Why should Israel have recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and how did they respond when he came?
Israel should have recognized Jesus as the promised Messiah when He came, but the nation as a whole did not. Only a few understood. Like Joseph's brothers, they failed to identify the one God had sent, despite evidence that should have made His identity clear.
Les explains that Joseph is a picture: he was sent into a far country, rejected by his brethren, and took an Egyptian bride. His brothers did not recognize him, even when he gave hints such as seating them at the banquet by age. In the same way, when Jesus came on the scene, Israel should have known who He was, but they did not. They had no idea He was the promised Messiah. A few did, but the nation as a whole never understood. Les then points to 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, where Paul writes to the Gentile congregation at Corinth about the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom God ordained before the world, and verse 8 begins, “which none.”