The Messiah that God had promised had come, but because they had their minds made up, they failed to recognize Him.

The ruling Council in Jerusalem had to suppress any independence movements that might arise, because if the Emperor found an excuse to say that they were unable to maintain order, he would send in the Imperial Legions, remove them, and give his own Governor direct control. Israel would cease to exist as a nation - and become instead a Roman province called Palestine.

Their fears were not unfounded. In spite of all their efforts this actually happened about 35 years later, in 70 AD, with terrible, disastrous results.

So from their point of view, even if Jesus was the Messiah, He was a threat. They believed that they themselves were all that stood in the way of Rome destroying their nation. Even those who still hoped for a Messiah expected a political Savior who would deliver them from the power of Rome, but they didn’t believe that Jesus could do that, so from where they sat, it was a matter of expediency. No matter who He was, Jesus would have to die so that Israel could live.

The problem was simply that they had completely misunderstood the very nature of Messiah’s Kingdom. Jesus had come to die, not just for Israel, but to redeem by His death everyone who would come to God through faith in Him, and be forgiven.

How often have I missed seeing what God was doing because I thought I already knew? How often do I read the Bible and miss the point because I’m not listening to what it says?

Father, keep me from making this mistake. Give me a heart that understands and accepts what Your Word says, even when it isn’t what I want to hear; a heart that simply trusts and obeys for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles