… rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—
There are several ways of looking at Jesus. Each one highlights a different aspect of who and what he is. I don’t claim to understand them all myself. However, as I have matured in my faith, I find that my understanding of who Jesus is has changed.
Yesterday, we explored the meaning of Peter’s reference to Jesus when he calls him a “living Stone.” (See “Cornerstone”) We learned from the comments yesterday that Jesus is also referred to as the “Capstone.” (See Zechariah 4: 7 – Thank you, Rich!) Ron gave us a collection of verses pointing to God’s nature as Alpha and Omega. He is both the beginning and the end of all things.
Jesus himself says that he and God are one (John 10: 30) and that when you have seen him, you have seen God (John 14: 9).
2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture is God-breathed….” If Jesus and the Father are one, and if all Scripture is God-breathed, then Scripture is a record of Jesus’ words to His creation. Not just the words recorded in the Gospel accounts, but ALL the words in the Bible are his.
As we look at Jesus through these different lenses, we see different aspects of who he is. When we realize that Jesus is God, that he is both the beginning and the end of all things, that the words of the Bible are his, it becomes clear that Peter’s description is very accurate.
“Rejected by humans” does not only refer to the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It refers to every human who has ever rejected God beginning with Adam and Eve. Every prophet who was rejected was a rejection of Jesus. Jesus wasn’t just rejected two thousand years ago. He has been rejected from the beginning of time.
I think I have mentioned that one summer during my college years I took a job selling Bibles door to door. Before being sent out into the world we were trained to deal with rejection. Lots and lots of rejection. The average door to door salesperson might knock on a couple of hundred doors a day. Getting the chance to have someone want to listen to a sales presentation was a cause to celebrate. Having someone actually want to buy a book seemed like a miracle.
Finding the will to knock on one more door when going through a dry stretch could be hard to do. Sometimes it seemed overwhelming. What kept me going were little things. Things like encouragement from my sales manager, having a mom who accepted my long-distance calls now and then and wanting to succeed.
Jesus wants to succeed, too. He desires that all people are saved. (John 3: 17) Yet throughout history, he has been met by rejection. Not by one door or one hundred, but by millions if not billions. In our current time like many times past, it seems that some have not only rejected God but have embraced his enemy, Satan.
Once, when knocking on the last few doors of the day, I happened to knock on a certain door that opened with a violence I had never seen before. The man who lived inside came rushing out onto the porch in a rage. I retreated to the sidewalk, and remember gazing in amazement as he yelled and waved his arms at me. His rage was palpable. He seemed on the verge of insanity.
Had I done anything to deserve this? No. I had simply knocked. How many doors has Jesus knocked on? How many people have responded with hate?
Peter doesn’t mean that all humans have rejected Jesus. He, himself, is proof that is not true. What he means is that there are humans who have rejected Jesus throughout all time. Yet even though Jesus has been rejected by people, he has never lost sight of the fact that he is loved by his Father. Because of that love, Jesus trusted himself to the grave for the sake of you and me.
Application: Consider the value of Jesus. Even though he is rejected by men, the love of God shines through him.
Food for Thought: What does the phrase, ”…chosen by God…” mean?
Jesus was rejected as Messiah and king by people, but God choose Him as the Messiah to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords. Our men’s study recently looked at Psalm 2. That is a good example of people rejecting God’s Anointed but He is still God’s Anointed Whom the Father has installed as King (Psalm 2: 2, 6). He will rule over the ends of the earth (Psalm 2: 8). To reject Him leads to His wrath but to accept Him leads to His blessing (Psalm 2: 12). Someday soon He will rule as King of Kings and Lord if lords (Revelation 19: 16). The decision we make about Jesus’ place in our lives and hearts matters more than anything else (John 3: 36). He is a most worthy, loving and majestic King. We should let Him rule in our lives and hearts today.
God is omniscience, all-knowing and immutable, never changes; He possesses all knowledge past, present, and future. In the beginning, God created the world and everything in it, knowing “every” event that would follow, before each occurred. God knows everything.
God has never learned, He can never learn, because He is all-knowing, and, never changing and of course, beyond our understanding.
Isaiah 40:13-14, Romans 11:34, Isaiah 40:28, Malachi 3:6, Titus 1:2, Luke 1:37; 1 Corinthians 2:11.
Romans 8:29, For those God FOREKNEW, He also PREDESTINED to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
I believe the term Chosen has been deliberately given to the people used to write the Bible, as a short version of Romans 8:29. With the foreknowledge of God, we were each predestined to be born, to reach the point of accepting or rejecting the convicting revelation of the Holy Spirit John 16:8-11, regarding Christs sacrifice for the sins of all mankind John 3:16, and by the faith given to each by the Holy Spirit, exercise our free will to accept or reject the sacrifice and Lordship of Jesus Christ for our sins. We can take no personal pride in being called chosen, God has done ALL the work. Glorify God by serving in humble, obedience to His will and be blessed with His fellowship.
Amen to everything here. As I go back and read through some of these posts I am finding myself especially grateful for all that you continue to share w/us brother Ron. I appreciate how clearly you place the goal posts of your reasoning based on how plainly the Scriptures attest to things that might otherwise seem like they are contradictory. You sum them up nicely and it is very clear for me to trace back where you are coming from and the freedom that having this set in your heart & mind has afforded you. It’s very encouraging brother, keep at it!
Nicely said, NMOP3PISdn!
NMOP3PISdn,
God bless you brother Chris. Thank you for your encouraging words. Our God is so very wonderful and His is our path to the freedom you speak of. We can both be eternally grateful for all He has freely given to all His children.
👍🏻