Sermon Index
March 29, 2009, Lent 5B
John 12:36b-50
Why Doesn't Everyone Believe In Jesus? The Gospel has been proclaimed throughout most of the world, and yet not everyone believes. I think that it is such a great wonderful message of love, salvation and eternal life that everyone would want to believe, but they don't! Why not? And on top of that even when people do know the Gospel, they sometimes don't want to follow Jesus in their lives. Why? It is frustrating. Missionaries, evangelists, pastors, and Sunday school teachers know this frustration. But anyone who has tried to talk about their faith to someone else knows this frustration, too. Why don't they believe us? Why don't they believe God? Don't start feeling sorry for yourself, though. Even Jesus Himself felt this frustration! At one point he "marveled at their unbelief" (Mark 6:6). Jesus tried to teach the people in parables so they could understand easily, however even the parables seemed incomprehensible. He healed people to show God's love, he did miraculous signs to show that he was doing the work of God, yet not all the people believed. Our Gospel lesson today, John 12:37, says, "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him." Many people did believe in Jesus, but not all. So, if people at the time of Jesus who actually saw and heard him did not believe Him when Jesus preached the Gospel, I do not think that modern day Christians should get too discouraged when evangelism seems slow..
But why don't people believe? There are two possible reasons: either it is God's fault, or man's fault. Did God make it so that some people cannot believe? Does God shut some people's minds and hearts to the Gospel? The Prophet Isaiah seemed to say that (Isaiah. 6:9-10.) John 12:39-40 comments and quotes from Isaiah Chapter 6, "For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I would heal them."" But these words seem like judgment against the Israelites, they are not the love and mercy of God revealed in the New Testament. God wants all to be saved, otherwise he would not have sent Jesus to die on the cross for our forgiveness and salvation. Let's read just one of the many wonderful passages that talk about this. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
If unbelief is not God's fault, then it must be man's fault. This is really a bad position to be in, because people do not want to take the blame or responsibility of their actions. People will even blame God for this position. Why didn't God create people who could not sin?
Whose fault is unbelief? We cannot say it is the fault of the nature of humanity. Because many people do trust and believe in God. The real fault is with the individual person. In other words, if I don't believe in God, if I am in spiritual darkness, it is my own fault. Don't ask about other people, don't wonder about the rest of mankind. Ask about yourself. What is your relationship with God?
Of course we are here this morning, so I assume we all believe in Christ. In my experience, I get frustrated that evangelism is so slow in Japan. I had big dreams when first arriving in Japan, which are much smaller now. My feeling of optimism is sometimes now more a feeling of pessimism. Sometimes I wonder why there is anybody in church, why people stay in church, why people want to join the church! I ask myself sometimes why I am still a Christian. It is not a doubting about God, but about myself. I can only show thanks to God for salvation. But I wonder how I can believe in God. How can I believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It happened 2000 years ago and there is no proof except for eye-witnesses. But I believe it happened. Why do I believe? I am not sure, except that the Holy Spirit is working in my heart to give me faith. In the Word of God and in the Sacraments, that love of God is shown to me, and I accept it. I think faith is a miracle. If it were not a miracle, how could a stubborn, bull-headed guy like me believe??
That is why I know that Martin Luther's explanation of the Third Article of the Creed is true. "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.h
We started with the question, "Why doesn't everyone believe in Jesus?" And we saw how the Jews of Jesus' time who could actually see and hear him didn't even believe. Here my old sense of optimism shines through. If all the Jews had believed in Jesus as the true Christ of God what would have happened? For one thing, they would not want to crucify him on the cross. They would want to sing Hallelujahs and Hosannas to him forever. They would want him to become the leader to throw out the Romans and return Israel to a time of golden peace. In other words, they would want Jesus to start heaven on earth, to bring in the so-called Millennium Reign of Christ. But the problem is that they would not have crucified Jesus. And so there would be no salvation. Unless Jesus was crucified on the cross, there would be no sacrifice for the sin of the world. Unless Jesus rose on the third day, there would be no reconciliation and peace with God the Father. So, in a sense, it was necessary for the Jewish authorities to reject Jesus. In that rejection he became their salvation! And as a matter of record, after Jesus was crucified and rose again, many more people did believe in him. Look at Pentecost in Acts 2. Acts 6:7 reports, "So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." It wasn't until after his resurrection that even his own disciples really understood and fully believed in Jesus as the Christ. And I wouldn't believe in Jesus either if there had not been a physical bodily resurrection from the grave. Otherwise, Christianity has no power, it has no meaning. But because Jesus rose from the grave, there is hope, there is trust, there is faith.
"Why doesn't everyone believe in Jesus?" It is still a mystery. And for Christians who know the love of God and trust in his grace, it really seems strange! But we have faith that God does love the world and wants to save everyone. The Great Commission of Matthew 28, to go and proclaim the Gospel to the whole world becomes a great challenge and a great joy for the Christian. Soon it will be Easter. This is a grand time to invite someone to church so that we might share our faith, and that they may believe in Jesus! That they may rejoice in the gift of eternal life!
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church