All through Jesus’ life and ministry he had people who believed in Him and supported Him, and also people who doubted him and mocked Him. I went through the gospels one time to mark the places where it was recorded where one group of people believed in Him while another group doubted him … at the exact same time and place. Here are just a few instances:
John 7:12
Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”
John 7:40-43
On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the Christ.” Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.
John 9:16
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.
John 10:20-21
Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
And, even when Jesus was dying on the cross the division over Him continued as one of the men who was being crucified with Him hurled insults at Him and mocked Him saying “Save yourself if you’re the Christ!” while the other thief said, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Read Luke 23:39-43)
Now, what can be learned by making mention of the division that took place (and still takes place today) over Jesus? There are believers and doubters … there always has been and always will be. Jesus doesn’t MAKE people believe in Him. He gives them the opportunity to explore the facts and make a decision. Some cannot be convinced even unto the very end (like the unrepentant thief on the cross), while others may wait until the very end to make the decision to believe (just like the repentant thief.) But, it doesn’t bother me that there are doubters … their doubt doesn’t lessen my belief … but I pray my belief will lessen their doubt.
Still another thing can be learned on a more personal level. You will not always have 100% agreement on people’s opinions about you. Some will doubt you while others will believe in you. Some will support you while others will put you down. You can’t be swayed by the varying opinions that others have about you. Imagine how conflicted Jesus could have become if He continued to listen to the doubters … even on the day of His crucifixion. The devil will supply a sufficient amount of doubters in your life to bring you down. You must be able to resist the temptation to listen to the naysayers and the DOUBTERS … that’s a big part of being a BELIEVER!
