Confessing Jesus Christ

"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 confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God" (Jn. 12:41–43).

These leaders had two reasons for being unwilling to confess Jesus Christ—fear and love. They feared men and loved the praise of men instead of fearing God and loving His praise. They put their fear and their love in the wrong place. They feared what might happen in the future (e.g., being put out of the synagogue) and loved what they had already experienced. They knew what it was like to be praised by men, and they enjoyed it. They wanted the pleasant things to continue. They were most concerned about the opinions of the world and, in this particular instance, the part of the world that controlled the church.

Today the problem seems to be the reverse. Pastors value the praise of their congregation more than the praise of God. They fear the criticism of the congregants and the loss of their job. So they preach to please.

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Roots by the River

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