The gospel of John is designed to create faith in Jesus, and yet John also tells us of those who did not have faith in Jesus… In John 1:11 we read of those who lacked faith from among His own people… “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”
In John 6:66 we read of those who lacked faith from among His disciples, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”
For a time, even Jesus own brothers (cousins) Who are James, Joses, Simon and Judas (The Judas that we are familiar with who betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is a different man than the brother of Jesus, who is also named Judas) did not believe, they had grown up with the very son of God living under the same roof:
John 7:5 says, “For not even his brothers believed in Him.”
Perhaps the brothers of Jesus were blinded by familiarity. It is often said, “Familiarity breeds contempt” This hindered many who knew Jesus from childhood…
In Mark 3:21 the Bible says, “And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
The unbelief of Jesus brothers was foretold in Psalms 69:8, “I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons.”
They eventually did come to believe in Jesus. Acts 1:14 says, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”
Why did Jesus’ brothers not believe in Him from the very beginning...? Had they not seen the miracles? Did they not know Him as well as anyone else?
Some of his brothers would have been old enough to remember their older brother Jesus, at the age of 12, going to the Temple and teaching the religious leaders (Luke 2:39-52).
They were also likely invited guests at the same wedding when Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine (John 2:1-11).
Some of them would likely have been present, or at least would have been aware of when their older brother turned the tables in the temple, and how this act carried with it the bold messianic statement that the temple was ‘my father’s house’.
They would also have known that Jesus healed an official’s son (John 4:46-54), healed the man on the sabbath at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-17), fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish (John 6:1-14) and walked on water (John 6:16-21).
In John’s gospel, all of these events took place before John’s statement that, ‘…not even his brothers believed in him.”
Matthew 13:54-57 says, “… and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.”
The problem of unbelief was also a problem common among prophets. The same passage in Mathew goes on to say, “But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” Mathew 13:57
Perhaps they were blinded by envy. Large crowds had been following Jesus everywhere making it difficult for His family to speak to Him at times.
Matthew 12:46 says “While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jealousy can be a powerful.
.
In John 6:66 we read of those who lacked faith from among His disciples, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”
For a time, even Jesus own brothers (cousins) Who are James, Joses, Simon and Judas (The Judas that we are familiar with who betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is a different man than the brother of Jesus, who is also named Judas) did not believe, they had grown up with the very son of God living under the same roof:
John 7:5 says, “For not even his brothers believed in Him.”
Perhaps the brothers of Jesus were blinded by familiarity. It is often said, “Familiarity breeds contempt” This hindered many who knew Jesus from childhood…
In Mark 3:21 the Bible says, “And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
The unbelief of Jesus brothers was foretold in Psalms 69:8, “I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons.”
They eventually did come to believe in Jesus. Acts 1:14 says, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”
Why did Jesus’ brothers not believe in Him from the very beginning...? Had they not seen the miracles? Did they not know Him as well as anyone else?
Some of his brothers would have been old enough to remember their older brother Jesus, at the age of 12, going to the Temple and teaching the religious leaders (Luke 2:39-52).
They were also likely invited guests at the same wedding when Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine (John 2:1-11).
Some of them would likely have been present, or at least would have been aware of when their older brother turned the tables in the temple, and how this act carried with it the bold messianic statement that the temple was ‘my father’s house’.
They would also have known that Jesus healed an official’s son (John 4:46-54), healed the man on the sabbath at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-17), fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish (John 6:1-14) and walked on water (John 6:16-21).
In John’s gospel, all of these events took place before John’s statement that, ‘…not even his brothers believed in him.”
Matthew 13:54-57 says, “… and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.”
The problem of unbelief was also a problem common among prophets. The same passage in Mathew goes on to say, “But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” Mathew 13:57
Perhaps they were blinded by envy. Large crowds had been following Jesus everywhere making it difficult for His family to speak to Him at times.
Matthew 12:46 says “While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jealousy can be a powerful.
.
