...And They Rejected Him

A few weeks ago I preached a message in our youth group entitled, "And They Rejected Him" based off Matthew 21:42. I told our students that it's possible to be in church and not be the church- that going to a church service can help make you good person (just by the standards we teach), but will not necessarily make you godly person (because that is a personal lifestyle choice). Isn't that something? That we can attend a church, give in the offering, maybe even be involved in a ministry, and still not know who Jesus is! Unfortunately, this has been going on since the days of Jesus. The Word of God says in John 1:11, "He came to his own people, and even they rejected him." (NLT)


How could anyone reject Jesus?

• His message to people was love.  In Matthew 22, Jesus summed up the ten commandments to just two...LOVE God and LOVE people.  He says in vs. 40, "The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (NLT)
• His lifestyle in front of people was life. Many churches have mission statements, and they are all good. I will never knock a specific word that the Lord gave to the head of a church. However, I choose to adopt Jesus' mission statement found in John 10:10, "...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (NIV) 
• He brought freedom to the people. An Old Testament prophecy given about the coming Messiah, found in Isaiah 61:1, reads, "The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners." (MSG) This prophecy was later fulfilled with Jesus in Luke 4:18.

 Jesus came to this earth, His Father's creation (which made it His since he said in John 14:9, "when you've seen me you've seen the Father"), to promote love, life and liberty and yet they rejected Him!


Here is the key verse to back all this up: Matthew 21:42, "Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing, and it is wonderful to see'." The "stone" that Jesus refers to is himself (more on that in a few more sentences). The "builders" that Jesus refers to is the chief priests and rulers of the Temple. They were over the church yet did not allow Jesus to come in. They treated Jesus like a stepping stone. One they could walk all over. But, he says that even though they rejected Him, he will become THE cornerstone. A cornerstone was literally the first stone laid before building. He will become the foundation set for salvation! And it was all God's doing!




But, you have to ask yourself, why would they reject Him?


1. He was not the Messiah they were looking for


They were looking for a conquering King who would establish his reign over the earth. Yet, Jesus prided Himself in becoming the lowest. Reinhard Bonke, a great man of God who preaches in Africa and literally sees millions come to know Jesus, says this, "Christ judged greatness, not by how many people man could boast served him, but how many people he served--the higher the rank the more service to more people. Look at Jesus, the King of Kings stood among men and women and carried their burdens, even the awful load of their sin. He washed the disciples feet with water and also washed their hearts by his own precious blood. That is Jesus...our blessed Lord Jesus."


Isn't it amazing that Jesus could make Himself available to all men, and yet still His own reject Him?


2. His Message was too hard


I know what you are thinking. How could His message be too hard if it all could be summed up as "love, life, and liberty." The religious leaders of the day were all about themselves. And Jesus called them out for it. Look at Matthew 23:1-5a, "Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Everything they do is for show..." (NLT)


Jesus' Sermon the Mount goes into detail about this. In Matthew 6 He calls religious leaders "hypocrites". Why? Because they played church. Everything they did was for show.

• Jesus says do good privately. Don't go air out to everyone what you're doing for Him! Instead, do good privately. If you do this, you will be rewarded. 

 Isn't it amazing that we can share the love of God and not know the God of love?


3. Pride


I think ultimately, people reject Him b/c of their own pride. "Who are you to tell me how to live?" "I'm fine just the way I am." Unless we crucify our pride, our pride will one day crucify us.


Lastly, I told our teenagers that since the world rejected Him, the world would reject us. Jesus told His disciples in John 15:8, "“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first." (NLT)


I tell teenagers all the time, "If the world cannot tell a difference between you and them, you're probably not doing this whole Christianity thing correctly." 


It is my biggest goal in life to become rejected. I know that if I become rejected by the world, I'm living for Jesus! Are you?