesus and followed him.
#2 They Didn’t Understand the Prophecy
Another reason is that they never really understand the prophecies or promises of God. Prophecies are events meant to happen in the future, and at the time they were given, the words were sealed. Hence, they should not be interpreted literally (Habakkuk 2:3) or else, people would go astray.
As a result of not knowing the words of the prophets, they did not recognize Jesus and killed Him instead (Acts 13:26-27). Their very act only proves that they did not understand what was written in the scriptures and God’s power (Matthew 22:29).
It also goes to show that the Jews at that time had no more room for Jesus’ words (John 8:37) because they refused to accept His testimony.
#3 They Didn’t Know About the Present Time (Era)
This one might be news to many but yes, knowing the time we are living in is very important. This is one of the reasons why the Jews failed to accept Jesus—because they didn’t know the era they were living in. Why is it important though? Let’s find out.
In every era in the Bible, there is a time when God gives a prophecy or promise to His chosen people and there is a time when He fulfills it. This prophecy and fulfillment are crystal-clear proof that God is alive and truthful to His words.
When the prophecy is given, God’s words are sealed, hence, it cannot be understood and should not be understood or interpreted by the people in any way. But when the prophecy is fulfilled, the actual reality will appear and thus, the words can be understood already. Therefore, believers should wait for the proper time that the prophecy is fulfilled by God.
Hence, there is a time when the words are nothing but prophecy (sealed), and a time when the words are fulfilled (revealed). That is why, before the first coming of Jesus, the words were in prophecy or sealed, and, normally, people didn’t understand it because it was God who sealed it.
But when Jesus came, God’s words were revealed because Jesus came as the fulfillment of God’s word of promise proclaiming the good news. Thus, believers living at that time should have transitioned their faith from being sealed to being revealed. In other words, they should have accepted and followed Jesus since it was no longer a time of prophecy but a time of fulfillment.
#4 Slander and Persecution
Looking back in the history of the Bible, it is painstaking to see that the one sent by God as the savior of His people had been called names; being a ringleader of the Nazarene sect is one of them (Acts 24:5). Because of this slander and persecutions arising, the people were afraid to follow Jesus even if they wanted to. Consequences like being kicked out of the synagogue and excommunicated from society await if they would do so (John 12:42-43).
Nonetheless, it is no surprise that only a few people have dared to follow and accept Jesus— only the courageous ones like the 12 disciples and very few others. The first coming of Jesus only revealed the true and faithful believers of God. It took a lot of courage for someone to come out and to follow Jesus.
#5 Deception
The product of the Jewish people, especially the leaders, interpreting the words of the prophecy (sealed words) gave way to the birth of many teachings or doctrines that are evident even today. God’s words have been diluted with men’s thoughts, and commentaries are one of its best examples.
Also, at the first coming of Jesus, the very problem of believers was holding on to human traditions and disregarding God’s word (Mark 7:8). They were so into what we call men’s teaching that they let go of the truth.
Over the years, people have added to and subtracted from God’s words making the truth a lie and feeding it to the people. Pharisees and Teachers of the Law back then were even called by Jesus hypocrites, snakes, children of the devil, and liars (Matthew 23:27,33, John 8:44).
Not only did they refuse to accept Jesus but they also blocked the way for other people to go to and follow Him (Matthew 23:13).
The Result of Those Who Could Not Keep the Promise
As God’s chosen people, the Jews should keep the promise that God gave them. But we have seen how they had become unfaithful to God. So, what was the result of their unfaithfulness and disbelief?
Not accepting Jesus means not keeping the promise of God because Jesus was the savior promised by God. As a result, people who were not able to keep God’s promise were already condemned (John 3:18).
True Faith of Today
We have witnessed the result of the first Christianity, especially those who did not accept Jesus during the time of the first coming. It must serve as a warning and example for us as believers living at the time of His second coming.
Their failure to understand the promise and its fulfillment led them to a tragic ending. So, is understanding the prophecy and fulfillment important? Yes, it is! It’s like a matter of life and death for all of us. Our hope in this faith life lies in whether we understand God’s promise and fulfillment or not.
Just like in the Old Testament, the New Testament contains God’s and Jesus’ promises or prophecies. Must we know and understand them? Yes. Without understanding the prophecies, it would be difficult for us to recognize and believe in their fulfillment just like what happened to the Jews at the time of the first coming.
As believers of today, we must make an effort to understand the prophecies Jesus left us so that when the fulfillment comes, we can be able to believe in it (John 14:29). And that’s the true faith that God and Jesus will acknowledge at the time of the second coming, a faith anchored on the prophecy and fulfillment.
Conclusion
Prophecy is the hardest to understand of all the contents of the Bible. However, when it is fulfilled, these sealed words will be revealed to us and understanding will be poured out for sure.
If we believe that today is the second coming of Jesus, then prophecies must have started fulfilling. Thus, we must learn and understand these prophecies so we can also recognize their fulfillment, and we can have the proper faith that God will look for in every believer. But to know these things, we must come to someone who can teach us, right?
Also, by understanding the prophecies and fulfillment recorded in the New Testament, specifically in the book of Revelation, we won’t be able to add to or subtract from it. Adding to and subtracting from God’s word is a sin to God and it would disqualify us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and instead, receive plagues (Revelation 22:18-19).
So, we invite you to come and join us, and together, let us understand God’s word of promise at this time and their fulfillment! Enroll in our FREE Bible class here.
