Category: Apologetics

Jesus was Rejected – Failure or Success?

Jesus was rejected by many of His peers. Does that weaken or strengthen His claims?

One of the best ways to persuade others with an argument is to answer their strongest objections. If you can provide a reasonable explanation for someone’s biggest challenge, you can “take the wind out of their sails” and maybe win the day. This approach follows the logic of the familar parable: “The best offense is a good defense.”

John seems to take the same approach at times in His Gospel, which is aimed at converting unbelievers into believers (John 20:30-31). In John 12:37-50, He tackles the potentially embarrassing issue of Christ’s rejection. Why believe in Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the World if so many of His own people rejected Him during His earthly ministry? Doesn’t that prove or at least weaken His claim of being sent by God?

Instead of shying away from this objection, John leans into it in the closing verses of John chapter 12. He uses Isaiah 5:31 and 6:10 to point out that God’s messengers haven’t always been well received. Moses, Elijah, Ezekial, and Isaiah all faced signifcant opposition in their day and Jesus experienced the same.

In addition, John reveals the motivation behind much of Israel’s rejection of Jesus. The “rulers” would have been members of the Sanherin, the Jewish “Supreme Court” of its time. Many of these rulers had a private respect and admiration for Jesus, but they refused that share it publically for fear that they would loose the respect of their peers. The problem wasn’t with Jesus and His teaching or miracles, it was with the hard-heartedness of His audience.

John helps us to see that Christ’s rejection was a sign of His failure, but instead, it was a sign of His success. Jesus was faithful to His mission, even if He wasn’t hailed as hero by all of His peers. Popularity can be a poor measure of success and it’s an even worse measure of the truth.

Stealing Glory and Twisting Scripture

Jesus defended Himself in the court of public opinion before He ever faced a court of law.

Legal cases are often decided in the court of public opinion long before they are decided in a court of law. In John 5, Jesus was put on trial for all to see. After He was prosecuted for healing a disabled man on the Sabbath, Jesus called several witnesses to His defense and then cross-examined His prosecutors. This cross-examination provides an interesting apologetic for those struggling to make sense of Christ’s ministry.

Jesus concluded his defense by condemned the religious authors for being more concerned about receiving glory than giving glory to God’s. Bible commentators suggest various scenarios here. It could have been that there was another man who had claimed to be the Messiah. This false candidate used flattery to gain a following from the religious elite. The passage says they received glory from “one another,” which could mean they were fond of sharing praise back and forth between each other. This condemnation could also be reference to the general respect and high regard that the people had for their spiritual leaders. The Pharisees were used to receiving accolades for their rigorous approach to Scripture.

Whatever the situation, the glory that the religious authorities was receiving was blinding them to the Savior who was standing right in front of them. They hands were so full of trophies, that they couldn’t see the way forward. They were so busy building their own kingdom, they couldn’t participation in God’s kingdom. This still happens today when are more concerned about receiving their own glory than giving glory to God.

Jesus also condemned the religious authorities for mishandling Scripture and missing the point of the Mosaic Covenant. God tapped Moses to lead the Jews out Egypt. During the Exodus, God gave Moses a robust description of what it would look like to be God’s people longterm. The provisions of the Mosaic Covenant were supposed to point people toward’s God’s grace, not away from it. The standards of the Covenant are impossibly high without divine help.

By the time Jesus arrived, the relational Covenant had deteriorated into a legalistic checklist. Instead of pushing them towards a Savior, the Law gave them a long list of opportunities to save themselves. In their eyes, they were justified before God through their own good works.

Jesus was the cross-examiner, but He allowed Moses to be the accuser at this point in His defense. The author of a document is the one who governs its meaning and intent. Those who read the text must respect the author’s intentions as they are revealed in the text. Moses was the human author of the Covenant that bore his name, and the religious authorities had mishandled and misinterpreted it.

Disrespect for the divine text is still an issue today. At this point history, we have the completed Old and New Testaments. There are a variety of interpretive schemes, but most serious Bible students believe that the Old Testament anticipates a Savior and the New Testament reveals Him, and His name is Jesus Christ. The evidence for the authority and reliability is overwhelming, even though there’s not enough space to describe it in this post. Today’s readers dismiss the Bible at there own risk.

Jesus defended Himself in the court of public opinion before He was ever put before a court of law. That court is still in session as readers like you and I learn about Christ’s ministry. We all have to have to answer the question for ourselves, “Is He innocent or is He guilty?”

A Clash of Worldviews

The increase in conflict and hostility in America is due, in part, to a growing divide between the secular and the Christian worldviews. Christian author, James Sire, defines a worldview as “a fundamental orientation of the heart.” A worldview answers the all-important questions of, “Who are we?” “Where are we?” “What’s wrong?” and, “Where are we going?” Everyone has a particular way in which they view the world even if they don’t know it, or their approach is inconsistent.

The clash of worldviews finds its basis in Scripture. In Romans 8:5-8, the Apostle Paul refers to minds set on the flesh and minds set on the Spirit. The Greek nouns behind the word for mind(s) means “a fixed disposition or an orientation towards something.” In context, Paul is describing two approaches to life: one that is focused on the flesh and materials things (as if that is all that exists) and another that is focused on the Spirit and the things of God. These two worldviews are diametrically opposed to one another.

Many of the morals, values, and traditions in American have grown out of a Christian worldview. As unbelieving American’s distance themselves from these practices (intentionally and unintentionally), they are also distancing themselves from the principles of a Christian worldview. The growing divide between these two basic worldviews has become the breeding ground for wide-spread animosity and distrust.

To be clear, this isn’t the only reason for our disunity, but it’s one of the more fundamental reasons that doesn’t get talked about very much. A Christian response to this situation includes three components. First, Christians should should work to bring their fundamental assumptions in line with each other as well as Scripture. Internal consistency and the authority of the Bible are two of features that make the Christian worldview so attractive.

Second, Believers must work to uncover the fundamental assumptions of their unbelieving co-workers and neighbors so they can share the hope and joy that that comes from a God-centered worldview. The expectation in 1 Peter 3:15, is that this activity is to be done in a spirit of gentleness and respect. This is the part that seems to be missing these days. Harshness and disrespect seem to be on the rise on both side of the cultural divide.

Third and finally, Christian parents and Church leaders should work to pass on the principles of a Christian worldview, not just the practices that have grown out of it over time. The next generation needs to embrace the answers to the all-important questions (see above), instead of just going through the motions. This is harder work, but it’s essential work.

The clash of worldviews in American is a wakeup call and an opportunity. Its an invitation to reflect more intentionally and more deeply about what we believe and how those beliefs impact our lives. Its also an invitation to engage with others who may believe differently and to share the truth with them.