“Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ’Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, ’He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God" (John 12:37-43, ESV).
What motivates us to take an action?
According to Google, “People are motivated to act for various reasons, and what drives one person may differ from what drives another.”
One of them, “Intrinsic Motivation: This comes from within and includes personal satisfaction, joy, and interest in the activity itself.”
Another one is, “Achievement: The desire to reach personal goals and accomplishments can be a powerful motivator. This includes excelling in a career, winning a competition, or mastering a skill.”
Also, “Growth and Learning: The drive to improve oneself, gain new knowledge, and develop skills can push people to take action.”
Our last example is, “Rewards and Recognition: External rewards such as money, prizes, promotions, or praise can motivate people.”
They are just among the common motivations. You may have other things in mind.
But this time, let’s focus on the topic, EXCELLENT MOTIVATION while we study our text (John 12:37-43).
What excellent motivation, not only right but godly, that we can have or develop to propel us to action, even to do what is seemingly impossible?
Again, realize that the Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John, who addressed himself repeatedly in the book as, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He pointed out in many instances that Jesus is God. And he emphasized the need not only to believe, but also to love Jesus.
In the early part of chapter 12, John portrayed the great love of Mary for Jesus. As she was aware of the Great Worth of Jesus, she did not just bottle up in her heart her appreciation and affection for Him. She showed it by her action -- giving her costly possession to Jesus.
Then, there was an account of non-Jewish persons who became aware of the fame of Jesus. They were converts to Jewish religion. They came to Jerusalem and attended the Jewish festival. But being aware that Jesus was also there, they were not just contented of the religious experience. There was desire in their hearts, not only to see Jesus physically but to have spiritual insight and connection to Him.
Next, the writer, John, implied that Jesus as the Light. And Jesus said that He would die by hanging on the cross. Because of His death, He “will draw all people to… (Himself).” Meaning, He will draw all "sheep" to Himself, as He stated in John 10:15B, “…I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Now, in our text, we can draw out the excellent motivation for action, especially to have real faith in Jesus. So, what is it?
HAVE THE FEAR OF GOD (verses 42-43).
We read verses 42-43, “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."
In our background, we learn that Jesus was drawing all people -- referring to the sheep-kind-of-people. The sheep were those who listen and believe in Him. In verse 37 of our text, it validates the fact that Jesus is not drawing to Himself every person in the world. For the verse states, there were those who “did not believe in him.”
In verse 38, John cited the words of Isaiah 53:1, that the tendency of people was not to believe. The “arm of the Lord” -- God’s power -- was not manifested to them. So, in verse 39, “Therefore, they could not believe…”
And God allowed them in their spiritual blindness and disbelief, or in the words of Isaiah (Isa. 6:10), as quoted by John in verse 40, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
In verse 41, the Apostle John highlighted the Divinity of Christ as he pointed out that the Glory of God that Isaiah saw in Isa. 6:1, he saw the glory of Christ.
Now, notice verses 42-43. “Many even of the authorities believed in Him (Jesus).” But their belief was not genuine. It was self-generated. It was not God-given. “They did not confess it.” There was no “full conviction.” They did not progress to genuine belief, because there was no fear of God in their hearts. Their view or regard for God was not high enough. They may have an idea of some attributes of God. Just like Job. He thought he knew all about God. He heard and learned many things about God from others. But later after God spoke and revealed Himself to him, what did he say?
He confessed in Job 42:5-6, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
The Jews did not have that high regard for God. They did not fear Him. They did not grasp the prime attribute of God, as seen by Isaiah in the Book of Isaiah, or as pointed out in the Book of Revelation, or as Jesus declared in His prayer in John 17.
So, the Jews were not motivated to exercise genuine faith. What they had was “fear of the Pharisees.”
Aside from what men will say, or will do to us, what do people usually fear?
We fear failure, rejection, the unknown, change, death or illness, being alone, loss, or even public speaking.
But, is it necessary to have the feeling of fear?
Google tells us, “Fear is a natural response to danger. It triggers our "fight or flight" reaction, preparing our bodies to either face a threat or escape from it. This instinctive response has helped humans survive for millennia.”
Also, “Fear can also motivate us to take action. For instance, the fear of failure can drive us to work harder and prepare better for challenges.” Because of the positive purpose for fear, do we still need to overcome it?
Yes, according to Google. “Fear can hold us back from pursuing new experiences and opportunities. By facing and overcoming fear, we grow, learn, and expand our comfort zones.” We also need to overcome fear, because “Constant fear can lead to anxiety and stress, which negatively impact our mental and physical health. By managing and overcoming fear, we can improve our overall well-being.”
Should we erase fear, then, entirely from our life? Again, Google clarifies, ”…overcoming fear doesn't mean eliminating it entirely. It's about learning to manage fear and not letting it control your actions.”
The tendency of man is not to allow even God to control their actions. So, the fear of God is not their natural inclination. In fact, some in religious circle, subscribe to the idea that we do not have to fear God in our time. According to them, God is love and we are in the age of grace.
Yes, God is Love. God is Merciful. God is Faithful. But in His prayer in John 17, Jesus did not address God the Father by any of those attributes. He addressed God as, “Holy Father.” Isaiah mentioned the Holiness of God in the superlative degree. In Isa. 6:3. we read: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts…” The same triple repetition of the same attribute of God is found in Revelation 4:8. Because of His Holiness, we read in Revelation 15:4, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy…”
And Jesus told His followers, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
In Revelation 15, we fear God in the sense of being in high regard and great respect for the distinctiveness of His Majesty. In Matthew 10, we fear God in the sense of His Incomparable Intensity of His Wrath.
Believers or lovers of Christ, do we have that kind of fear in our heart? Or, is our fear about failure of our plans or projects? Fear of rejection? Fear of the unknown, of what would happen this new year? Fear of whatever change that could happen in our life or situation? Fear of death or illness? Fear of being alone? Fear of something that we could loss?
Let not those fears paralyze us into action. And let us not be content also that any of those fears will be our motivation. But let it be the fear of God.
Let’s, then, have the fear of God.
Besides, God commanded His people, not only to love Him but also to fear Him. Moses told the Israelites before, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deut. 10:12).
And Peter wrote to the Christians, ”Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:17).
Let’s have the fear of God in our heart.
But how can we have this fear? This kind of fear is not instinctive. Reverential fear of God is not in our nature. Because of our sinful nature, the writer of Romans said, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18).
How can we have a very high regard of God’s distinctive attributes and at the same in dread of the intensity of His wrath? How can we really fear Him?
Remember one of the requirements to be a king of Israel?
He should copy the whole book of the existing Scriptures before. His own copy should always be with him. And read it all the days of his life. Why? “…that he may learn to fear God.” And the instruction continued that he should keep, or should not forget, meditate all the words of what he read, so he could put them into action. Also, learning to fear God, “his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left…” (see Deut. 17:18-20.)
If we fear God, we will be motivated to be humble, we will be motivated not to turn aside from the commandment.
So, let’s learn to fear God. Read the Scriptures daily as long as we live. Be acquainted with the Holy God.
But does it mean we can rely on our own study of His Word to know Him and be familiar with His Sovereign actions?
Though the Scripture is written by men, the message is breathed out by God. We need the help of the Divine Author for understanding. Like the Psalmist, we need to pray: “Make me understand the way of your precepts (or words), and I will meditate on your wondrous works” (Ps. 119:28).
We cannot rely on our own understanding to have high regard for God’s Work and fear Him. Ultimately, it’s God’s own doing that we can have the kind of fear that He requires.
The Prophet Jeremiah quoted the words of God in Jeremiah 32:39-40, “I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.”
Those words were originally directed to the stubborn Israelites. But like them, we desperately need the heart that only God can give. The heart that has the fear of God.
CONCLUSION:
In closing, note that the last verse in our text pointed out that those who “fear the Pharisees,” they “loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” Conversely, if we fear God, we love the glory that comes from God more than the glory that comes from man, more than the glory that comes from success, the glory that comes from acceptance, or any the glory that comes from any other source.
Let’s desire, then, to have the fear of God. Let it be the motivation of our action. Let’s show to the world that we love the glory that comes from God.
