“Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you.”
John 5:41–42 (NLT)
The message of John the Baptist was like a burning and shining lamp, but his light only burned bright for a little while. Isn’t that true of everything in life aside from the message of Jesus? A lamp can shine on its own for a moment, but eventually its fuel runs out. When we are connected to Jesus through faith, we have a constant source of light through the Holy Spirit—a supply that never runs out. Every other source will fail. Only the message of Jesus is eternal truth.
We aren’t called to shine our light; we are called to shine His. The Jewish leaders had made it about themselves. Verse 44 shows they sought honor from man, not from God, and verse 42 reveals the reason—they didn’t have God’s love in them. The message of God must live in our hearts for us to truly love others. When you squeeze a believer, God’s love should come out.
Verses 39–40 remind us that we can study Scripture either for knowledge or for connection. If we read the Bible without seeking the Savior, we miss the point. The Pharisees pursued law over love. Moses himself, Jesus said, would condemn them for ignoring the very Savior he wrote about.
We can fall into the same trap when we correct and condemn others instead of pointing them to Christ. We are called to love, not to exalt ourselves. Our lives should reflect the power of God to make hearts right—not our ability to prove we are.