Street Cred

Jan. 23

Read: John 12:12-36

Street Cred

“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in (Jesus), but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” (v.42,43)

Everyone enjoys a good ‘ol fashioned “attaboy” every once and awhile. Who doesn’t enjoy the encouragement of another person? Your boss telling you “well done”, or a friend saying “thank you” for something. Obviously no one likes the idea of being overlooked, ridiculed, or dismissed. None of us wakes up in the morning hoping that others will think we are incompetent, ineffective, or worthless today. The truth of the matter is that it is not wrong to feel this way; the crux of the matter is from whom do we seek this “glory”. Whose words will satisfy and what truly motivates the things that we do?

It says here in John 12 that “many of the authorities believed in Jesus” but they did not confess it because they were afraid. They were afraid of losing credibility with the Pharisees, but more acutely loosing their positions of prominence among others. Their role in the synagogue was the key to their prestige and renown among others. They were concerned with their “upward mobility” in their jobs and their popularity among the “decision makers” of the day. I can imagine them talking to their spouses and saying, “what will people say if I confess that Jesus is the son of God? What will people think about me? What if I lose my status and power in the community?” We know this is the root cause because it says plainly, “they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”

Whose glory do you love more? For a season, Christian ideals were celebrated or maybe just tolerated around us here in the USA, but the popularity of following Christ is culturally waining. What a powerful and important question for us today: do you love the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God? Is fitting in more important that obeying the Lord? If letting others know that you believe in Jesus meant losing status and authority around you, would you still openly share or would you hide your belief… ashamed of it? Would you speak up in the break room or at the office party if being a Christian meant losing credibility with your co-workers? What if it is not “cool” at school to be a Christian, would you still live like one? What is more important to you: the praise and worship of others or the Lord’s voice telling you “well done”?

If we do not trust God’s goodness, his provision, and his faithfulness then we will be more and more afraid of what this world thinks about us and Jesus. If we forget that God is our sustainer and provider, then we run the risk of being ashamed of him and hiding our faith for fear of being “kicked out of the synagogue”… losing our job or the positions of authority we sit in. We slowly become more and more concerned with what other people think of us… the “glory” that they give us being worth more to us that doing what God has called us to do. This doesn’t mean as Christian we should not encourage one another… quite the opposite! We must remind each other of what is good and right. When doing what is pleasing to God is celebrated and encouraged by the Lord through his people, it strengthens our faith and resolve. God has us deliver to one another those “well done” messages. This is the type of “glory” that God shares with us. He says to us the same words he says to the Son because, we are in the Son and the Son is in us! God says to us as his children, “I have glorified my name in you, and I will glorify my name again in you!” (cf. v.28) The Father says to us, “You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.” (cf. Matt 3:17) You are beloved. God is pleased with you. His glory is enough… so much better than any “glory” humankind can give in and of itself. Whose glory will you run after today? Love you guys! - JDP