But the people did not choose to receive this statement of divine truth. Jesus had done the very work which prophecy had foretold that the Messiah would do; but they had not witnessed what their selfish hopes had pictured as His work. Christ had indeed once fed the multitude with barley loaves; but in the days of Moses Israel had been fed with manna forty years, and far greater blessings were expected from the Messiah. Their dissatisfied hearts queried why, if Jesus could perform so many wondrous works as they had witnessed, could He not give health, strength, and riches to all His people, free them from their oppressors, and exalt them to power and honor? The fact that He claimed to be the Sent of God, and yet refused to be Israel's king, was a mystery which they could not fathom. His refusal was misinterpreted. Many concluded that He dared not assert His claims because He Himself doubted as to the divine character of His mission. Thus they opened their hearts to unbelief, and the seed which Satan had sown bore fruit of its kind, in misunderstanding and defection.

Men folket havde ikke lyst til at tage imod denne fremstilling af, hvad der var guddommelig sandhed. Jesus havde netop gjort de gerninger, som profeterne havde forudsagt, at Messias skulle gøre, men de havde ikke været vidne til det, som de i deres egoistiske forhåbninger havde forestillet sig som hans gerning. Kristus havde ganske vist en gang mættet skarerne med bygbrød; men på Moses tid var Israel blevet mættet med manna i fyrretyve år, og man ventede sig langt større velgerninger fra Messias. I deres utilfredshed stillede de sig selv dette spørgsmål. Når Jesus kunne gøre så mange undergerninger, som de selv havde set, hvorfor ville han så ikke give hele sit folk sundhed, kræfter og rigdom, befri dem fra deres undertrykkere og hæve dem til magt og ære? Den kendsgerning, at han hævdede at være den, som Gud havde udsendt, men alligevel afslog at ville være Israels konge, var et mysterium, som de ikke kunne lodde dybden af. Hans afslag blev forkert fortolket. Mange sluttede heraf, at han ikke vovede at hævde sine krav, fordi han selv tvivlede om sin sendelses guddommelige karakter. Således åbnede de deres hjerter for vantroen, og den sæd, som Satan havde sået, bar sin egen frugt gennem misforståelser og frafald.