AFRAID TO TRULY BELIEVE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him.

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

John 12:37-43

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The days of Jesus’ ministry were coming to an end. He had labored hard to help people find salvation through believing in Him as the promised Messiah, the One who would come to deliver them. Through those labors, He had performed many, many miracles, acts that left all those who witnessed in amazement because no mere man had ever been able to do what He had done before.

And yet, despite His efforts, many people still refused to believe in Him, something that should not have been surprising as the prophet Isaiah had not just predicted Jesus’ coming but His rejection when he said:

“Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 53:1

The prophet would also explain why the people chose to not believe, saying:

“He (the Lord) has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

By introducing Jesus into the fold of mankind, God gave all people a chance to see His great love for them, a love that intended to save them from their sins and allow them to live with Him forever. All the people had to do was believe in His Son. Those who chose to believe were those who opened their eyes and hearts to graciously accept God’s offer. Conversely, there were people who refused to accept God’s gift and place their belief in His Son. They were the ones who became spiritually blind with hearts that were hardened from an unwillingness to understand what God was trying to do for them through His Son.

So we know that many people refused to believe because they chose to not receive Jesus as their Messiah Savior, resulting in them becoming spiritually blind with hardened hearts. But this wasn’t the only reason people decided to not follow Jesus in full. Others opted to not publicly make their beliefs known because of the fear of rejection. Look again at these words from today’s passage:

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

Here we have people who believed internally but that belief was artificial because it failed to stand up to the test of faith and courage. These leaders wanted to have one foot in Christ and the other in their social standing, particularly in regard to the synagogue. Rather than risk being evicted from the synagogue by the Pharisees by pronouncing their allegiance to Jesus, these people remained silent. As the scriptures explain, they “loved human praise more than praise from God”.

Why is this part of the Jesus narrative important to us today?

Because perhaps we still have many people in our world who are afraid of the way they will be viewed by others if they proclaim their belief in Jesus. Perhaps people are more afraid of the opinions of others - whether family, friends, or work connections - than they are the consequences of rejecting Jesus. They are unwilling to turn from the world to the One who can save them from it. Or they hold hope that everything will remain the same if they choose Jesus when the very truth of the matter is that receiving Jesus as Savior immediately changes everything. As Paul put it, a person born again in Christ becomes a new creation, their past gone as things spring up fresh (2 Corinthians 5:17).

So the question becomes, “How much are we willing to surrender for the Savior who surrendered everything for us?”

The leaders in our scripture passage were too attached to human praise to give it up in exchange for God’s praise. They desired the acceptance and approval of the world more than they wanted the acceptance and approval of their divine and holy Maker and Master.

In regard to this message, where do you stand today?

Have you freely sacrificed your desires and accepted the desires God has for you through Christ Jesus, His Son?

Or are you afraid to truly believe in Him, more interested in human praise and the opinion of mere mortal people than you are in securing your place in eternity with the God who wants to live with you forever through His Son?

The choice is up to each of us and I pray today that you have made your choice to believe in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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