“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” John 12: 40
We see that Christ’s life begins with Simeon’s prophecy (Simeon’s Prophetic Words), and ends with John 12: 37-50. John often refers back to prophecy about Israel and the Messiah recorded in the book of Isaiah. The rejection was planned; God planned unbelief in the hearts of many in Israel, so salvation could be brought to the nations. Thank you, Lord!! God knew Israel wouldn’t accept Jesus as the Messiah – they didn’t want a Messiah-King of the Jews who was lowly and meek. They didn’t want a man of sorrows. That was certainly not their idea of Messiah. God gave them His only Son – it was exactly what they needed, but they didn’t want it. Unbelief is the result that was driven by their hardness of heart. We see these fulfilled prophetic words when we look in Isaiah…
“Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.” Then I said, “Lord, how long will this go on?” And he replied, “Until their towns are empty, their houses are deserted, and the whole country is a wasteland; until the LORD has sent everyone away, and the entire land of Israel lies deserted. If even a tenth—a remnant—survive, it will be invaded again and burned. But as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down, so Israel’s stump will be a holy seed.” Isaiah 6: 10-13
Also, look at Isaiah 53 (the entire chapter is about Jesus)…
“He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.” Isaiah 53: 3“But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.” Isaiah 53: 10
The root of Israel’s unbelief is that they loved the glory they got from men, not the glory that comes from God…
“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” John 12: 42-43
“How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” John 5:44
If you are an unbeliever, you have a choice to make: You can turn away and keep rejecting whom we all desperately need, or you can seek the face of God and meditate on some of the Scripture posted here. These words aren’t mine, but from the Holy Bible. Know that I love you, and here are a few other posts I’ve written on this subject…
Why Do People Reject Jesus – the Crowd
Why Do People Reject Jesus – a Look at the Roman Soldiers
Why Do People Reject Jesus – Pilate