Matthew 21:14-17 ESV
[14] And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, [16] and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” [17] And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Matthew records that when the Chief Priests and the Scribes saw Him healing the people and the children declaring Him the Son of David, they were enraged. Why? They knew what those things meant. The Pharisees were those who studied the Law. They were supposed to know it the best. The Scribes were those who copied the Scriptures. They were the ones who were supposed to know the Law, the prophets, the histories. These are two groups of people who understood exactly what was happening and they despised every second of it. Why?
Jesus wasn’t who they wanted to be the Messiah. The Son of David. He wasn’t a great notable figure. He was born to just a regular mother. His father? A regular man. A carpenter. He wasn’t about starting a revolution. He wasn’t trying to overthrow Caesar. He wasn’t working towards establishing Israel to its former glory. He was simply a carpenter who had began preaching, healing, and carrying out demons. Now, even the children saw who Jesus was and they couldn’t take it anymore.
This was not the Messiah they wanted. This was not the Messiah they were waiting for. See, they had a lot of head knowledge but they lacked one thing. The Fear of the LORD. Jesus checked all the boxes. Fulfilled all the prophecies, but because He wasn’t what they wanted or thought He needed to be in that moment, they refused to accept Him. They put their own ideas, biases, desires, feelings, etc. above the Scriptures. And in doing so, above God Himself.
Today, is not much different. There’s a lot of people who know the Scriptures, but because they have no fear of the LORD, they have no understanding of the Scriptures. They have no wisdom. They reject Jesus, just as the Pharisees and the Scribes did. This isn’t just the world either. It’s not just atheists either. It’s pastors, bishops, deacons, worship leaders, church goers, etc. Jesus is being rejected by all who refuse to humble themselves before Him.
The Pharisees and Scribes missed the Messiah’s first coming. Instead of bowing down at His feet and worshipping Him, they crucified Him. They had Him beaten and scourged. They mocked and taunted Him as He hung on the cross in agony until He died. Jesus is coming back, but this time it’s not to die. This time it’s not to suffer.
When He returns it’s to gather His Bride from one end of the earth to the other. Then He will pour out His wrath on all who rejected Him.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Miss His Second Coming.