Hidden "Believers"

A warning from John about preferring human status over the truth.

John tells us that many in the crowd believed in Jesus, including even some of the religious leaders.

But they wouldn’t say it out loud.

They feared the consequences. They feared being expelled from the synagogue, losing their place in the community, forfeiting their status, and suffering the disapproval of those in power.

John puts it plainly: They loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.

This is a sobering statement. How often does this same pull affect us? How often do we hesitate to align ourselves fully with Christ because we’re concerned about what others will think? Maybe we won’t be expelled from a synagogue, but we fear rejection in other ways. We worry about appearing too radical, too different, or too out of step with the culture around us.

And yet, this passage reminds us that belief in Jesus is not just about mental assent—it’s about allegiance. It’s about prioritizing God’s glory over human approval.

Is this a word for this time?

(Of course it is - it’s a word for all times.)

This doesn’t mean we should be reckless or unconcerned with how we engage with others. Jesus calls us to be wise, to love well, and to speak with grace. But it does mean that when the moment comes—when we have to choose between truth and comfort, between following Jesus and maintaining our status quo—we must, as Paul says, decide what really matters.

John 12:37-50

“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.

Jesus shouted, “Whoever believes in me doesn’t believe in me but in the one who sent me. Whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I have come as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in me won’t live in darkness. If people hear my words and don’t keep them, I don’t judge them. I didn’t come to judge the world but to save it. Whoever rejects me and doesn’t receive my words will be judged at the last day by the word I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me regarding what I should speak and say. I know that his commandment is eternal life. Therefore, whatever I say is just as the Father has said to me.”

Psalm 146:3-5

Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

Prayer

God,

Help me to always follow the truth, regardless of human approval.

By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.