Well, I must go back to the topic in the Book of John. Some of what I wrote about is answered in Acts. It makes me feel good when my thoughts are validated through scripture. In one of my postings, I discussed how people focused on who killed Jesus and not on why he died. Peter addressed this very topic in a sermon he gave shortly after Jesus was resurrected from the dead and had ascended to heaven.
Acts 3:17-19, "Friends, I realize that what you did to Jesus was done in ignorance; and the same can be said of your leaders. But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had declared about the Messiah beforehand, that he must suffer all these things. Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleanses of your sins. Then wonderful times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will send Jesus your Messiah to you again. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his prophets."
Basically, it was God's plan that Jesus was killed. The significance of the Jews was because they were his chosen people from the beginning. It was not after the resurrection that God opened salvation up to the Gentiles, or non-Jews. Although, people who were not Jews did adopt the Jewish traditions and followed God. All of this occurred to fulfill the prophecies. It was all part of God's plan. Peter was telling them that they can turn away from their sins and follow Christ. The good news is that many Jews did accept Christ and became believers. God has a promise here. For those who follow Christ, "wonderful times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord." Not to say that life would be easy. It is hard to be a Christian sometimes. But, God is there when I need him. He watches over me and keeps me from harm. I don't know what I would do with out God in my life.
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