“Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. But Jesus shouted out, ‘The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me.’” —John 12:42–45
In our verses for today, we see even among the leaders there were those who were persuaded that Jesus was the Messiah. Sadly, they were not bold enough to acknowledge their faith for fear of the consequences that might develop. It would appear that all of humankind seeks approval and acceptance. We worry about the praise of the creature rather than striving for the praise of the Creator. Earlier in John, Jesus said:
“I do not accept praise from people, but I know you, that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don’t seek the praise that comes from the only God?” —John 5:41–44
Does the praise of men tickle our ears and motivate our actions, prompting us to have very little or no regard for the praise of God? This is a cause for many a downfall. King Saul is a perfect example from scripture. The first King of Israel suffered with the problem of people pleasing. Neglecting the Lord’s command to totally destroy the Amalekites and everything belonging to them, Saul spared the king and some of the best of the sheep and cattle and lambs. His actions did not please God:
“Then the LORD’s message came to Samuel: ‘I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.’” —1 Samuel 15:10
When Samuel questioned Saul, we discover the reason for his disobedience:
“Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the LORD commanded and your words as well. For I was afraid of the army, and I obeyed their voice.’” —1 Samuel 15:24
Saul proved to be a coward. He was unwilling to stand for the difficult right against the easy wrong in an effort to be embraced and praised by flesh and blood. Paul had it right when he wrote to the Thessalonians:
“For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, about our coming to you—it has not proven to be purposeless. But although we suffered earlier and were mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of much opposition. For the appeal we make does not come from error or impurity or with deceit, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts. For we never appeared with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is our witness—nor to seek glory from people, either from you or from others.” —1 Thessalonians 2:1–6
Make no mistake about it, when we reject Jesus, we reject God. There is an entire unity between Jesus and the Father, a complete and mysterious oneness. To trust in the Son—the sent Savior of sinners—is to also trust in the Father—the One who sent Jesus to save. Though distinct persons of the Trinity, they cannot be divided. The unity of Jesus and the Father are so complete that to honor God is to honor the Son as well, and conversely, to dishonor one is to dishonor the other.
Become More
God makes himself known through Jesus Christ. To believe in Jesus is to believe in God. God’s essential nature is disclosed in our Lord Jesus. Knowing God comes through knowing his Son and paying attention to his deeds. Jesus came to make God known to us. The apostle John said: ‘No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.’” —John 1:18
Further Reflection
“Men who fear God face life fearlessly.” —Richard Halverson