John‬ ‭1:10‭-‬13‬ ‭NLT‬
[10] “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. [11] He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.”

The fact that “the world” and “his own people” rejected Jesus because they did not recognise Him, does not disprove that He is the Son of God, nor does it mean that Jesus was a fake. Public opinion is never the measure of authenticity or truth. Honest evaluation of the evidence is the only true test of Jesus’ claims.

Why have people rejected Jesus since He came to earth as a man?

‭John‬ ‭1:1‭-‬5‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He existed in the beginning with God. [3] God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. [4] The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

‭John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭NLT‬
[14]”So, the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

The answer is simple – they refused to examine the evidence. Then we must ask the question, ” Why do people refuse to examine the evidence?”

Again, the answer is simple, Jesus’ own diagnosis for people’s unbelief – sin blinds the eyes of those who hate and fear the truth.

‭John‬ ‭3:19‭-‬20‬ ‭NLT‬
[19] “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. [20] All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”

The Apostle Paul lays the blame for the world’s blindness on the real culprit…

‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:3‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬
[3]” If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. [4] Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

And what of the Jews?

‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭NLT‬
[14] But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth….

What is it that blinds people’s minds to the truth and hardens their hearts to the gospel of Jesus?

Sin – as we have already seen, sin
hardens the heart and blinds the eyes to the truth because fear, guilt and shame close the heart off to God’s mercy. People run from God rather than run to Him because they do not believe the truth about Him.

Prejudice is a powerful deterrent to truth. Prejudice demands to be right no matter how convincing the evidence of truth may be. Prejudice, driven by religious beliefs, is the most damaging of all.

Tradition is an equally powerful deterrent to truth. Human traditions, no matter their origin or how they are formed, hold people’s minds in bondage and keep them from an honest evaluation of the evidence. We only have to examine the traditions surrounding Christmas and Easter to see how imprisoned God’s people are to their lies.

However, the Bible is full of “but Gods”! Wherever there is a “but God”, God’s intervention makes all the difference. Look at this one.

[12] “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. [13] They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God… “

So, John states categorically, despite the attitude of both the world, i.e., mankind in general, and His own people, the Jews, in particular, that believing in Him changes everything.

John set out, in his gospel record, to provide evidence from Jesus’ life and lips that He is the Son of God, that His Word can be trusted, and that He gives life to those who believe in Him.

The truth of God’s promise becomes a powerful, life-changing reality to those who are humble enough to admit that their beliefs about Jesus were wrong, that the evidence in God’s word is convincing, and that Jesus is the Son of God.

Those who receive the truth in faith are born from above by the power of the Holy Spirit, into God’s forever family. Now that’s a powerful “but God” and well worth believing!

To be continued…