Some act as if this was a great mistake. That it messed up God’s plans. God’s Purpose was that His kingdom be established in the days of the Roman empire, as clearly prophesied in Daniel 2. However you can see that it was known that this would happen from the first, as you can see from the previous post.
Jesus could have easily set up a literal earthly kingdom of the Jews in the first century of our age.
Jesus could support an army out of nothing. In John 6 he fed 5,000 men, not counting women and children, with a mere five barley loaves and two fish, and at the end had over twelve baskets of broken pieces left over, Jn 6:9-13.
“14 When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, “This is truly the prophet who comes into the world.” 15 Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”
Jn 6:14-15
He could have had a literal kingdom in the first century, and such a worldly kingdom would have been accepted, but He rejected such! When He was on trial, He plainly said,
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.”
Jn 18:36
Almost every line of the gospel emphasizes this purpose.
If He was to be the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, that implies He would be slaughtered, Jn 1:29. He was asked for a sign for His authority for throwing the merchants out of the temple for the first time, early in His ministry.
“19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews therefore said, “Forty-six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he spoke of the temple of his body.”
Jn 2:19-20
The Jews said they had been building this temple of 46 years. Herod’s temple was begun in 20 BC, and was still not completed. So this means this incident happened in 26 AD, very early in His ministry! So no, the rejection of the Jews was not an unanticipated “accident.”
And Jesus repeatedly tried to prepare his disciples for His coming murder at the hands of the Jews and Gentiles, but knowing that He was indeed the Christ, they didn’t understand what He was saying.
This was the determined plan and fore-counsel of God.
“27 For truly, in this city against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever your hand and your council foreordained to happen.”
Acts 4:27-28
The kingdom was established, a kingdom not from here.
And we are translated / transferred into this kingdom, past tense, Col 1:13.
Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.