What do you think it was like 2,000 years ago when Jesus was here? Would you have recognized or believed in him?
Before Jesus came, God had prophesied the coming of a Messiah to Israel through the prophets. Then, Jesus came according to those prophecies. But the question is, did the Israelites accept him as their Savior? And I think most people know the answer to that question: No.
But let’s just sit back for a second and think about why they didn’t and then ask yourself,
‘Would I have believed in Jesus at that time?’
What is your belief or impression of Jesus? Before, I used to think Jesus was this charismatic man who performed miracles like turning water into wine, feeding 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish, healing the sick and the blind, and even raising the dead. So I wondered, ‘What could have been so possibly hard for them to believe??‘ To me, if a man healed the sick and the blind, I would be all in.
But then I started to read the Bible more closely and tried to imagine what it would have been like for people who were ACTUALLY there at the time. And once I did, it was very different…
Why Did Everyone Hate Jesus?
Let’s take a brief look at Jesus’s background mentioned in the Bible. What did he look like? How did he actually behave? How was he treated? Looking at Isaiah 53:2-3, it says that Jesus was a man of low stature and familiar with pain; he had no beauty to draw people in and was rejected.
Even now, I do occasionally wonder why Jesus’s own people hated him so much to the point of putting him on the cross. Have you ever had a time when you wondered about this too? Jesus himself testified ‘they hated me without reason’ (John 15:25).
Wasn’t Jesus the Messiah the Jewish people had all been waiting for?
The Messiah to appear had been foretold so that no one could have an excuse for not believing in him. Even before Jesus began his ministry, John the Baptist testified about him:
“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Matthew 3:1-2
This showed that people at that time should have already heard about the prophecies of the Messiah and prepared themselves to meet him. And in fact, we must remember that the Israelites actually were all eagerly waiting for the Messiah. Yet, when he finally came, they were unable to believe in or root down their faith in him. Why not? Could it have possibly been that Jesus didn’t look like what they were expecting?
If we carefully examine the New Testament Bible, we’ll be able to understand how Jesus was treated 2,000 years ago.
What Jesus Was Actually Like
Jesus preached all over the place – in the synagogues and mountains. Being the Son of God, he held people with love and grace, but at the same time rebuked them and their leaders saying they were blindly worshiping God. He also told them that they needed to repent and be healed.
The Jews were bewildered because they didn’t understand what they had to repent for, since they thought that by following Moses’ laws they were already doing the right thing. But Jesus told them to leave their old beliefs and come to him to receive the true teaching. If we were in the Jew’s position, wouldn’t we be in turmoil too?
But let’s think…why would Jesus tell the people to repent if they were already in God’s favour?
Would You Have Believed in Jesus?
Imagine a situation if one day, at your church, in comes a not-so-good looking man with no seminary background, telling everyone in the church to follow him because they’ve all blindly lived out their lives of faith? He starts calling your pastor the devil’s servant. He’s in a fit of anger because supposedly, the pastor has been misleading the congregation. He also says that you need to flee from this place of death and follow him. What would your initial reaction be in that awkward moment?
At this point, wouldn’t you be confused with everything that’s going on? With verbal fights and name-calling, you don’t know which of them are saying the right thing.
However, let’s say that the testimony this man gives is in line with the Bible. There are none of his own additions nor is he subtracting any words from the Bible that don’t fit his testimony. He proves that he came according to what has been prophesied about him. Still, his words are strange and unheard of…like asking people to eat his flesh and blood to gain ‘eternal life’ and that those who believe in him ‘will never taste death’. What does all of this mean? Would it be easy to keep listening to him even though part of you thinks he’s crazy…while another part of you wants to believe him?
To add to the conflicting thoughts, this is the same man that some people have already spoken badly about, saying things like he’s a drunkard and he hangs out with the worst types of people, and yet, he claims to be God’s worker. He has a bad temper and creates a commotion inside the church.
Words vs Appearance
His words are trustworthy but looking at his outer appearance and the rumors surrounding him, would you immediately believe the rumors and join in protesting against him and rejecting him without confirming his words for yourself first? Or would you approach him for clarification about the things he has said?
Could it be possible that you miss the Messiah because of personal opinions and other people’s influence?
What if God wants to test us, to see if we are sincere enough in our faith to seek the deeper things of Him rather than just the surface level things?
Now let’s put ourselves in the position of Jesus. How would you feel with all the opposition you’re receiving from the very people you came to save and guide to the correct path? If we were the Israelites, shouldn’t we be thankful that the Savior whom we longed for is here? Even though his words are raw, hard to digest, and make us uncomfortable?
Should we allow our hearts to become arrogant and hardened to the point of not being able to focus on the deeper, spiritual importance of Jesus’s words and therefore, misplace our faith to be in other people, rather than the one sent by God?
Three Main Reasons People Didn’t Believe in Jesus 2,000 Years Ago
1. They Didn’t Know They Were Sinners. Even when Jesus pointed out that they needed to come to him and learn, the leaders and people at the time couldn’t humble themselves or admit that they needed a savior. And so, they remained in their own churches.
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice. For I have not come the righteous, but sinners.
Matthew 9:12-13
2. They Didn’t Know God Was with Jesus. They couldn’t believe God would have chosen a lowly man like Jesus to be his messenger. Their expectations of the Messiah blinded them to the reality when it came.
Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?”
John 7:41
3. They Didn’t Know God Wasn’t with Them. Since they couldn’t even recognize, admit or accept that they were sinners, they failed to recognize that God had left them and was working through Jesus. The one they saw as the enemy.
“Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil and you want to carry out your father’s desire.
John 8:42-44
Think about it. What would have happened if the Israelites set aside their personal feelings, laid down their previously held beliefs about him? If tried to truly consider Jesus’s work and teachings according to God’s prophecies? Wouldn’t they have been saved?
So, we must ask ourselves:
Would we have been any different if we lived 2,000 years ago?
Let’s consider what took place in history and then make sure we don’t let what we see or feel take us away from the truth of God’s word.
Written by Your Soul and Heaven
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