The Cost Was Too High
➤The shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant was far deeper and more disruptive for the Jews of Jesus’ day than it might first appear.
For over 1,400 years—since the wilderness tabernacle—Israel’s life and identity had been centered on the priesthood and the sacrificial system of worship. Even during seasons when neither a Tabernacle nor a Temple stood, that system defined their spiritual world.
According to the Apostle John, by the end of Jesus’ ministry, Herod’s great temple reconstruction had been underway for forty-six years. Historical records show that the sanctuary had long since been completed, though the massive courtyard was still under construction.
Josephus describes as many as 24,000 priests and Levites serving in 24 divisions, with one thousand on duty each week during the time of Jesus. And during Passover, all were mobilized—and as many as 2.7 million people crowded into Jerusalem for the feast.
Now imagine if Israel, as a nation, had fully embraced Jesus as the Messiah.
The societal and economic impact would have been staggering.
- Thousands of priests and Levites would suddenly find their inherited duties obsolete.
- Industries built around sacrificial livestock would collapse overnight.
- The wealthy money changers in the temple courts would face unemployment.
- Merchants who depended on temple traffic would slide into bankruptcy.
Following Jesus would truly cost them everything.
For many, the price seemed unbearable—and yet, that is precisely what discipleship means: a life forever changed.
Before we criticize the Jews for their resistance, we should look at ourselves.
How often do Christians today resist even small changes—like sitting in a different pew or learning new worship songs—that threaten our traditions?
Some customs have value, but others merely comfort us.
If we’re not careful, our attachment to them may cause us to miss our own “time of visitation” (Luke 19:44).
Their visitation lasted about three and a half years. Our time with His Spirit has stretched nearly two millennia!
For Israel, the physical and traditional costs would indeed have been monumental at first.
Yet the spiritual gain God intended would have far outweighed the loss—eternally so.
If they had received Him, He would have granted total forgiveness once for all time, ending the endless cycle of blood sacrifices that merely covered sins.
They could have known Him personally every day rather than through ritual and ceremony.
And many of “the rulers” among the Jews believed, but the high price of confession was too high.
“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him… for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” — John 12:42–43
Again, before we judge them too harshly, we should ask how often we cling to our own traditions so tightly that we, too, risk missing God’s visitation to us by His Spirit.
Our call to discipleship requires our everything.
When we are adopted into His family, “old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (II Cor. 5:17).
- Peter, Andrew, James, and John immediately left their nets to follow Him (Matt. 4:18-22).
- Matthew immediately “got up” from his lucrative job as a tax collector to follow Jesus (Matt. 9-13).
Had Israel received Him, their forgiveness would have been complete, their worship transformed, and their access to God intimate and personal.
The manifold grace of knowing Him far surpassed anything ritual could provide.
But they were unable to imagine the glory awaiting them.
They held fast to what was safe, familiar, and predictable—refusing the uncertain exchange of promise for reality.
We, however, have the benefit of hindsight.
Their choice stands as a warning and a mirror.
Will we, having seen what they refused, embrace the same tradeoff they rejected?
Watching His plan unfold,
Mark S. Case
