Unrequited Love
Jesus' love failed not despite being treated unjustly and receiving a Cross as an answer to it, and He offers us redemption and a chance to accept Him despite our past rejection or mistakes.
J.R. Miller's sermon 'Unrequited Love' reflects on the profound rejection Jesus faced from His own people, despite His unwavering love and the blessings He offered. He highlights the contrast between the devoted few who accepted Christ and the larger nation that opposed Him, culminating in their ultimate betrayal. Miller emphasizes the severe reproofs Jesus delivered to the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and lack of true faithfulness. Despite the pain of rejection, Jesus maintained His love, weeping over Jerusalem and longing for their acceptance, ultimately responding to their betrayal with the promise of redemption. This sermon calls us to reflect on our own responses to Christ's love and the importance of genuine faithfulness.
Text
Jesus came as the Messiah of His people--but His own received Him not. A few individuals received Him, among them the Twelve and a little company of men and women. These were ardently devoted to Him. They believed in His Messiahship, although they did not understand what it meant. But His nation accepted Him not. They opposed Christ from the beginning, and their opposition grew in bitterness, until at last they nailed Him on a Cross! This was their return for His love!
Christ's reproofs of the nation for their rejection, were very severe. Some of them were spoken in the temple, before He finally left it. Some were spoken to the disciples from the Mount of Olives. He laid bare the hearts of the teachers and rulers. They bound heavy burdens on the people--but they themselves did not touch them with one of their fingers. They devoured widows' houses, and then made long prayers--that men might think them holy. They paid tithes of the smallest things--but justice, mercy and faithfulness, they omitted from their lives. They were careful to keep their dishes clean--but they paid no heed to their own inner lives. It was with breaking heart that He
told them of the doom that was impending. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings--but you were not willing. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate!"
There are two marvels here. One is that the rulers could have rejected Jesus Christ. He came doing good, going about in a marvelous ministry of mercy. He came offering them all the blessings of eternal life. How could they despise and reject Him?
The other marvel is that Jesus kept love in His heart through all their rejection. On Palm Sunday, as He was riding into the city amid the
acclaim and enthusiasm of the people, when He passed the crest of the hill and the city came into His view. He broke into loud weeping and cried, "If you had known, in this your day, even you, the things which belong to your peace! but now they are hidden from your eyes." The love of Christ failed not, though unrequited, though treated so unjustly, though the answer to it was a Cross! His answer to man's rejection--was redemption!
Sermon Outline
- I. Introduction
- II. Jesus' Reception by His Own
- A. The Twelve and a few individuals received Him
- B. The nation rejected Him
- III. Christ's Reproofs of the Nation
- A. Severe reproofs in the temple and on the Mount of Olives
- B. Exposing the hearts of teachers and rulers
- IV. The Doom of Jerusalem
- A. Jesus' longing to gather the children of Jerusalem
- B. The desolation of the house of Jerusalem
- V. Marvels of Jesus' Love
- A. The rulers' rejection of Jesus Christ
- B. Jesus' love that failed not despite rejection
Key Quotes
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings--but you were not willing.” — J.R. Miller
“If you had known, in this your day, even you, the things which belong to your peace! but now they are hidden from your eyes.” — J.R. Miller
Application Points
- We should not take our relationship with God for granted, but instead, we should strive to understand and appreciate His love for us.
- Jesus' love is a reminder that we should love and forgive others, even when they reject or hurt us.
- We should seek redemption and forgiveness when we have rejected or hurt God, and we should strive to accept and follow Jesus Christ.