My thoughts at 4am vacationing on a carribean island while reading from the book of Acts (I think I might be the only one doing this right now, lol?):

For me, it’s quite easy to understand the “why” behind why so many people don’t believe in and follow Christ. The world is full of distractions—that’s the main culprit. But it goes even deeper than that. Think about when Jesus walked the earth: even the religiously astute couldn’t see Him for who He truly was. His own “chosen” people, the Jews, rejected Him then, and to this day, many still can’t recognize Him as their Messiah.

The Old Testament is packed with prophecies. The “utterances of the prophets” as I just read in Acts 13:27 foretell the Messiah’s suffering, death, and resurrection. Passages like Isaiah 53 (the Suffering Servant), Psalm 22 (the crucifixion details), Zechariah 12:10 (pierced and mourned), Psalm 41:9 (betrayed by a friend), Isaiah 50:6 (beaten and spat upon), and Psalm 34:20 (no bones broken) are just a few examples, with over 300 more woven throughout Scripture. These weren’t hidden, they still aren’t; they are read aloud in synagogues and churches every Sabbath. Yet, people hear them week after week and still didn’t believe when fulfillment stands right in front of them.

There’s profound irony in the divine plan. Scripture illustrates a recurring theme where human actions, even sinful ones, unwittingly advance God’s redemptive purposes. It’s like Joseph’s story in Genesis 50:20: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” In the same way, the rejection of Jesus fulfilled the very prophecies that pointed to Him.

This brings us back to Acts 13:27: “For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him” (NASB). Paul highlights this in his sermon to show how blindness to truth isn’t just a historical footnote—it’s a human condition. The leaders’ condemnation of Jesus wasn’t outside of God’s control; his crucifixion was the mechanism through which salvation was accomplished for all who would believe.

Continuing this line of thought, I don’t see ideology replacing God. Rather I see that unbelief almost always stems from a hardened heart and ideology fills the void. As described in passages like Isaiah 6:9-10, where God says they, “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.” Jesus quoted this in Matthew 13:14-15 to explain why He spoke in parables—because some hearts are calloused, eyes closed, and ears dull. It’s not always about intellect or evidence; it’s spiritual. The distractions of today- materialism, skepticism, cultural pressures, politics all mirror the religious pride and political fears of Jesus’ time.

Yet, here’s the hope: God’s plan doesn’t end in rejection. Acts 13 goes on to proclaim the resurrection (verses 32-37), quoting Psalm 16:10 about the Holy One not seeing decay. This victory invites everyone, Jew and Gentile, to turn and believe. As Romans 11:25-26 hints, and the present controversy is revived in the news, even Israel’s partial hardening serves a purpose, until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, and “all Israel will be saved.” So, while unbelief persists, it’s part of a larger story of grace. The question for us is: Will we let distractions blind us –  politics rule us, or will we open our eyes to the fulfilled promises and follow the One who turns evil to good?