If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.
Once again Jesus tells us about the cost of rejecting Him. He came down from heaven and was born a man. He walked among God’s chosen people. The people of God knew God’s laws, but they did not know God and they did not recognize his son when he walked among them.
Jesus did not just “claim” to be God’s son. In fact, if that is all he had done, I suspect that the Jewish leaders would have ignored him as a crank. But Jesus could not be ignored because he did more than just make claims about his divinity. He demonstrated the power of God again and again.
No one has ever done the works he did. No one will ever do anything that compares to what Jesus did until He comes again. The signs Jesus gave were unmistakable. There could be no question of what and who they pointed to.
When the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus, they were not just turning their back on a crackpot. Instead, they were angry that people were turning to Jesus to be healed. They resented Jesus forgiving sins. They were especially angered because Jesus did not submit to their man-made rules about the Sabbath. In their frustration and their rage, they were blinded to the truth about who it was they were plotting to kill.
It was as if the presence of Jesus was like a giant spotlight that illuminated their sin.
Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.
It’s amazing that people hate their sins pointed out, but also don’t see the need for forgiveness in their lives. Perhaps it’s the fate of living life on our own terms.
RS,
Great point! I guess that ties us back to the sin of pride, an unwillingness to look at the log in our eye. (Matthew 7: 3)