Have you ever been a coward when it comes to proclaiming or even just claiming your faith? I have. Have you ever entertained the idea of what you might be like as a missionary in a foreign land, but then when someone asked you what you did this weekend you mention everything except for going to church and spending the afternoon with your church small group?
We do these things often. Most of us lack courage in the smallest of things.
Let's look at a couple of verses in John that pointed a mirror first at me and then helped me see Jesus more clearly.
"Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in Him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would no be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." John 12:42-43
Can you see yourself in this? I can clearly. Many of the authorities in Israel believed in Jesus but would not confess faith in Him. They didn't confess because they were afraid. They were afraid to be cast out of the synagogue, which was to be cast out of their society.
Have you been afraid to confess Christ for fear of being ostracized from society? What if following Jesus puts you on the outside of the cultural current? What if being a Christian causes you to be excluded from your group at work? What if you're a Jesus Freak in their eyes, and not in the cool 1970's sense?
We feel this fear and we, I included, give in. We give in because we "love the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."
Quick question: Would you venture to guess the authorities in this story, at this time in their lives, would be counted among the saved? I know that we can't look into their hearts and know, and I know that John doesn't say, but would you guess you would find them in Heaven if they died that night? I would guess, with hope that I'm wrong, no.
"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
We must be courageous confessors of Jesus. You know this, I know this. So, how do we do this? Does this passage simply contain a great guilt trip?
Thankfully, no. This passage is not a source, primarily, of guilt but of great motivation.
"... for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."
We all seek glory and that isn't necessarily wrong. We are made to seek glory. We are made to strive for glory and to want to view glory. This is bound up in us. The trick to being a courageous confessor of Jesus is NOT to deny ourselves glory. The life hack to this courage is to seek the greater glory.
What is glory? I will say in this post that glory is a weight, a scope and amount.
The Weight of Glory:
Should we love the applause and atta boys of man more than that of God? I was listening recently to an interview with the spectacular sports broadcaster Bob Costas. Bob recounted a story in which he had been on a program talking about whether Hank Aaron or Barry Bonds was the true home run king in his eyes. Bob said Aaron. Some time after that TV appearance he received a call. "Please hold for the president," said the caller. In a few moments former U.S. President George H. W. Bush was on the line telling Costas what a marvelous job he did conveying what Mr. Bush felt was the correct position. I ask you this: What opinion about Bob's work has more weight: The opinion of the Twitter mob or that of the former leader of the free world?
How much more weight does the applause and atta boy from God Almighty carry than that of the created people of this world? Chase the weightier glory.
The Scope of Glory:
How long will the best of the glory man has to offer last? 50 years? 60 years? How long does the glory God has to offer last? In a word: Eternity.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:19-21
The Amount:
If I told you that you could have a gift from one of two houses, which would you choose: A gift from my house or a gift from the house of billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos? If you said mine, you're either very sentimental toward me or a suck up. Only a fool would want a gift from my modest house and not a gift from Bezo's house (one of which he rents from Kenny G for $600,000/month).
How much more should we want the glory that comes from the treasury of the owner of a cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:12)? How much more wonderful and expansive is the glory that God can give than that men can?
Meditate on the greater glory. Spend time thinking deeply about how much more God can offer you than a man or all men. You are made to chase glory. From whom will you get the most and see the most. Think on this and act on your conclusions today.
