John
12:37-43
“Nevertheless
many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees
they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for
they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.”
(John 12:42-43)
I remember
loving April Fool’s Day as a child. The
opportunity to “prank” a friend, sibling, maybe even an unsuspecting teacher was
too great a temptation to pass up. Of
course, I was “pranked” as well by those who took advantage of that one day each
year when it was acceptable to intentionally mislead, all in good
fun.
April Fool’s Day
aside, intentionally deceiving someone is not a very nice thing to do. But what happens when you deceive
yourself? What happens when you know
something to be right, only to disown that truth as a situational
choice?
John tells us
there were many who believed in Jesus in the last days of his ministry. Sadly,
however, fear about what others might think kept them for owning that faith
publicly…“they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.” Even Jesus’ closest friends would not stand
with him when the shadow of the cross hovered near.
Perhaps April
Fool’s Day, falling as it does this year during Holy Week, should remind us that
we fool ourselves and betray Jesus whenever we become enamored by human glory.
Prayer: Lord
Jesus, forgive me for valuing the approval of others more than I value you.
Amen.
Jim
Abernathy
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