Why didn’t Jesus preach universal reconciliation more explicitly? This is a question that is often asked. Obviously, it is difficult to answer why Jesus did or didn’t do certain things. Here is an attempt to answer this question that at least makes sense to me.
We naturally assume that Jesus said whatever he wanted to say. But the truth is that Jesus had a very diverse group of listeners, and each group had different expectations and ideas. Frequently in the Gospels, we find that Jesus was careful about how to communicate certain things to not cause harm to him or others, e.g., proclaiming the truth about himself too boldly might have gotten him killed much faster.
In John 16, Jesus says this interesting statement,
“I have yet many things to say to you, but ye are not able to bear them now; and when He may come—the Spirit of truth—He will guide you to all the truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but as many things as He will hear He will speak, and the coming things He will tell you.”
(John 16,12–13 Young’s Literal Translation)
Jesus didn’t teach whatever he wanted because his listeners/disciples were not yet ready for the truth! But he promised that the spirit of truth would lead them into “all the truth.”
We can see that even though Jesus announced his death several times to his disciples, they still were not prepared for what happened when Jesus was arrested. They expected the Messiah to defeat the Romans. A crucified Messiah was unthinkable for them.
Jesus’ counter-cultural way of forgiveness and enemy love is so different from the way of this world (which usually seeks revenge) that it was very difficult for the disciples to understand, just as it is difficult for most of us today.
Since human understanding is very limited, God’s speaking to us will always be accommodated. God stoops down to our level and speaks to us in terms and concepts we can understand. God pushes us as far toward truth as we are able to grasp.
Our worldview is informed and shaped by our culture and time, which often prevents us from understanding things outside the way we used to think. Revealing the whole truth to us instantly would totally overwhelm every human being. That’s why discipleship is a lifelong process of adapting one’s worldview toward truth. Step by step, God reveals as much truth as we can bear and leads us toward seeing the world through his eyes.
The Jews at the time of Jesus believed that God’s salvation was exclusive to the Jews only. Jesus didn’t explicitly teach that God’s salvation includes Gentiles during his lifetime. The things he said and did indirectly point to that reality, but the Holy Spirit ultimately unveiled the fullness of this truth in Acts. Looking at the book of Acts, it is apparent that the disciples were already overwhelmed with the idea of God saving the Gentiles. How much more would they have been overwhelmed by the idea of universal reconciliation?
If Jesus didn’t directly teach “Gentiles can be saved” then it makes sense that he wouldn’t directly teach “all men will be saved.” Because the first is a stepping stone that must be crossed before reaching the second.
But the more the disciples were transformed by the Holy Spirit, the more they understood that God’s goal is to redeem his whole creation (1 Tim 2:3-6), to reconcile the whole cosmos (2 Cor 5:19), and to make Christ all in all (Col 3:11). That’s why we have many verses in the New Testament that point towards universal reconciliation. A list of these verses can be found HERE.
Especially John weaved the idea of universal reconciliation into his writings.
The next day Jesus came to John. When he saw him coming, he cried, “Look, here is the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away sin from the whole world!
We have now heard him with our own ears and know that he really is the savior of the world.
But I will be exalted above the earth, and then I will draw everyone to me.
He, who never did wrong, became an atonement for our sins through his death, and not just for our sins, but for those of the whole world
Another reason we are certain is that: We have seen and can testify that the Father sent his Son to us as the Savior of the world.
Conclusion
Jesus didn’t preach universal reconciliation more clearly because it would have overwhelmed his audience at that time. Only in the aftermath of the cross and the resurrection and experiencing the joy of including the Gentiles, the spirit of truth was able to help them understand that God wants to save everyone, that he can, and that, therefore, he will.
correction : instead of 2 Tim 2:3-6 , it‘s 1 Tim 2:3-6
Thank you for catching this mistake, Naomi! Sorry, for the massive delay with allowing your post and answering it. We had some technical problems with the website.