The slam of the door of the Ark
John 12: First they wouldnāt believe, then they couldnāt.
John begins his countdown to crucifixion with a summary of Jesusā relationship with the religious leaders of the day. Our Lord has spent considerable time with them and while those exchanges werenāt necessarily friendly, they were convincing. These men thrive on debate and Jesus gives them more debate than they want: winning the argument each time. He also proves his words by his deeds. On this very day Jesus is dining with Lazarus, the man Jesus called forth from the grave. At first, the leaders investigated Jesus and his miracles. At some point they saw the truth: that the miracles were real, confirming his identity. The problem is that Jesus isnāt one of them. In fact, heās a nobody from an unimportant place. Surely, the Messiah will be an āinsiderā and not an āoutsiderā as is Jesus. They held back, at first, sure that theyād find a flaw in all this that would prove them right. When that flaw wasnāt found they hardened their position. Now, we find that they’re locked in to it. God has allowed them to be the unbelievers they choose to be all along. In this, the Lord didnāt have to shut them out. Rather, he let them be where they wanted to be all along. As I think about this, I hear the slam of the door of the Ark way back in the book of Genesis. I see the thousands of Israelites being marched off into captivity. I fear I see a future Day of Judgment in which people who would not believe are allowed to spend an eternity in that unbelief, apart from God and hope. Itās serious business to refuse to believe.
Take Away: Belief is a matter of the will.