Businesspeople face a two-part problem. First, they must provide a product or service which others are willing to buy. Secondly, they must let others know that the product or service is available. For example, suppose someone starts a restaurant. His kitchen may be spotlessly clean. He may use only the finest ingredients in his dishes. His recipes may be healthier and tastier than anybody else’s. He may serve large portions. His prices may be cheaper than other restaurants. He may provide swift and efficient service. Yet, if nobody knows that his restaurant exists, he will not have any customers. Somehow he must tell people about his restaurant before they will come and eat there.
The same truth applies in spiritual things. People cannot accept or believe what they have never heard. In his inspired letter to the church at Rome, the Apostle Paul demonstrates that the only way to obtain forgiveness of sins is by believing in Jesus Christ and confessing that He is Lord. In chapter 10, verses 14 and 15 Paul asks the question: “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they
hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!””
Earlier in this letter, Paul pointed out that Jesus sacrificed Himself on our behalf. Though He was righteous, He took the penalty for our unrighteousness on Himself. He paid our debt that we might be free. As wonderful as this is, it is not enough. People have to hear about Jesus and the sacrifice He made before they can believe on Him. They cannot call on His name or confess that He is Lord if they do not know who He is.
What is the process by which people come to find out about Jesus and the salvation from sin which His sacrifice makes possible? Paul writes that it is through preaching. It is not possible for us to witness Jesus’ sacrifice with our own eyes. We cannot see His burial and resurrection for ourselves. These events occurred almost 2,000 years ago. Therefore, the only way we can know about them is by someone telling us – whether through the written testimony of the book we call the New Testament, or by means of the words of someone who has already believed.
Throughout history many have come proclaiming messages of their own devising. But this is not the case regarding those who proclaim Jesus Christ. They have been sent. They have an obligation to tell others about Christ. Before ascending to heaven Jesus told His disciples, “…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV) If we claim to follow Christ are we telling others about Him?
If the followers of Christ have an obligation to tell others about Him why, then, does not everyone come to faith in Him? In verses 16 through 21, Paul explains. “But they didn’t all listen to the glad news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, didn’t they hear? Yes, most certainly, “Their sound went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” But I ask, didn’t Israel know? First Moses says, “I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation, with a nation void of understanding I will make you angry.” Isaiah is very bold, and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.” But as to Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.””
We know from our own experience that not everyone believes in Christ or accepts Him. As Paul writes, this is true even of the Israelites who were God’s chosen people. If faith in Christ comes from hearing, then why did the Israelites not believe? One possibility is that they did not have the opportunity to hear. While this may be true of other peoples, it cannot be the case with the Israelites. The Jewish Scriptures, that is the Old Testament, are filled with prophecies about the coming of Christ and His redeeming sacrifice. In addition, many Israelites personally witnessed Jesus’ ministry, His death and His resurrection. Not only that, Paul and the other Apostles made a special effort to preach the good news about Christ in the Jewish synagogues wherever they went. As a result of all these things, the Israelites cannot claim ignorance as their excuse for not believing on Christ.
If ignorance is not the reason the Jewish people refused to believe in Christ, is it possible that they did not understand the message when it was preached to them? This cannot be. As Paul points out, even people who are not Israelites understood and accepted Christ even though they did not have the advantages that the Jewish people had. If Gentiles can understand the Gospel then, surely, the Israelites are capable of understanding it as well.
God desires everyone, regardless of race and cultural heritage to come to faith in Christ. Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah to explain that God reveals Himself and the message of Christ even to those who were not seeking Him. Unfortunately, this is another reason the Jewish people rejected Christ. The fact that many people who are not Israelites believe in Christ stirred up anger and envy in the hearts of the Israelites. How could God grant salvation to those who are not His chosen people? This envy and anger should have driven the Israelites to accept Christ as well. Unfortunately, they turned away.
This brings us to the real reason the Israelites refused to accept and believe in Christ: they were obstinate and disobeyed. They heard the message. They understood it. Yet, they chose to disobey it. They clung to the idea that they could save themselves by their own efforts rather than submitting to to Christ. What about us? Have we heard the good news about Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf? Do we believe it? Have we submitted ourselves to Christ and confessed that He is Lord?