Praise That Matters

John
"12:42 Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. 12:43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God." NetBible

Wanting to fit in, to be part of a group is a powerful need for most of us. It starts at an early age, this seeking of approval and confirmation. I suspect it is part of our makeup. Our soul longs for God and is made for God, no matter what we may believe or deny. It can be easy to fill that need with the wrong things.

That was the case here. Even worse, it says these leaders believed in Jesus but would not say so because they would lose their position and all the associated trappings. They were used to the admiration, respect, and praise of men and they just couldn’t give that up. Even with their knowledge of God and recognizing Jesus as the Son of God they were unable to place God before the idol of self. Doesn’t it seem ironic that responding to God would place them in danger of being thrown out of what is supposed to be God’s house of worship?

The world’s power, approval and praise can be a subtle and strong temptation. One of the temptations that Satan brought before Jesus was these very things. But Jesus overcame that temptation by focusing not on himself, but looking only to God. He looks for us to follow Him.