Belief Isn't Enough
Faith is both belief and faithfulness.
They believed, but they loved human praise more than God’s glory.
We could ponder this verse alone all day. And maybe we should. And the one before it:
…many leaders believed in him, but they wouldn’t acknowledge their faith because they feared…
Whether it’s fear or loving praise more or whatever, there are other things that we can allow to block us from exercising our faith. And despite Protestant reformations, assenting faith is not enough. Faith must be exercised. (Yes, of course, doing things is not always the result of true faith, but that’s not the current point.)
Whoever serves me must follow me.
Time and again, Jesus demonstrates that action is the consummation of faith.
John 12:23-43
Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Human One to be glorified. I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their lives will lose them, and those who hate their lives in this world will keep them forever. Whoever serves me must follow me. Wherever I am, there my servant will also be. My Father will honor whoever serves me.
“Now I am deeply troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, save me from this time’? No, for this is the reason I have come to this time. Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
The crowd standing there heard and said, “It’s thunder.” Others said, “An angel spoke to him.”
Jesus replied, “This voice wasn’t for my benefit but for yours. Now is the time for judgment of this world. Now this world’s ruler will be thrown out. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.” (He said this to show how he was going to die.)
The crowd responded, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Human One must be lifted up? Who is this Human One?”
Jesus replied, “The light is with you for only a little while. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness don’t know where they are going. As long as you have the light, believe in the light so that you might become people whose lives are determined by the light.” After Jesus said these things, he went away and hid from them.
Jesus had done many miraculous signs before the people, but they didn’t believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of the prophet Isaiah:
Lord, who has believed through our message?
To whom is the arm of the Lord fully revealed?
Isaiah explains why they couldn’t believe:
He made their eyes blind
and closed their minds
so that they might not see with their eyes,
understand with their minds,
and turn their lives around—
and I would heal them.
Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ glory; he spoke about Jesus. Even so, many leaders believed in him, but they wouldn’t acknowledge their faith because they feared that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. They believed, but they loved human praise more than God’s glory.
Prayer
God,
Help me to bring the faith I have in Jesus to full fruition. I love Jesus. I love his story, his person, his character, his compassion, and his follow-through. Help me to have the same follow-through, to bring to completion the feelings I have for him in my heart.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.