Jesus Grieves Over Jews' Unbelief (J49)

Monday through Thursday of Passover week,
Jesus taught the gospel to temple Jews;
Acceptance of Him as Lord He did seek;
Despite miraculous signs, they refused!
He cried, “I came to the world as a Light,
That those who see me, see Him who sent me;
He who believes is no longer in night,
But has everlasting life, and can see!
I didn’t come to judge, but save, the world;
He who sent me told me what words to say;
The ones who reject me to death are hurled—
These words will condemn them at the last day!
I have not spoken of my own accord,
But my Father’s, who anointed me Lord!

Scripture Quoted: John 12:39-43 (NIV)
“For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere [Isaiah 6:9-10], ‘He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understood with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him. Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than praise from God.” [Brackets added]

Commentary on: John 12:37-50 (NIV)
The Israelites from the time they left slavery in Egypt throughout their history were obstinate and disobedient to God. They offended Him so much that He told Isaiah the prophet that He was blinding, deafening, and dulling their spiritual understanding (See Isaiah 6:9-10). This was 700 years before the birth of Jesus. They are still calloused today, 2700 years later. The prophet Zechariah (See Zech. 12:10 and following) says that when Jesus Christ returns to earth for the Second time, He will pour out grace on Israel, and they will mourn for rejecting and killing Jesus. The sad thing is that millions upon millions of Jews have died without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The chief priests decided it would be better that Jesus die than that the whole nation be slain by the Romans. They didn’t know it at the time, but God punished them by allowing Roman general Titus to destroy Jerusalem in 70 A.D., just 38 years later. Over one million Jews were slain, and 300,000 went into slavery. The “one man” died, and so did the nation!

A few of those leaders who did believe in Jesus as Lord but were too frightened of being ejected from the synagogue may have “come out” and were saved later, but their reluctance to speak up sent most of them to hell. For a believer to be saved, he must not be afraid to confess his belief in public. A person who dies with a secret belief in Jesus as Lord may not be saved. No human being can make that decision; God knows what’s in the heart, and He is the judge. Matthew 10:33 says that whoever disowns Jesus before men, He will disown before the Father.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)