“For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.”
John 12:43 (NLT)
Even after seeing all the miracles Jesus had done, many still refused to believe. Isaiah had prophesied it — blind eyes, hardened hearts, an unwillingness to turn and be healed. Yet John also tells us something even more sobering: some didbelieve… but kept it secret. They feared people more than God. They wanted approval without allegiance.
Jesus makes the cost of that fear unmistakably clear. In Luke 12, He says that whoever acknowledges Him publicly, He will acknowledge before the angels of God — but whoever denies Him will be denied. When I stay silent, when I blend in, when I avoid acknowledging Him publicly to protect my reputation or relationships, I am not being neutral — I am denying Him. And Jesus warns that what I choose to do with Him on earth echoes into eternity.
John exposes the deeper issue: they loved the praise of people more than the praise of God. Human praise is immediate, temporary, and hollow. God’s praise is eternal, weighty, and personal. Romans 2:29 shows us that when we allow the Holy Spirit to change our heart, we end up seeking praise from God and not from people. Paul says this is true circumcision — not merely obeying the law, which is exactly what the Pharisees were stuck in.
So today I have to ask myself honestly — whose approval am I protecting? What am I afraid people might do if I openly live, speak, and align with Jesus? And am I really willing to trade the praise of my Father for the applause of people?