John 12:42 & 43 - “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
I suspect that these verses sum up the majority of Christians in the United States. I suspect that these verses are a great contributing factor to why our generation has not seen true revival. I am certain that every Christian, including me, has chosen the acclaim of man over God at some point; and some do it constantly.
The first part of verse 42 is great cause for praise, some of the chief rulers believed in Christ! They had seen through the Pharisees’ attempts to discredit Jesus and saw Him as the Savior. Yet, the remainder of these verses show the entirety of their contribution to the Kingdom of Heaven: they told no one, they led none to Christ, they were intimidated into silence because they feared losing their station. Imagine what could have been if these powerful rulers were to use their office as a platform for witnessing ... perhaps the Pharisees would have been the ones that were forced into silence, because the vast majority of people around them were saved.
We will never know, because these rulers (though saved) were unprofitable to the Father. All because their hearts craved further edification from the “religious” and influential people around them. I wonder if any knew that MANY of the rulers believed. Most likely not, because they all remained silent, afraid of being the minority and cast out of power.
Why did they not consider the truths of the Old Testament? Did they think that the Lord would not be their Shepard? Did they forget how God saw His chosen people through the wilderness after setting them free from captivity in Egypt? Had they forgot the three Hebrews in the furnace? Did they not consider Daniel? Were they ignorant of the plight and then the elevation of Joseph in Egypt? God is always able to exalt and preserve His followers, but these rulers craved the praise of their colleges and community more than the blessings of God.
Christ taught that any who love their family more than Christ are not worthy of Him. He took on the role of a servant to garner more glory to the Father. He commanded us to bear our cross, not sit on our cushions.
They heard the very voice of the Son of God, and yet still loved the world more than the one who is altogether lovely. They tasted and saw that the Lord was good, yet went back to craving the bitter fruit of the world.
I wonder what would happen if we junked our pride, gave no thought to the opinions of others, and had the love of God be the sole motivation in our life? We may give up some of the finer things of the world, but we most certainly would be bathed in the blessings of God.
Your fellowservant in Christ,
Bro. Jordan Foster
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