Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery (Exodus 6:9 ESV).

The story of the Exodus is the defining miracle of the Hebrew Bible -- the archetype of all future promises of salvation. The deliverance God works for the people of Israel in rescuing our ancestors from Egypt gives us the vocabulary for all the great stories of redemption. Passover is our annual celebration of this miracle, but we often gloss over a tragic (but all too relatable) element of the story: Our ancestors thought it was too good to be true.

For the Israelites who had been trapped in generational cycles of slavery, the announcement of Moses that the Lord planned to 'deliver you from slavery...redeem you with an outstretched arm...and bring you into the land' (Exodus 6:6--8 ESV) seemed like not just wishful thinking but even cruel idealism.

The response of the brokenhearted, enslaved Israelites is all too familiar to me as a minister of the gospel to my Jewish people. We have been commissioned to announce the good news that Jesus is the Messiah -- our sins are forgiven! And yet, those to whom we have been sent are all too often unable to receive it as good news. The spiritual condition of those we are called to reach can cloud their vision and colour the beauty of the gospel with dark overtones.

I've sat with many Jewish people like Jeremy*, who feel that life's disappointments have made it difficult to believe God is both powerful and personally willing to rescue them. We had discussed the gospel before, but this time something in Jeremy had shifted -- his openness was unmistakable. He admitted that past disappointments had been the greatest barrier in his spiritual journey. I gently asked whether he felt ready to place his trust in Jesus. He said yes, and we prayed together as he repeated the sinner's prayer. When he opened his eyes, he said, 'I feel like I see things differently now.'

God sent Moses to be his instrument of proclaiming salvation, knowing that the Israelites would initially be unreceptive. Moses was warned about Pharaoh's hard heart, but not the Israelites' broken spirit. God had to encourage Moses after this disheartening encounter, so let this be an encouragement to you as you endeavour to be a witness to Jesus. Yes, the gospel can seem too good to be true, which is why God commissions us to carry it to those who can't yet believe it. And as we go, He turns what seems unbelievable into the very truth that sets people free.

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.

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