John 1:11

“He came to his own, and His own people did not receive Him.”

John is showing where Jesus came to earth in this verse. This will be in direct opposition to the way they receive him. When John says that “He came to His own” it is literally meant that He came to His own people. These are the people the Bible has been about until this point, the Jews. This also has a broader meaning, though. “His own” could also mean those who are “flesh” like John shows Jesus is in verse 9, at the beginning of this paragraph. John is not only reemphasizing that Jesus is flesh like those around Him but also that He is the creator who is coming to His own, those that He made. This dual meaning of ownership from Jesus is crucial to understand as the next phrase will reveal more about this.

Why is it important that we know He came to His own? Because when He came to His own, His own did not receive Him. The idea here that John is bringing across is from Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” This is a man who was prophesied to be rejected by His own people, the people of Isreal, but more than that in the same way we have all rejected Him. John is saying the creator of the universe who came in flesh was not only unrecognized but also literally rejected and murdered by those He came to save.

As Christians, we have a hope in the fact that Jesus was rejected as Jesus says later in John, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18). We have a promise from God that as the world He created rejected Him, they will also reject us. So, when we wonder why people are so opposed to our understanding of truth and come to mock or deride us, they did it first to Jesus. This can also be subtle as for Jesus this did not happen directly but behind His back, in the darkness that people love so much.

In the same way, we must understand this mocking stance is a natural position for us to be in and something we must fight with the power of Jesus. We can only do this by being in His Word, Prayer, and through coming together as believers. We must always make sure to be in His Word so He can help correct our natural state to what He wants us to be. Prayer must become our default state when we are not doing anything to constantly be with God. There is also a mind change when we surround ourselves with those with the same goal.

For those who do not believe. Jesus understands the natural inclination to reject Him. It seems far easier at the time to reject Him than to come to Him. Our feelings, however, do not change the fact that He is the creator of the universe and the creator of you. He wants you to know Him as completely as possible on this earth. He is calling for you to know Him and you can Hear Him call you. When you come to Him, He will help you to understand not only Himself but the whole of creation. Call out to him today while you can, and do not be a part of the world that does not know Him.