How did the failure of Zechariah's family and the Jewish leaders shape Jesus' course?
The failure of Zechariah's family, especially John the Baptist, to unite with Jesus and testify to his identity confused the Jewish leadership. Rejected rather than received as the Messiah, Jesus was deprived of his intended earthly foundation, compelling him to walk the secondary path of the cross to secure spiritual salvation.
Every serious student of the New Testament eventually confronts the heartbreaking contrast between the glorious prophecies foretelling the Messiah’s earthly reign and the tragic reality of Jesus’ rejection and crucifixion. The prophets of ancient Israel had long proclaimed the advent of a Prince of Peace whose righteous rule would establish an everlasting kingdom of joy and justice. Yet, when Jesus walked the earth, his ministry was defined by isolation, persecution, and ultimate martyrdom upon a Roman cross. To comprehend why Jesus walked this path of tears, we must examine the specific providential environment into which he was born, focusing directly upon the mission entrusted to Zechariah’s family and the religious hierarchy of Israel. God does not execute His will through unilateral decree, but through a sacred partnership that honors human freedom. When those called to prepare the Lord's way falter in their mission, the entire trajectory of salvation history is diverted toward suffering and delay.
The Biblical Foundation
The Old Testament concludes with an essential prophecy in Malachi 4:5: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” Because Elijah had ascended to heaven in a whirlwind, the Jewish people fervently expected his personal return before the Messiah would appear. When the angel Gabriel announced the birth of John the Baptist to the priest Zechariah, he revealed that John would go “in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).
When Jesus appeared, the scribes questioned his messianic authority because Elijah had not visibly returned. Jesus’ disciples brought this perplexity to him, asking, “Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?” (Matthew 17:10). Jesus unequivocally declared that John was the promised Elijah, stating, “And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come” (Matthew 11:14). Yet, when religious authorities questioned John directly, “Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not” (John 1:21). This explicit contradiction between the words of Jesus and John threw the entire nation into spiritual confusion.
The Principle's Clarification
Providential history progresses through the interplay between God’s grace and the human portion of responsibility. Before the Messiah can establish God's reign, the chosen people must prepare a foundation consisting of two parts: the foundation of faith and the foundation of substance.
Zechariah belonged to an honored priestly line, and his son John grew up surrounded by divine omens, leading an austere life in the wilderness. Through his exemplary self-denial and preaching, John successfully laid the foundation of faith. However, this was only half of his providential task. By birth, John was the elder cousin, standing in the position of Cain, while Jesus stood in the position of Abel. To fulfill the foundation of substance, John was called to complete the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature. This required John to reverse the tragic pattern of Cain and Abel by humbling himself, attending Jesus as his master, and guiding his massive following into absolute unity with the Messiah.
The Breakdown of the Prepared Foundation
Tragically, this vital unity never materialized. Instead of becoming Jesus’ leading disciple, John maintained an independent ministry. He subsequently turned his attention to rebuking the unlawful marriage of King Herod Antipas, an endeavor that led directly to his imprisonment. Confined to prison and doubting Jesus because the Messiah did not conform to his expectations, John sent disciples to ask, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3). Jesus was deeply sorrowed by this disbelief, noting, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11).
Because the Jewish leadership respected John's high social standing, they believed his denial of being Elijah rather than Jesus’ affirmation. Finding no scriptural basis to accept a Messiah who appeared before Elijah, the religious leaders judged Jesus by the external standards of the Mosaic law. They denounced him as a blasphemer and accused him of demonic possession. Jesus wept over Jerusalem’s blindness, lamenting, “If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes” (Luke 19:42), and crying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37).
The Altered Course: From Glory to the Cross
God sent Jesus to fulfill the original purpose of creation, centered on the three blessings of individual maturity, ideal family life, and righteous dominion. Jesus came as the second Adam to establish the True Parents of humanity and build the substantial Kingdom of Heaven on earth. He possessed the direct authority on earth to forgive sins and had no original mandate to die.
When Zechariah’s family and the religious leadership failed their responsibilities, Jesus was left entirely exposed to satanic hostility. Deprived of the prepared national foundation, Jesus chose the secondary course of the cross. By offering his body, Jesus triumphed over Satan spiritually, securing complete spiritual salvation for believers. However, because his physical life was cut short, physical redemption remained unfulfilled, necessitating a painful prolongation of the providence until the second advent.
Living the Principle
The tragic course of Jesus offers an urgent lesson for our own walk of faith. God’s providence always moves forward through living people who must unite beyond external traditions and personal viewpoints. We must guard our hearts against spiritual pride, recognizing that God often sends His central figures in humble, unexpected ways. To participate in God's ongoing work, we must actively seek out and support the Abel figures in our lives, cultivating genuine humility and discernment. Rather than clinging to rigid dogmas of the past, we are called to align our thoughts and deeds with God's living word, preparing ourselves spiritually and practically to welcome the Lord at his return.
These answers explain the Bible in the light of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Read about the author, Sun Myung Moon.
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Sources and further reading
- The Holy Bible, King James Version — Scripture quoted and referenced throughout the answers.
- The Divine Principle (full text) — The complete text of the Divine Principle, the teaching of Reverend Sun Myung Moon that these answers explain.
- Unification texts library (tparents.org) — Large online library of Unification texts, sermons and collected speeches, including the Cheon Seong Gyeong.
- Short video lectures in English — Playlist of short English video lectures presenting these same principles.