Acts 13:27-32 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not… I. ITS GROUND. 1. Ignorance of Christ Himself. (1) Of His Divine Sonship. (2) His mediatorial authority. (3) His saving mission. Had they known all this, "they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." 2. Deafness to the voices of the prophets who predicted Him. Here we have the two-fold ground of all rejection of Christ. If men only knew Him, and recognised the force of those many prophecies which find their fulfilment only in Him, the acceptance of His Person and saving benefits would be inevitable. II. ITS INEXCUSABLENESS. 1. Christ was with them, and demonstrated His Divine personality and mission by many infallible proofs — His sinless humanity, His miraculous works, His wonderful teaching. Christ is not with us in the same sense; but we have the record of His life, which renders His modern rejection none the less inexcusable. 2. They heard the prophecies frequently read; and had they listened without prejudice, they must have seen how they all converged in Him. So now. 3. There was no cause for His rejection (ver. 28). He did them no harm, but ever strove to do them good. Why do you reject Him? Is it not because you will not come to Him that you may have life? III. ITS FRUSTRATION. 1. Their rejection, in its most aggravated form, only fulfilled the prophecies which went before on Him (vers. 27, 29). 2. God reversed the humiliation of death which they inflicted on Him by raising Him from the dead. What to them was the end of His mission, proved only its beginning. 3. Their rejection proved the origin of that gospel which Paul was now preaching to the wide world. Nor is this rejection any more successful now. "Whosoever falleth on this stone shall be broken," etc. (J. W. Burn.) Parallel Verses KJV: For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. |
    |