Jesus Himself gives us various reasons why people do not listen to His teaching, far less believe in Him as God’s Saviour of sinners.

1. They do not want to listen.

Jesus explained that there are many people who close their eyes and ears to Him and His teaching. He put it like this:

“Their eyes they have closed lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

Jesus Christ in Matthew 13:15.

In my experience, this is a very common attitude, especially among intelligent people.

2. They want worldly honour.

Jesus put it like this:

“How can you believe, who receive honour from one another and do not seek the honour that comes from God only?”

Jesus Christ in John 5:44.

In effect, Jesus is saying that people will reach a point when they must make a choice to follow Jesus and His teaching, or give up and follow the world. Peer-group pressure will be too strong for them, and in order to maintain social acceptability or to gain promotion or worldly honour they will give up following Jesus.

This does not mean that Christians will not have worldly honour, but that making worldly honour a top priority will conflict with the priority of Christ and His kingdom – we must have our priorities right.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Jesus Christ in Mat 6:33.

Jesus speaks of hypocrites who seek worldly honour Mat 6:5,16 with the implication that worldly honour in this life is all that they will ever receive.

A godly life can lead to riches and honour if one follows divine wisdom Pro 3:16, Pro 8:18 and Pro 22:4. Many godly people were very rich but they did not seek riches as their primary goal. Job was a wealthy oil magnate and a respected councillor in his city. Abraham and many others were very rich. David 1Ch 29:28, Solomon 1K 3:13, Jehoshaphat 2Ch 17:5 and Hezekiah 2Ch 32:27 were wealthy and honourable kings of Judah. They had their priorities right; their wealth and worldly honour was additional to their godliness.

However, Jesus’ point is that those who seek worldly honour as their primary goal will not believe in Him nor follow all His teaching Jn 8:30-32 and Mat 28:20.

3. They love their current lifestyle and do not want to change it.

“This is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.”

Jesus Christ in John 3:19.

They want to continue with their own lifestyle. They see no need to change it, they do not want to change it, and they will not do so.

4. They do not like what Jesus Christ offers them.

“Whosoever does not carry his cross and come after Me is not able to be My disciple.”

“So then, everyone of you, who is not leaving in his mind all that he has, is not able to be My disciple.”

Jesus Christ in Luke 14:27,33.

“No Cross – no Crown.”

“You will experience hatred from all your opponents because of My name, but he that endures to the end shall be saved.”

Jesus Christ in Mat 10:22.

The godly will experience hateful opposition because of their Christianity. There are few leaders who offer this prospect to their followers, showing the radical nature of Jesus’ teaching. However, most trainers know the adage: “No pain – no gain.”

This self-denial and Jesus’ teaching are too much for many to bear. They give up following Jesus Jn 6:60-66, if they ever began. 

There are many other obstacles to people believing in Jesus, but these ones come from Jesus’ own mouth.

The end result of such rejection is also described by Jesus.

“If you do not believe that I am the Messiah, you shall die in your sins.”

Jesus Christ in John 8:24.

What does Jesus mean by dying in your sins? He means that you will be on your own, facing God’s justice as an incorrigible, irreformable sinner, more in love with your sins than in love with God your Creator. You will have to answer for yourself and blaming others will be no use.

So, there you have it. Straight from Jesus’ own mouth.  The pride of the wicked is such that they will never seek God.

“Because of his pride, the wicked will never seek God, and God is not in all his plans.”

Psalm 10:4.

However, you are told these things while mercy is still available to you.

Will you seek the Lord “while He may be found” Isa 55:6-11?

“Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God for He will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55:6-7.

Jesus also said: “The thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy: I came that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

John 10:10.

“I don’t want to survive, I want to live.” Solomon Northup in Twelve Years a Slave.