Do you ever get frustrated by how often the folks around you - or maybe you, yourself - keep making the same bad decisions over and over again? Do you struggle when someone keeps sabotaging their life and you know how easy it would be to fix it? Is it difficult for you to teach someone something a second time or a third time or a fourth time that should have been so obvious by now?
God feels that way, too.
By the time Jesus gets on the scene, God has already done a whole lot for His people. He has already created the heavens and the earth, the light and the dark, the day and the night, the land and the sea, plants, animals, and yes, man. (And yes, woman.)
He has already flooded the earth, but saved a remnant. He has already made His people as numerous as sand on the seashore and stars in the sky. He has already led them out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land, parting two bodies of water along the way and providing food and water where there was none, plus victory over peoples way better equipped than they were. He has already given them a king, then another king, and a whole line of kings.
He has already led them into exile, prospered them in a foreign land (again), led them back out of exile, rebuilt their holy city. He has already made promises and prophecies, every one of which has come true (or is coming true in the person of Jesus).
And by the time we see Jesus back in Nazareth, He has already been born of a virgin, been exiled and returned home, gathered a small flock of disciples, performed a number of miracles, given sight to the blind, opened the ears of the deaf, made the lame walk, taught with authority in the religious gatherings, and here are the people of His own hometown asking,
Can anything good come from Nazareth?
Isn't this Mary and Joseph's illegitimate boy?
Mark tells us He was amazed by how many, especially right there in His own home town, had no faith (6:6).
In other words, like, what else do they want Him to do for them? How much more is it going to take to convince them?
The Gospels continue with the people asking for a sign, then another sign, then one more sign until Jesus is finally like listen, there are not enough signs in the world for you if you're not willing to believe. The entire Old Testament is a sign (and a promise). Everything that's happened since His conception has been a sign. Everything He's done since He started His ministry has been a sign. And still, there are persons who don't believe. And God is amazed by that.
Honestly, I'm amazed by that.
With all the overwhelming evidence that exists for the existence of, faithfulness of, goodness of, love of God, how can you still not believe?
Well? How can you?
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