Even Jesus Was Rejected

13 Apr Even Jesus Was Rejected

Read Matthew 26:1-5 (NLT)

Thought for the Day: My value is not measured by popularity!

Now arguably the most well-known theologian of the 20th Century, Dietrich Bonhoeffer would never have predicted his life and work would have left such a significant legacy. Serving as a pastor in 1930s-40s Germany, Bonhoeffer was a key leader in the Confessing Church. Rather than fleeing the country or allying with the Nazi Party, Bonhoeffer stayed and took a hard stance against Hitler. However, even though he clung to the truth, this did not mean that the Nazis suddenly saw the error of their ways and repented. Instead, Bonhoeffer was put to death in Flossenbürg concentration camp on April 9, 1045.

Jesus experienced rejection. After riding into Jerusalem, Jesus was not universally loved. Rather, a group of leaders labeled Him as a problem and began discussing the best way to make Him go away: “At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill Him.” The people of Jerusalem (including the key leaders) had been waiting for the Messiah for hundreds of years,l. Once He arrived, they were unable to accept Him. Still, whether or not the religious leaders accepted Him had no bearing on the truth. Jesus is the Messiah and our Lord.

Living in 2022, it is easy to overvalue popularity. Many become obsessed with likes, shares, and follows on social media. Still, each of those has no bearing on what really matters. Any form of human popularity has very little to do with true value and worth. Bonhoeffer was killed by the Nazis despite the fact that he was right and they were wrong. Jesus was rejected by religious leaders in Jerusalem despite the fact that He is the Messiah. So too in our lives, let’s remember that we don’t need to be popular. We simply need to faithfully follow Jesus!

In Christ,

Pastors Stan and David