There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.—John 1:6–11

Introduction: Christmas Means Rejection 

Last week we saw three reasons to sing “O Come Let Us Adore Him:” (1) Jesus is God, (2) Jesus Reveals God, (3) Jesus Brings Us to God.

This second week of Advent we will discover three more reasons. But the theme may surprise you …

If someone asked you, “What does Christmas mean?” What would you say? Very few would say, “Christmas means rejection.” That is what our text highlights— with a yellow highlight and an exclamation point. The Light came into the world. The very Person who made the world came to the world and the world would not receive him.

This is true of the whole gospel story, but it is also true of the Christmas story. Jesus’ life story was a drama of rejection. No room in the inn (turned away by the innkeeper). He has to be born in a smelly stable—laid in a manger, a feeding trough. He has to be whisked away at night from those pitiful accommodations because they are on the run for their lives from the pretender king Herod who killed all the boys 2 years old and under in Bethlehem.

Even the old priest Simeon, when Jesus is circumcised, predicts inevitable and unavoidable opposition and pain: “And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed” (Luke 2:34).

This drama of rejection is not accidental, nor coincidental, nor tangential, but essential to the gospel story. That is the main point of this passage. 

Main point: The rejection of Jesus is essential to the gospel story.

Let’s watch as this passage builds to that point in three parts.

Sermon Outline

1. The Witness to the Light (vv. 6–8)
2. The Coming of the Light (v. 9–10)
3. The Rejection of the Light (v. 11)

1.The Witness to the Light (vv. 6–8)

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The Gospel of John is zealous to show us that no one had any excuse for rejecting Jesus. Imagine a teacher who informs his students every day for about three months: We have a huge final exam on December 10. The students have heard this same thing for 50 days. On the day of the final, as the teacher begins to hand it out, a few of the students say, “Wait a minute. Why didn’t you tell us we were going to have a final exam today? I didn’t know about it. I am not prepared!”

The students have zero excuse. There has been an abundance of forewarning—no one should be caught off guard. The teacher prepared the way for the final very well. That is exactly what John the Baptist did. He was a “man sent from God” to prepare the way for Jesus. No one can say, “Why didn’t you tell me he was coming?” He did. John the Baptist was like the motorcade announcing the advent of something far greater than any earthly president or ruler. He preached repentance to prepare the people and he warned them that the One who comes after him was actually before him (John 1:15; affirming John 1:1—that he is eternal). We hear John the Baptist pointing to Jesus in this book later in this chapter:

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me’”—John 1:29–30

John bore witness about the light “that all might believe through him” (John 1:7). Don’t miss the emphasis on “all.” Last week the emphasis was that the Son of God created all things and now that the Maker has come into the world all creatures should believe in him. If we were to script this in a way that is worthy of the Creator, his reception should be: All fall down on their knees, recognize their Creator and King, and receive him with great joy and thanksgiving. 

But that is a far cry from what actually happened when, after the way had been prepared, the Light came. Let’s look at what happens …

2.The Coming of the Light (vv. 9–10)

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

What does he mean by “true light?” He is not contrasting the true vs. the false, but the reality vs. the replica. This is what we said last week when we contrasted humans made in the image of God and Jesus as the image of the invisible God. One is a representative that points to the real. A painting of water represents water, but it cannot satisfy a thirst like the real thing. A plastic fruit basket is supposed to represent a real fruit basket, but it is for decoration, not eating.

Here is another way to say it: Let’s say that I tell you, “Guess what, I got you all a Lamborghini for Christmas.” You would rightly be in disbelief and say, “Are you kidding?!” To which I would reply, “No, I am not. I got you all a brand new, candy apple red Lamborghini.” You open your gift and it is a matchbox version. The matchbox version is based on the real thing, but it is not the real thing. It is a copy or a replica.

John was not the Light. He witnessed about the Light. His light was derivative—like the difference between the moon and the sun. The moon does shine by itself, but it reflects the light of the sun, so that it appears to be shining. Jesus is the true Light, which is the source of light for everyone.

That Light has come into the world, but all did not believe. He was in the world, the world should have recognized him because he made the world, but the world did not know him. “Did not know” may sound a little too polite and passive. It was much more active than that. Verse 11 turns up the volume on the dramatic song of rejection.

1.The Rejection of the Light (v. 11)

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

He came to his own. He didn’t hide who he was. He said it. He did miracles to prove it. But he would not be believed. He would not be received. He was rejected.

We already saw this last week when we read from John 3:19–20.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

One of my friends said this was a real turning point for him. He was an atheist, and one of his friends got him to read the Gospel of John. He was drawn in to the story until he got to that text. He closed the book and virtually threw it down on the coffee table. Here was a book that was not only telling him to receive Jesus, but it was telling him why he was rejecting Jesus! Was he reading this book or was it reading him? It was true. He felt safe in the shadows—with no accountability. No having to admit he had failed.

The emphasis of this text is how inappropriate and counterintuitive the rejection of Jesus is. John emphasizes more than a mere generic rejection by the world, but a specific rejection by the one people on the planet that should have been in the best possible position to receive him: the Jewish people. John calls them “his own people.” John is simply following the Old Testament pattern of speaking of the Jews.

The ox knows its owner,
     and the donkey its master’s crib,
but Israel does not know,
     my people do not understand.

Ah, sinful nation,
     a people laden with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
     children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
     they have despised the Holy One of Israel,
    they are utterly estranged.—Isaiah 1:3–4

Remember the teacher who had prepared his students for 50 days? The Jewish people have been prepared through many prophets for hundreds of years. Even they would not receive him.

Thus far, we have primarily shown that the Christmas story is a story of rejection, and now I want to show that the whole gospel story is a story of rejection. And that is actually good news for us, not an embarrassment.

Transition: The Rejection Theme in Three Parts

He offends people all over the place. He totally offends the religious leaders so that they hatch a plot to kill him. Matthew’s Gospel even has the disciples informing Jesus about how offensive he is just in case he were not aware of that fact.

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.  Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:12–14).

Jesus even offended his own followers. Large crowds will follow Jesus (John even calls them his disciples), and then he says something that is hard—like they have to eat his flesh and drink his blood to have life. Many were offended and as a result we read, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66).

It seems that both friends and foes alike are offended. The story builds to a climax of human rejection. His disciples deny him and run away. The Jewish leaders have a mock trial and convict him, and they take him to the Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate. Pilate believes that Jesus is innocent but rejects him and hands him over to the bloodthirsty whim of the crowd. The crowd would rather release an obvious thug like Barabbas and crucify Jesus. The Roman soldiers carry out the scourging and the execution, the Jewish leaders gloat over him as he suffers in total agony, and even his fellow criminals crucified next to him use their dying breath to mock him. Yes, I would say that rejection is a theme in this story.

2. The Rejection of Jesus Is Essential for the Credibility of Christianity

Some people want to mock Jesus today when they hear about how despised and rejected he was. But this rejection is essential for the credibility of Christianity. I never saw this clearly until I listened recently to a sermon by Tim Keller on “The Man Who Would Not Be Believed.” Keller gives three reasons why the rejection of Jesus is essential for the credibility of Christianity. If Jesus never offended people or was ever rejected, then he would not be (1) historical, (2) universal, or (3) personal. 

First, a Jesus that never offended anyone and who was universally liked would be historically suspect. An inoffensive Jesus has no historical credibility. Why? Keller says that if you took the Bible away, and all we had were the secular historical documents, we would know two things: (1) Jesus got himself killed and (2) immediately after he died, his Jewish followers proclaimed that he was God and worshipped him. These two things are two extremes! Jews were the least likely people to ever believe a human could be deity and worship him. 

Keller gives the example of Mr. Rogers (From Mister Roger’s Neighborhood) as someone who was not controversial or offensive. He was so nice! He never raised his voice. Who would kill Mr. Rogers or who would worship Mr. Rogers?

Keller quotes John Stott reminding us that no one ever responded to Jesus moderately. They ran away in fear or they turned upon him and tried to kill him.

Second, an inoffensive Jesus who was never rejected could not be a universal Savior. There is something about Jesus that offends every culture. Here in the West where we claim to prize individual choice and tolerance, people can’t handle this idea that Jesus is the only way to God. Many non-western cultures are not offended when Jesus says there is one truth or one way to God.

In western culture, we love it when he accepts the outsider. Someone has been living outside the established rules of a tribe or a people or a culture. Yes, you lived a non-moral life. Your religious performance did not pass muster. In fact, you are a moral failure. Yes, you can come to God. But that is offensive to other cultures. That sounds like moral laxity. 

We make an idol out of individual choice, other cultures make an idol out of the collective choice—be true to the tribe—to your own people. You don’t have a universal Savior unless there is something about him that offends all cultures.

Third, an inoffensive Jesus who was never rejected could not be personal. All you would have is a “yes” man. You would have a nice, benign Jesus, but not a Jesus who could contradict you. You don’t have a personal relationship with someone unless they can sometimes contradict you. If all you have is a “Yes, dear, yes sir, whatever you think.” You have “Stepford wives.” What a scary movie. The husbands wanted robots, not a relationship with a real person! I am going to get rid of this part of Jesus. I only want this. 

Why is Jesus so offensive—from his birth to his death to the present time? He always violates the ruling ideas of individuals and cultures because he demands to be the ruling idea. They must all bow to him, not the other way around. He is Lord over them; they are not lords over him.

3. The Rejection of Jesus Is Essential for Our Salvation

But the rejection theme in this Gospel is not good news merely because it makes the Good News credible, the rejection of Jesus makes the Good News possible.

Here is what I mean: Look past all the rejections during Jesus’ earthly life. Look past the manger (rejection by innkeeper). Look past the rejection of his family and hometown. Look past the rejection of the crowd, the disciples, the Jewish leaders, Pontius Pilate, the Roman soldiers, and those crucified next to him. Go right to the rejection that is at the very heart of our salvation. Jesus was rejected by the Father so that we would be accepted by the Father. Jesus received the only rejection that could kill you forever so that we could receive the only acceptance that lasts forever—the ultimate acceptance.

This is reason # 4 to sing “O Come Let Us Adore Him:” His rejection is our Acceptance! Accept rejection and you will be accepted. Reject rejection and you will be rejected. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). This was part of the Father’s plan to save us.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
     he has put him to grief;
     when his soul makes an offering for guilt.—Isaiah 53:10 

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
     he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
     and with his wounds we are healed—Isaiah 53:5

What are you going to do about your guilt? What you do when you know you are not at peace with God? Listen to him! He has provided a way! I am calling you to receive salvation by receiving Jesus and believing in his name. This is a gift unlike any other. Some of you think that leaving right now and receiving a Lamborghini would be the best thing that ever happened to you. But what good would that do you for all eternity? The biggest problem with it is that it won’t do you any good whatsoever in the world to come. The gift of Jesus is not just the best actual Gift but the best possible gift. The Gift that gives life that lasts forever!

Conclusion: The Rejection of Jesus for This Life and the Next

The rejection of Jesus will strengthen Christians for this life and the next. First, let us think about this life. How does the fact that Jesus was rejected help strengthen Christians in this life?

What is it about other religions that makes you think that that god cares about your suffering or pain or rejection? I read a story about someone that worked as a medical professional. There was a decisive and transformational moment in his medical practice. He was on the table and was being poked and prodded and somewhat roughly treated. The medical professional did not have the best bedside manner. From that point on, he treated his patients totally different. Why? Everything changed because he was on the table.

Christmas teaches us that the Creator came into the world, and he “got on the table.” He does not just know about suffering as a theory, he knows it by personal experience. This is reason #5 to sing “O Come Let Us Adore Him”: The One who is with you knows you. He can walk with you in the midst of rejection and pain and suffering.

Are you heartbroken because you feel despised, mistreated, and rejected by others? Spouses may desert you or abuse you. Parents may break your trust or break your hearts. Children may want nothing to do with you. Your friends may fail you or disappoint you or love you one moment and dismiss you the next.

Jesus never will. You don’t have to perform for him. I call you to get off the religious treadmill of external performance and endurance. Step off and receive his embrace and rest in all that he did and endured in your place for your sake. And know that the One who was betrayed will never betray you.

Second, how does the rejection of Jesus strengthen us for the life to come? This is reason #6: The One who was wronged is coming again to right every wrong.

[Closing Song: I Heard the Bells]

Maybe we need stronger songs calling for Christmas justice—like “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this hymn in 1864—during the American Civil War. This sense of despair makes more sense given that context. Stanzas four and five are usually omitted from hymnals.]

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

[Hear the bells, but hear the gunshots drown out the bells. The screams of the abused, the tears of the depressed, the outrage of the victims of injustice—they all can drown out the bells and make you wonder if God is dead or asleep.]

But Longfellow has not finished his poem:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

The first Christmas reminds us that it took God a long time to fulfill his original promise and there are still aspects of the promise that remain to be fulfilled (like peace on earth). But Christmas shows he will. He keeps his word. His timing is not our timing. His timing may offend our sense of when he should act. But no one should wonder whether he will act. God fulfills his promise, but never according to our timetable—his time and our timing are never the same thing. But we are people who have been—not for 50 days like the students were about their test—but for thousands of years.

Sermon Discussion Questions

Outline

This drama of rejection unfolds in three movements:

1. The Witness to the Light (vv. 6–8)
2. The Coming of the Light (vv. 9–10)
3. The Rejection of the Light (vv. 11)

Main point: The rejection of Jesus plays an essential role in the gospel story—and in the Christmas story.

Discussion Questions

• What role did John the Baptist play in the drama of rejection?
• What does it mean when John says that Jesus was “the true light”?
• Why was it so surprising to have Jesus’ own people refuse to receive him?
• How does the theme of rejection show up in the rest of the gospel story?
• Why is the rejection of Jesus essential for the credibility of Christianity?
• Why is the rejection of Jesus essential for our salvation?

Application Questions

• What hardships or rejections do you face in this life? Spend time in your small group sharing about these difficulties. How can the rejection Jesus endured make a daily difference to you?
• Are you ready for the second coming of Christ and the fact that he will right all wrongs? What are you doing to prepare yourself?

Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace to receive the One who was rejected in our place so that we would never be rejected.