FEBRUARY 6, 2024
“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: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42-43)
The glory that comes from man is mutable and temporal! It is mutable in that as quickly as man receives another and honors him, he will just as quickly reject and dishonor that very same man. It is temporal in that he may receive and honor another man all the days of his life, but the reception and honor of that man lasts so long as the days of man. The honor received from men is likened unto the life of men, a fleeting breath.
For these men, in our text, to be received by other men and not to be rejected, they had to compromise what they had believed and cling to the traditions of their fathers. One is only received and honored so long as you agree with everything that man says or play the part that man demands of you. Therefore, to disagree or not be the man that others expect is a rebellion against man and earns you dishonor amongst men. While they believed in Christ, they dared not to make that known by word nor by outright following Christ and His teachings because they could not stand the thought of losing the glory of man. Because of this, they had not Christ! They, themselves, chose the glory of men rather than the glory of God. Jesus makes it quite clear, “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) Being ashamed of Christ, these men had found that they had no share with Christ and His eternal abode!
But for all who love the glory of God more than the glory of men find that they shall not be put to shame. While shamed by men because of Christ and His teachings, they are gladly received by Christ Jesus Himself.
Being redeemed and received by Christ, the saint enjoys an eternal relationship with the whole Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! In this relationship, the Lord vindicates His holiness in and through the saint that is despised by men. Through all the shame and suffering of the saint, the glory of God is the great desire of His soul! Therefore, he rejoices in his sufferings because he is persuaded that God will be glorified!
At one point, Peter denied Christ three times so that he may not be shamed and rejected by man. But after his conversion, he rejoiced when he had received suffering from the hands of men for the sake of Christ: “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” (Acts 5:41)
Whose glory do you love more; the glory of man or the glory of God?
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