Articles
Why Some Never Find Jesus
After Jesus had been crucified and had been buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, on the third day, “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint” the body of Jesus (Mark 16:1), but there they found “the stone had been rolled away” (Mark 16:4) and they entered the tomb, finding “a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed” (Mark 16:5).
He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen!” (Mark 16:6). Though they all had witnessed the death of Jesus (Mark 15:40) and the two Marys saw Him placed in the tomb [(Mark 15:47) one that was sealed and guarded by guards appointed by the council (Matt. 27:66)], they now find Jesus was not there, though they had every expectation He would be there. The reason He was not there, of course, was because He had been raised from the dead; their disappointment was short-lived, and they would see Jesus again (Matt. 28:9, 10). Though He was not where they expected Him, they did find Him. Might there be a lesson in this for us? And why is it that some have no trouble finding Jesus, while others never seem to find Him? Let's consider a few reasons…
Some Never Find Jesus Because They Never Look For Him. This world offers numerous distractions — enough to keep our minds off the eternal things and off of God and Jesus, our souls, and the final Judgment. The devil loves this, because he knows as long as he can keep us from thinking about such things, he has our souls in the palm of his hand and he doesn't even have to work hard to ensure we are lost.
When the women went to the tomb where Jesus had been buried, they were actively seeking Jesus; though He wasn't where they anticipated finding Him, they did meet Him later [and probably again on other occasions]. They found Jesus because they were actively looking for Him. Some sought Jesus while He walked this earth (John 12:21), and individuals like Paul sought Him after He had ascended into heaven (cf. Phil. 3:8-11), and some seek Him today. Those who are seeking Him will find Him.
You know who didn't find Jesus — in the tomb or anywhere else? Those who weren't looking for Him. Those today who have no interest in Jesus, or those who simply do not know anything about Jesus will likewise not be seeking Him — and He will not be found by them. Many who are not looking for Jesus know something about Him, but are caught up in the pursuit of material possessions, physical pleasures, or simply just living life. We who know Him, though, should tell those who do not know Him; it may be that they were looking for Him and just didn't know it. We could bring to them the message of a Savior who offers forgiveness and eternal life in heaven!
Some Never Find Jesus Because They Don't Want to Find Him. Someone once said, "Some people never find Jesus for the same reason a thief never finds a policeman." How true! Someone who doesn't want to find Jesus will find a way to never "find" Jesus so they don't have to hear about sin, judgment, and the need for godly living; they are content to live in ungodliness and they know that if they were to acknowledge Jesus for whom He claimed to be — the Son of God and Savior of the world — then they would have to acknowledge their sins and need for Him and then have to give up the pursuit of the worldly things, and they are unwilling to do that. So, they never seem to "find" Jesus!
A scientist can look into the evidence of the natural world, but somehow never find God even though “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20); why can they not find God? They don't want to find God. In the same way, an individual can consider all the evidence and testimony of those who walked with Jesus and were eyewitnesses to Him and His great works, but never "find" Jesus because they don't want to find Jesus and admit they are accountable.
The reality of those who never seem to find Jesus for this reason is that their "inability" to find Him does not mean He does not exist, and does not mean they are not accountable to Him. The fact is, the words Jesus has spoken will judge us in the last day (John 12:47, 48), and “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). It will be impossible to not "find" Jesus in the final Judgment, but then it will be too late to acknowledge Him.
Some Never Find Jesus Because He Is Not the 'Jesus' They Want. In the first century, when Jesus came to this earth, He was rejected by the religious leaders and by many Jews simply because He was not the Messiah they wanted! They wanted a Messiah who would come and sit on David's throne in Jerusalem, kick out the Romans, and make Israel a world power once again, as in the time of David and Solomon. Today, we have many people that are looking for Jesus to return and, again, set up an earthly kingdom. When Jesus refused to allow others to make Him king (cf. John 6:15), and when some today discover that Jesus is not coming to this earth to establish an earthly kingdom, but to bring the saved with Him to the father (cf. 1 Cor. 15:20-28; 1 Thess. 4:13-18), they want nothing to do with that Jesus. He isn't the 'Jesus' they want!
Still others today reject Jesus because the 'Jesus' they want and follow is one of their own imagination and not the one you find in the Bible. The 'Jesus' many want today does not condemn sin, will not judge us in the end, and just loves everyone so much he wouldn't dare tell anyone they should cease sinning or must deny their fleshly desires, much less offer themselves as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1) because that would be asking too much.
The 'Jesus' many love today is one who excuses greed and materialism, turns a blind eye to all kinds of sexual sins, overlooks the atrocities of millions of aborted children, tolerates and even encourages division and contradictory doctrines in the church, and would never demand one cease murdering innocent children, oppressing the poor or harboring hatred in our hearts. The most popular 'Jesus' today is one who never asks anything of anyone, doesn't demand repentance, and doesn't care what you believe; this Jesus doesn't even care whether or not you believe He is the Christ and Son of God! This 'Jesus' certainly is popular, but He is not the Jesus you will find in the Bible. No, this 'Jesus' is but a figment of our collective imagination. He is actually the devil in disguise!
The true Jesus came to this earth to die for our sins — not to excuse them, but that we might truly repent of them and cease pursuing the fleshly desires. The true Jesus demands repentance and — yes — obedience to His will, and He will not excuse us or ignore our evil deeds because He 'just loves us too much to send us to hell.'
Have you found Jesus — the real Jesus we read about in the Bible? If so, what will you do now? When we see Him face to face, we will find Him as either our Savior or as the one who condemns us. Seek Him now, while you still have time. —— Steven Harper
