Jesus is not the kind of Messiah the people of Israel wanted. They didn't like his lowliness (Isaiah 53) and they didn't like his glory (Isaiah 6). This is one of the sad parts in the Gospel of John — "[Jesus] came to his own, and his own people did not receive him" (John 1:11).
But this rejection was no accident. Jesus came to save sinners by his death in their place, and Israel's unbelief was part of God's plan to make this salvation possible for the whole world.
So the sadness isn't ultimate. It's there to make us glad. It was planned to give us peace and forgiveness — if we love God's glory and embrace Jesus, the glorious and despised Messiah.
Stream or download this week's sermon, Belief in Jesus: Its Barriers and Blessings.
