John 10:40-42

“And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. And many came to Him and were saying, "While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true." And many believed in Him there.”

 

Jesus had just eluded Jews who wanted to kill Him because He claimed to be God. He went away from Jerusalem and crossed the Jordan, stopping where John had baptized and staying there. Jesus’ defense of His deity had involved the Scriptures, Jesus’ own claim to have been sent into the world from God, and the good works He was doing – works that only God could do. But these arguments had been rejected by some in Jerusalem.

 

Still, many people came to Jesus in the wilderness area. Those who came remembered John. They remembered that John had pointed to Jesus as the one whose sandals John was unworthy to untie, the one upon whom John had seen the Spirit come to rest, the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. And as they considered what John had said, they thought of how John’s ministry had been unspectacular. John’s ministry was a simple ministry of proclamation and water baptism. But they also considered John’s claims about Jesus.

 

And just as others had rejected Jesus’ claims, not accepting the Scripture’s testimony, or Jesus’ teachings, or Jesus’ works as validations of Jesus’ deity – just as others had looked at all that Jesus taught and did and had rejected him, these people also made a choice. They chose to believe.

 

It was as simple as that. The Bible never makes it seem as though everyone will respond to Jesus the same way. Jesus has always faced rejection by some, acceptance by others. The apostle John writes hoping to persuade men to believe in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31). We must choose to believe – and to keep on believing. Let’s press on, trusting in Jesus even if all others reject Him.