Predisposed
We often find it hard to accept what we don't understand.
Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him. And he ordered him to tell no one. “Go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.” But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray. One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, “Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” he said to the one who was paralyzed ”I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.” Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen strange things today.” - Luke 5:12-26
Those who were helped by Jesus couldn't help but spread the word, causing many others to come to be healed. And yet, those who opposed him couldn't see anything good in him for doing what he was doing.
They were predisposed to see him as evil, for he was messing up their narrative.
The Pharisees and scribes had a different message than Jesus. For them, the world was doomed. The only path to salvation was through their vision of what the Messiah was going to be like, and they were convinced this upstart was not the one.
It shows us that we could be so convinced that our view is correct that we fail to see evidence of the contrary.
Some saw what Jesus did and understood, while others saw him as a threat.
Maybe the message here is that once we are predisposed to see something as true, nothing can change that perception.
That would surely explain a lot.
More to come...