That You May Believe - 12

"THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE"
They Did Not Believe In Him Part One

Despite evidence to substantiate the claims of Jesus, such as the testimony of the Father through signs and the testimony of the Father through Scripture John records that many did not believe in Jesus, Jn 12:37 "He had worked a lot of miracles among the people, but they were still not willing to have faith in him." In all fairness, those to whom John refers did not have the fullness of evidence presented in the gospel itself. They may have seen some of the signs, but not all of them. Some may have been ignorant of the Scriptures and their testimony concerning Jesus because they had yet to be given the witness of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But even with the fullness of evidence provided in the gospel of John many still did not believe in Jesus in those days. Many do not believe in Jesus today. Why? The reasons are many and varied. John mentions several in the course of his gospel which may help us understand why many people do not believe today.

For example, one reason many failed to believe in Jesus was their lack spiritual perception. In other words, their focus was on material or physical things. They were impressed by His feeding of the 5000 - Jn 6:14-15. They wanted to make Him their king or they saw in Him someone who could meet their material needs. But His discourse on the Bread of Life caused many to leave - Jn 6:60 "Many of Jesus' disciples heard him and said, "This is too hard for anyone to understand."", 66 "Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him." For He told them to work for the food which endures to everlasting life - Jn 6:27 "Don't work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so."" For He spoke of Himself as the true Bread of Life.

Many today lack the same spiritual perception. They are looking for material things. They want the church to provide for their physical needs. They want the church to entertain them or their children. If a church offers only the Word of God, to make them disciples, which is the primary mission of the church - cf. 1 Ti 3:15; Mt 28:19-20, they look elsewhere, seeking to find "the church of their choice." Yet Jesus taught His disciples where to place their focus in Mt 6:33 "And the bread that God gives is the one who came down from heaven to give life to the world." Not content with the spiritual nature of the kingdom ( Ro 14:17 "God's kingdom isn't about eating and drinking. It is about pleasing God, about living in peace, and about true happiness. All this comes from the Holy Spirit."), they are unwilling to accept the true demands of faith in Jesus.

We also read that many refused to confess Jesus because of fear and moral cowardice. They were afraid of what others might think. The multitude was afraid of what the Jews might think - Jn 7:13 "But the people were afraid of their leaders, and none of them talked in public about him." So were the parents of the man born blind - Jn 9:20-22 "The man's parents answered, "We are certain that he is our son, and we know that he was born blind. But we don't know how he got his sight or who gave it to him. Ask him! He is old enough to speak for himself." The man's parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already agreed that no one was to have anything to do with anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah." Some of the rulers were afraid of the Pharisees - Jn 12:42-43 "Even then, many of the leaders put their faith in Jesus, but they did not tell anyone about it. The Pharisees had already given orders for the people not to have anything to do with anyone who had faith in Jesus. And besides, the leaders liked praise from others more than they liked praise from God." Pilate was fearful of what Caesar might hear - Jn 19:12-13 "Then Pilate wanted to set Jesus free. But the crowd again yelled, "If you set this man free, you are no friend of the Emperor! Anyone who claims to be a king is an enemy of the Emperor." When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out. Then he sat down on the judge's bench at the place known as "The Stone Pavement." In Aramaic this pavement is called "Gabbatha."'

Even today many fear what others might think. They are afraid that their peers at school might ridicule them. They are afraid that their coworkers might ostracize them. They are afraid of persecution for being "politically incorrect" or "religiously intolerant" -- Yet Jesus taught His disciples whom they should fear - Mt 10:28 "Don't be afraid of people. They can kill you, but they cannot harm your soul. Instead, you should fear God who can destroy both your body and your soul in hell." Fearful of losing acceptance, and being outcast, has made many unwilling to believe in Jesus.

Then there were those who had. a misplaced love. Their love was for the wrong things. They did not have a love for God - Jn 5:41-43 "I don't care about human praise, but I do know that none of you love God. I have come with my Father's authority, and you have not welcomed me. But you will welcome people who come on their own." Instead, their love was in such things as the things of darkness (evil), which they did not want to give up - Jn 3:19-20 "The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done." They loved the glory of men, wanting to be praised by them - Jn 12: 42-43 "Even then, many of the leaders put their faith in Jesus, but they did not tell anyone about it. The Pharisees had already given orders for the people not to have anything to do with anyone who had faith in Jesus. And besides, the leaders liked praise from others more than they liked praise from God." They loved self and material things, as in the case of Judas - Jn 12:6 "Judas did not really care about the poor. He asked this because he carried the moneybag and sometimes would steal from it."

There many today that have the same misplaced love. A love for family, popularity among friends, for wealth, and hobbies They have a love for immoral lifestyles which they don’t want to give up -- Yet Jesus taught His disciples whom they should love and serve - Mt 22:37 "Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind."; 6:24 "You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Misplaced love often blinds one to the evidence that is capable of producing faith.

In the next portion of this lesson we will look at two additional problems that people have for not believing in Jesus, a hardened and prejudice heart and intellectual pride.