His Own Received Him Not

John 1:11 tells us that "He [Jesus] came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him." What was it about Jesus that brought about this rejection?

I have always loved the "Christ the Redeemer" statue in Brazil. Christ the Redeemer, with open arms, was created as a symbol of peace. What a magnificent statue. What an incredible gesture. As one of the seven wonders of the world, it is a wonderful visual reminder of the Lord. I often wonder, especially considering that I'm living in 20125, what was it about Jesus that caused the Jewish world of His day to reject Him. Think about it. AND PLEASE don't just settle for the "Christian" answer. What was it about a man who preached love, peace, and reconciliation that stirred up so much anger? What was it about a man who healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, raised the dead, and caused the lame to walk that made them want to have him crucified?

There's a line in John's Gospel where he says "men loved the darkness rather than the Light." There's not too many details in that statement, but it's probably more accurate than we understand.

The "Logo" of God (what we have termed as the "Word") is more than just a word. Wrapped up in the logos is the wisdom of God - the structure of God's order. In Jesus, the logos was made flesh and dwelt among us. The question I asked earlier has more to do with the rejection of the logos rather than the rejection of a person. Was it really Jesus they were rejecting, or was it the wisdom of God that they despised?

Jesus talked about G-O-D in a relational way: ABBA.
That one really stirred them up.

Jesus talked about loving your neighbor, but the neighbor in the story was a Samaritan.
OUCH!

Jesus often reinterpreted certain Scriptures about the nature of Abba. "You've heard it said...but I say to you..."
That didn't sit to well either.

Jesus taught the people how to live in peace with one another. Particularly the Romans.
But the Jews of that day really wanted to rebel. And they eventually tried. History tells us that much.

The more I recognize some of the issues He created, the more I realize that the logos of God is so different from us. His Wisdom, His Love, is peaceful, genuine, compassionate, and truly relational. He sees beyond our petty disagreements. He goes deeper than religion ever could. Even His take on the Law was very, very, different.

Was their motive political? Were they afraid that His teachings would lead to a peace loving society that would make it very difficult to raise up a rebellion.
Was it purely spiritual? Did they believe Jesus was so off base that He would lead people away from the One True God?
Was their anger motivated by their societal standing? He seemed to really put everyone on an even playing field.

Maybe John was right in his estimation. They truly loved the darkness rather than the Light. They really loved their concept of God, their ideas on religion, their hatred of other nations, and their Law. Even though it was darkness...they loved it. They held on to it with all of their might. They refused the logos of God, tried to extinguish the Light, and crucified the Lord of glory.

When I begin to think of Jesus' rejection in this way, it causes me to stop and think about myself. What would I have done in that day? What am I doing now? Is there an area of my life where I am rejecting the logos of God? Are there people that I am unwilling to call neighbor? Is there some kind of authority that I'm not willing to live under? Are my ideas of GOD more important to me than the Abba of Jesus? I ask these questions because I realize how easy it is to embrace the darkness of our own thinking rather than the Light of His glory.

The Good News:
Jesus took their rejection.
Jesus took their shame.
Jesus embraced the crucifixion.
Why? Because He knew that it was only way into the darkness.
"He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we could become the righteousness of God in Him."
Christ the Redeemer. Arms opened wide. Hallelujah! What a Savior!