His Own Received Him Not
The twelve were not the only men watching Him. Luke says the scribes and Pharisees watched him too, to find an accusation against him (Luke 6:7). He came unto his own, and his own received him not (John 1:11). It may be the saddest sentence in the New Testament. For centuries Israel had waited. The prophets had named the town of His birth (Micah 5:2). And when He came, the men who knew the Scriptures best led the way in refusing Him.
How does that happen? Settle one thing first. Those men were not worse than we are. If you read this story and feel superior, you have missed it. The same pride, fear, and love of praise live in every human heart (Jeremiah 17:9). This is a story about us.
It is also the story of a Man walking toward a cross on purpose. He was never trapped. He told His disciples what was coming, and he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). He said, No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself (John 10:18). Everything in this study leads to what He did there for you.
The Anointed One God promised, the Son of David who would save His people and reign. Christ is the Greek form of the same title. To say Thou art the Christ (Mark 8:29) is to say that this is the One Israel was waiting for.
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For Deeper Study
- The Words and Works of Jesus ChristAmazon J. Dwight PentecostA dispensational study of the life of Christ in order, by a longtime Dallas Seminary teacher, with careful attention to the offer of the kingdom.
- The Greatness of the KingdomAmazon Alva J. McClainA Grace Brethren, dispensational study of the kingdom from Genesis to Revelation. Detailed and rewarding.
- Our Hands Are Stained with BloodAmazon Michael L. BrownA Messianic Jewish scholar's account of how professing Christians have treated the Jewish people. Brown is charismatic, where we differ.
- Future IsraelAmazon Barry E. HornerA premillennial pastor's case against contempt for Israel in Christian theology. He holds Sovereign Grace doctrine, and we differ on election.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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The Parables
A parable is a story from ordinary life laid beside a spiritual truth. Jesus used parables to teach those willing to hear and to answer those who had hardened themselves, and we read them by their setting and His own explanations, not as a secret code.
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