John 1:1-18
The Word Becomes Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John 10:22-42
The Unbelief of the Jews
22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Jesus is Seen by Five Hundred People After His Resurrection
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
One would think that recognizing Jesus would have been easy, but we are told that this is not the case...Jesus is the True Light of the world, so seeing Him would stop one in their tracks, I would think...The True Light that gives Light to everyone had came into the world...He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him...Jesus came to that which was His own in Israel...And Jesus was a Jew, but His own people did not receive Him...Some did see and believe who He was...And to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave them the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God...
Jesus was able to walk among us and be like any other man, but He was not like any other man...He was not common in the sense, that as He healed others, or spoke or was teaching His Ways were different....His Ways are different, because He is still alive...He did not get everyone He met to believe in Him...And He could have...Faith is a personal thing, and was not forced on anyone as He walked the earth...I believe He stopped people right in their tracks, and stopped them right in their thoughts as they seen Him and heard Him for that specific experience He was doing...But each individual had to further their experience with Him...I believe those that did recognize Him, those people stopped and listened to Him in a way that they had never had seen or heard things about life before...And even though, I believe, that the experience they shared with Him was one to stop them and get them to share something with Him, it seems people did forget about Him...After all He was arrested by us and we crucified Him...
In His work and His Words, He always was showing us the Glory of God...He taught about the eternities...He taught about a God full of grace and truth...Yet, sometimes as man we just miss things...And it even took His resurrection to open the eyes of the remaining eleven disciples...And even after five hundred people had seen Him after His death, many still did not recognize Him as our Messiah...
It makes one wonder, what kind of event, or action, or miracle one must do to believe in Jesus...