Jesus was a stumbling block back then and is a stumbling block today.
Click here for an online Bible John 12:37-50
Even though Jesus performed miracles that proved the truth about him, many would not believe. Many did believe however. Even some of the leaders believed but they would not publicly admit it for fear of those who opposed Jesus. If you professed faith in Jesus, you would be expelled from the synagogue.
John says that all of this happened in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. He quotes from Isaiah’s fourth servant song (Isaiah 52 & 53). John quotes from Isaiah chapter 6 about their hearts being hardened and their eyes blinded. John explains that Isaiah said this prophetically about Jesus.
So, what are we to make of God hardening hearts and binding eyes to the truth? Doesn’t God want people to come to the truth? Isn’t Jesus looking for believers? This is hard to understand. I believe that the leaders who are rejecting Jesus have already have hard hearts. They have already refused to see the truth. Origin describes this with the thought, “The same sun that melts wax hardens clay.” People who have a heart for God are melted by exposure to the truth of God while those who are hardened to God and only further hardened to his truth.
The sad thing is that I know people like this. They are hard and any exposure to truth only hardens them more. Jesus said, “If you reject me, you are rejecting God.”
I want to have a wax heart, one that will mold to fit God. I need to stay close to Him. I need to be in His word and in prayer with Him. I need the feedback of other Christians who have a heart for Him. I know that I am in danger when I read His word and it doesn’t affect me. My heart should be broken when I read His word. My heart should be broken in prayer. It should be broken because I see how far short I fall and I see those who are lost. But there is joy in knowing Him and hope in His plan.
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Miracles do not prove that there is a God -- in fact most of the miracles Jesus has performed can be written off by some other means besides the existence of God. I do not encourage this thinking, but I do ask that you remain sober minded about the present reality of things. The prof of God's existence will come when we see Him face to face -- some people will need this, because they are too shortsighted. We are blessed by our FAITHFULNESS, if there were prof we would not need to believe.
No one ever said "I believe two plus two is four."
I do not say this to be argumentative, but rather to help you consider different approaches to your method of witnessing to the truth, it should help build rapport, by being sensitive to the present/temporal truth. It also helps in finding that brokenness that you may be looking for. I see it like (overcoming) disappointment. The disappointment grows -- first it begins with yourself via consideration of all of your sins, well at least the ones you can see. -- after you have uncovered your sins, done a real good job of cleaning house, then branch out consider your wife, friends and then branch out more, president, lawyers, poor, widows... the list is in the BIBLE... just consider all of these people that are struggling with the same ordeal that you have just gone through in cleaning yourself. Now, after praying for them, see them as white as snow... see all of their sins gone -- at the cross-- they are gone as far as the east is from the west. You should be bawling by this point -- because you have to go through the torture: of the whips; the crown of thorns; and the cross. Once you've seen this -- I mean really experienced this agony for/over the world-- you do not see sin so easily anymore and I think you really start to see people as God really intended for us to see them -- pure! This is a great hemming in exercise too -- but it requires much work/belief to get there. I tell you I still see sin, but I am far less sensitive to it today than I once was... God bless. And if you chose to take the journey I wish you much success.
Love,
ej
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