Christ being veiled from many (Part 1): HIS PEOPLE

Text: Bible Texts (Concordant Version of the Old Testament and Concordant Literal New Testament with keywords Concordance-CLNT John 1:10-13; John 1:29; Isaiah 65:1; Romans 10:20-21; Genesis 45:1-5; John 19:37; John 6:44; Zechariah 4:6; Matthew 1:21

 

John 1:10-13

10 In the world He was, and the world came into being through Him, and the world knew Him not.
11 To His own He came, and those who are His own accepted Him not.
12 Yet whoever obtained Him, to them He gives the right to become children of God, to those who are believing in His name,
13 who were begotten, not of bloods, neither of the will of the flesh, neither of the will of a man, but of God.

Matthew 1:21

21 Now she shall be bringing forth a Son, and you shall be calling His name Jesus, for He shall be saving His people from their sins."

Isaiah 65:1

1 I let Myself be inquired of by those who did not ask for Me, I am found by those who did not seek Me; I say, Behold Me! Behold Me! to a nation that has not called on My Name;

Genesis 45:1-5

1 At this Joseph was no longer able to check himself before all those who were stationed by him, and he called out: Have every man go out from me. So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2 He raised his voice in lamentation, and the Egyptians heard it; and Pharaoh’s house heard about it.
3 Joseph said to his brothers: I am Joseph! Is my father still alive? But his brothers were not able to answer him, for they were flustered at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers: Now come closer to me. When they came close, he said: I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold to Egypt.
5 And now do not be grieved nor let it be hot in your eyes that you sold me hither, because Elohim has sent me on before you for the preservation of life.

John 19:37

37 And again, a different scripture is saying, they shall see Him whom they stab.

Zechariah 4:6

6 And I said, No, my lord. And he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by valor, nor by vigor, but rather by My spirit, says Yahweh of hosts.

Romans 10:20-21

20 Yet Isaiah is very daring and is saying, I was found by those who are not seeking Me; I became disclosed to those who are not inquiring for Me.
21 Now to Israel He is saying, The whole day I spread out My hands to a stubborn and contradicting people!

One of the questions that may come to mind when reading the Scriptures is whether Matthew 1:21 and John 1:29 contradict each other. Matthew 1:21 says that Yeshua would “save his people from their sins,” which may sound as though His mission was only for the Jews. Yet John 1:29 describes Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” At first glance, these verses may appear to point in different directions, but they actually complement one another beautifully.

 

Yeshua’s earthly ministry began among the Jews, but it was never meant to end there. He Himself commanded His followers to take the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). So, His mission was both to the Jews and to the rest of humanity.

 

This week’s blog focuses on what it meant for Yeshua to come to “His own people.”

 

In one sense, all human beings belong to Him because all things were created through Him (John 1:2–4). Yet in a more specific sense, Yeshua was born into the Jewish nation. He came through the lineage of Abraham to fulfil Yahweh’s promise in Genesis 12:1–3. The Gospels show clearly that much of His ministry happened among the Jews. He grew up among them, worshipped in their synagogues, taught in their communities, and revealed Yahweh’s power before their eyes.

 

He healed the sick, forgave sins, fed the hungry, turned water into wine, restored broken lives, and even raised the dead. Everywhere He went, He brought hope to hurting people. Yet despite all these signs and wonders, many of His own people still did not recognize Him.

 

This is one of the saddest parts of the gospel story. The very people who had long awaited the promised Savior struggled to see Him standing in front of them. Yeshua taught repeatedly in the synagogues, but many hearts remained closed to His message. In the end, many religious leaders and members of the Jewish community pushed for His crucifixion.

 

As I reflected on this, I found myself asking difficult questions. Why was Yeshua hidden from His own people? Why did many descendants of Abraham and followers of Moses fail to recognize Him? If He had to be crucified, why did it happen through His own people instead of the Romans alone? This reminded me of the story of Joseph and his brothers. What they did to him and how his story ended (Genesis 45:1-5). John 19:37 hinted that Yeshua’s people will come to realize the truth about him in the long run. They would lament and weep at this revelation when they realize what they have done to their own blood brother. This is why Yeshua will reign in the land of Israel for 1,000 years as found in Revelation 20:1-10. It reflects how Joseph’s people lived with him for many years in the land of Egypt after he had disclosed himself to them.

 

The more I pondered these questions, the more I realized that these events unfolded according to Yahweh’s purpose and the fulfillment of Scripture. Stephen explained this truth in Acts 7, yet instead of listening, many rejected his message and stoned him to death. I hope to explore that more deeply in next week’s blog.

 

John’s words now make even more sense to me: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). This reminds us that truly knowing Yeshua is not merely about human effort, intelligence, religion, or tradition. Scripture repeatedly points us to the work of Yahweh’s Spirit.

 

Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Yahweh of hosts.” Yeshua Himself also taught that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them (John 6:44). This means that knowing Christ is ultimately a work of Yahweh’s grace through His Spirit.

 

Sadly, many people assume that outward religious activities alone prove someone truly knows Yeshua. But Scripture warns us that appearances can be deceiving. Isaiah 65:1 and Romans 10:20 show that Yahweh often reveals Himself in unexpected ways and to unexpected people. Knowing Yeshua is not something we can manufacture through human effort; it is something Yahweh graciously reveals to whoever he wants. Your freewill cannot make him do it. 

 

Paul explained this mystery further in Romans 11:25. Part of Israel experienced spiritual blindness so that the message of salvation could spread to the nations. In this way, Yeshua’s rejection opened the door for the gospel to reach the world.

 

If many had fully understood who Yeshua was, Paul says they would not have crucified “the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8). Yet through that very crucifixion came salvation, hope, and reconciliation for both Jews and non-Jews alike.

 

The beautiful truth of the gospel is that Yeshua’s death and resurrection are for the whole world. Everyone whom Yahweh draws to His Son is given the privilege of becoming a child of God. True knowledge of Christ comes through the work of Yahweh’s Spirit. Yahweh planned for the whole 12 tribes of Israel to unite. He would reveal his son to them just as Joseph was revealed to his brethren in the book of Genesis.

 

I hope this week’s blog encourages you to reflect deeply on your faith and your relationship with Yeshua. My prayer is that Yahweh continues to reveal His Son to all who sincerely seek truth and grace. Stay-tunned to read of the encounter of between Yeshua and the religion leaders. You do not want to miss this too.

 Please, kindly leave your comment on the comment section below.

Grace and Peace!

 

References:

https://www.concordant.org/version/read-concordant-new-testament-online

https://www.concordant.org/version/read-concordant-old-testament-online

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