For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
To love the praise of men more than the praise of God is to value human approval, honor and favor above approval from God, placing personal dignity above duty to truth and righteousness. Many among the chief rulers believed on Jesus but would not openly confess Him, because they feared the Pharisees would put them out of the synagogue and take away their place, reputation and influence. Joseph and Nicodemus illustrate this hidden faith, concealing their attachment while Jesus lived to preserve influence to aid Him, then coming forward boldly after His death to show loyalty in burying Him. By yielding to that fear to avoid reproach and shame they denied Christ and lost eternal life, shutting out truth and righteousness and becoming surrounded by darkness in place of light. The same choice still confronts all who trade faithfulness to God for acceptance among people, sacrificing not only their own hope but harming others by influence withheld from righteousness.
Historical Setting and Context
Many among the chief rulers, priests, magistrates and elders believed on Jesus yet would not openly confess Him. Some rulers who were convinced He was the Messiah concealed their faith and restrained open acknowledgment because they valued human approval, honor and favor more than approval and favor from God. Their belief was genuine conviction held in secret, but fear of people kept them from acting on the truth they recognized.
They withheld confession because they feared the Pharisees and Jewish authorities would put them out of the synagogue or remove them from the Sanhedrin and council. That exclusion would cost them their place, reputation, standing and influence and expose them to reproach, shame, disgrace, unpopularity and persecution. They dreaded the reproach of the people more than they feared God, and yielded to social and religious pressure rather than separate from those rejecting Christ. When the chief priests ridiculed the officers and asked whether any of the rulers had believed, those believing rulers stayed silent.
Joseph and Nicodemus illustrate this hidden faith, for they concealed their attachment while Jesus lived. They feared that declaring faith would cost them their places on the council and take away their influence and ability to aid or protect Him, hoping to preserve influence to serve Him. After His death they came forward boldly and openly showed loyalty by helping bury Him.
These words were spoken by Christ just before His betrayal and death. Their hidden faith stood amid a prevailing unbelief that rejected Him though He had done many miracles before the Jews, including raising Lazarus from the dead as evidence of His divine mission. Satan blinded eyes and darkened understanding and kept them from confessing. Jesus perfectly understood their hearts when He cried aloud that to believe on Him is to believe on the Father who sent Him.
Meaning of Loving Praise
To love the praise of men more than the praise of God is to value human approval, honor and favor above approval and favor from God. It is to place personal dignity above duty to support truth and righteousness. It is to think more of people's praise than of God's displeasure.
That preference took concrete form in thirsting for praise and honor and worldly grandeur. It showed itself in being intoxicated by the idea of being thought important among men of the world. It showed itself in being deceived by words of esteem and in being controlled by the friendship and esteem of the rich and the learned. It showed itself in spiritual pride and declining piety that desired honor from people. It showed itself in craving applause and flattery and the society of neighbors rather than honoring Christ and holding the friendship of God, which makes helpers who seek worldly admiration unreliable.
It meant lacking moral power to separate from those who did not receive Christ and were denying Him. It meant yielding to social and religious pressure instead of acting on conviction and on the light recognized. It meant lacking moral power and courage to obey the convictions of conscience fearlessly, to confess Christ in the face of frowning priests and jealous rulers, and to venture reputation by connection with the humble Galilean. Fear of the priests and rulers and unwillingness to risk reputation kept educated and honorable believers from offering their abilities for His service.
Christ knew their hearts, and He did not reject the educated from preference for the uneducated. Had they offered their abilities He would have accepted and employed them in His service. Because they would not do the work they were qualified to do He selected humble, obedient, faithful men instead.
Results of the Choice
To escape reproach and shame they denied Christ and forfeited eternal life. By refusing to confess Him they lost their opportunity for eternal life. By that failure to confess they also lost the opportunity to stand with God and to receive strength through fellowship with Him in sharing Christ's yoke, cross, and burdens.
Truth had been presented that would have purified the soul if received, but to keep human favor they rejected truth and clung to falsehood and error. In choosing neighbors' friendship and praise above wholehearted service they shut out truth and righteousness. When plain truth exposed error they closed themselves against its light, preferring the praise of people to God's admonition, misunderstanding and turning away. The result is being surrounded by darkness in place of light.
Desire for praise helped make them hypocritical and hardened their hearts. Therefore the apostles' mighty works enraged them instead of leading them to receive the truth. They knew that preaching His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension would fix guilt upon them as His murderers. Though they had once cried for His blood to be upon them and their children, they were no longer willing to accept responsibility for His blood.
Pride and desire for praise and worldly grandeur kept them from accepting the evidence of His divine character and receiving Him as Saviour. Pride, love of the world, ambition, and ignorance of Scripture and God's power led them to replace the prophets' teaching with interpretations serving error. Prejudice and fear of losing status kept them from accepting clear evidence of His Messiahship. Accepting Him would have condemned their earlier rejection, so they treated their own judgment as if it were God's and rejected Him despite the evidence of His works. Their silence left the people under the influence of chief priests and elders who sought to turn them from Jesus to human traditions and teachings, and their influence helped lead the nation to reject Him. They sought to keep others from hearing Him and to discourage the people. People in Jerusalem who secretly believed were still to have the gospel presented to them and be called to repentance.
Warning and Present Application
The warning reaches beyond those rulers to everyone who makes the same choice, resisting conviction, following personal inclination, resisting light, and trading faithfulness to God for acceptance among people through fear of rejection and of being cast out and openly shamed. To avoid reproach and shame by denying Christ is to reject eternal life, and guarding against seeking applause and living for others’ opinions is the safeguard against that exchange. Parents who from love of human praise find no pleasure in wholehearted service close the door against light lest righteousness penetrate worldliness, and by preferring neighbors’ friendship and society to God’s friendship they shut out truth and righteousness. By precept and example they educate and train their children that it is of no account to break God’s commandments and to choose the ways and companionship of those who despise and trample His law. Children so led receive error in the full face of light and choose darkness rather than light, because their parents lead them in a path the parents themselves will not leave. The loss of those souls bought with Christ’s blood and belonging to Him is reckoned to the parents under whose guardianship they enter the path of tramplers of the law. The same spirit hinders humble service and missionary work by keeping believers who lack moral courage to risk reputation from offering their abilities, as when educated and honorable people would not join the humble Galilean for fear of priests and rulers. It leads to relying on human counsel and wisdom instead of depending on God, so there is no growth in grace and knowledge of Christ. It makes work mechanical and self-serving, done to appear clever and receive praise from people while receiving none from God, for those truly united with Christ do not work to exalt self. Helpers who crave applause, flattery, and worldly admiration are unreliable and cannot help worldly visitors, since loving human praise more than God’s favor opposes humble, faithful service. In contrast, laborers are to stand alone in God and seek His approval, laboring in humility for others’ salvation with weeping, prayer, and work, running for an immortal crown and bringing neighbors before the throne of grace so that some may be reached who would not listen to a minister or colporteur. Choosing human approval over God’s favor can lead those who received light to reject it and dishonor God and Christ. Natural affection for family and friends is no excuse for putting them before Christ, and such disloyalty bears continued sin, sacrifices more than the chooser’s own hope of eternal life, and harms others through influence failed to be used for righteousness and truth. That choice reflects lack of genuine faith that works through love and purifies the soul, leaving religious life without heavenly brightness and without the assurance that inspires hopeful trust. It produces false repentance in those who seem to begin to repent and vindicate truth and holiness, yielding only outward reformation from persuasion or fear rather than change of heart and universal turning from every besetting sin. Instead of a humble mind with sanctified boldness and courage to uphold the right by listening to God’s voice and obeying His calls and warnings, such persons turn from light and act contrary, supposing their own devising to be wisdom, while true repentance produces humility, courage to uphold what is right, and obedience. Loving human praise more than God leaves a person claimed by Satan without moral power to resist worldly influence. Though deeply convicted when hearing truth, the person does not respond to the Spirit but mingles with worldlings, drinks in their spirit, and is borne down by the worldly current by voluntary choice, becoming one with them and loving worldly possessions and mammon above Jesus. It is thirsting for praise and honor more than for the waters of life, shown in being intoxicated by being thought important among men of the world, being deceived and controlled by words of esteem and by friendship and esteem of the rich and learned, keeping pride alive and keeping a person drinking the turbid stream of worldliness until no better way is seen. The love of money becomes woven into every fiber and all-absorbing, and prosperity can expose this snare of riches even in those who think themselves free from selfishness and pride, gradually drawing them from God. Unless overcome it will cost salvation, so that it would have been better never to have been born, and casting it off requires strong decided effort as severe as plucking out the right eye or cutting off the right arm. The example warns against spiritual pride, self-righteousness, and dependence on human opinion rather than accepting truth through personal searching of Scripture. It warns against seeking mortal approval with greater anxiety than God’s while neglecting responsibility and earnest prayer, against thinking more of people’s praise than of God’s displeasure, and against valuing human approval, honor, and exaltation more than God’s approval so as to be kept from believing. Receiving the world’s praise and extolling is reason for alarm because it draws the heart toward human approval and can keep a person from seeing the true condition at risk of losing the soul. Humility at Jesus’ feet gives a clearer view of His purity and loveliness, exposes weakness and unworthiness, and moves to follow His example, and placing a right estimate on eternal things and regarding human praise in its true light takes away the influence of that friendship and esteem. Those who keep attention fixed on God’s glory will receive their reward in the future. Fear of persecution from the authorities can give way when believers recognize that God can deliver if He chooses, making them willing to suffer if He does not.
To love the praise of men more than the praise of God is to value human approval, honor and favor above approval from God, placing personal dignity above duty to truth and righteousness. Many among the chief rulers believed on Jesus but would not openly confess Him, because they feared the Pharisees would put them out of the synagogue and take away their place, reputation and influence. Joseph and Nicodemus illustrate this hidden faith, concealing their attachment while Jesus lived to preserve influence to aid Him, then coming forward boldly after His death to show loyalty in burying Him. By yielding to that fear to avoid reproach and shame they denied Christ and lost eternal life, shutting out truth and righteousness and becoming surrounded by darkness in place of light. The same choice still confronts all who trade faithfulness to God for acceptance among people, sacrificing not only their own hope but harming others by influence withheld from righteousness.
Historical Setting and Context
Many among the chief rulers, priests, magistrates and elders believed on Jesus yet would not openly confess Him. Some rulers who were convinced He was the Messiah concealed their faith and restrained open acknowledgment because they valued human approval, honor and favor more than approval and favor from God. Their belief was genuine conviction held in secret, but fear of people kept them from acting on the truth they recognized.
They withheld confession because they feared the Pharisees and Jewish authorities would put them out of the synagogue or remove them from the Sanhedrin and council. That exclusion would cost them their place, reputation, standing and influence and expose them to reproach, shame, disgrace, unpopularity and persecution. They dreaded the reproach of the people more than they feared God, and yielded to social and religious pressure rather than separate from those rejecting Christ. When the chief priests ridiculed the officers and asked whether any of the rulers had believed, those believing rulers stayed silent.
Joseph and Nicodemus illustrate this hidden faith, for they concealed their attachment while Jesus lived. They feared that declaring faith would cost them their places on the council and take away their influence and ability to aid or protect Him, hoping to preserve influence to serve Him. After His death they came forward boldly and openly showed loyalty by helping bury Him.
These words were spoken by Christ just before His betrayal and death. Their hidden faith stood amid a prevailing unbelief that rejected Him though He had done many miracles before the Jews, including raising Lazarus from the dead as evidence of His divine mission. Satan blinded eyes and darkened understanding and kept them from confessing. Jesus perfectly understood their hearts when He cried aloud that to believe on Him is to believe on the Father who sent Him.
Meaning of Loving Praise
To love the praise of men more than the praise of God is to value human approval, honor and favor above approval and favor from God. It is to place personal dignity above duty to support truth and righteousness. It is to think more of people's praise than of God's displeasure.
That preference took concrete form in thirsting for praise and honor and worldly grandeur. It showed itself in being intoxicated by the idea of being thought important among men of the world. It showed itself in being deceived by words of esteem and in being controlled by the friendship and esteem of the rich and the learned. It showed itself in spiritual pride and declining piety that desired honor from people. It showed itself in craving applause and flattery and the society of neighbors rather than honoring Christ and holding the friendship of God, which makes helpers who seek worldly admiration unreliable.
It meant lacking moral power to separate from those who did not receive Christ and were denying Him. It meant yielding to social and religious pressure instead of acting on conviction and on the light recognized. It meant lacking moral power and courage to obey the convictions of conscience fearlessly, to confess Christ in the face of frowning priests and jealous rulers, and to venture reputation by connection with the humble Galilean. Fear of the priests and rulers and unwillingness to risk reputation kept educated and honorable believers from offering their abilities for His service.
Christ knew their hearts, and He did not reject the educated from preference for the uneducated. Had they offered their abilities He would have accepted and employed them in His service. Because they would not do the work they were qualified to do He selected humble, obedient, faithful men instead.
Results of the Choice
To escape reproach and shame they denied Christ and forfeited eternal life. By refusing to confess Him they lost their opportunity for eternal life. By that failure to confess they also lost the opportunity to stand with God and to receive strength through fellowship with Him in sharing Christ's yoke, cross, and burdens.
Truth had been presented that would have purified the soul if received, but to keep human favor they rejected truth and clung to falsehood and error. In choosing neighbors' friendship and praise above wholehearted service they shut out truth and righteousness. When plain truth exposed error they closed themselves against its light, preferring the praise of people to God's admonition, misunderstanding and turning away. The result is being surrounded by darkness in place of light.
Desire for praise helped make them hypocritical and hardened their hearts. Therefore the apostles' mighty works enraged them instead of leading them to receive the truth. They knew that preaching His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension would fix guilt upon them as His murderers. Though they had once cried for His blood to be upon them and their children, they were no longer willing to accept responsibility for His blood.
Pride and desire for praise and worldly grandeur kept them from accepting the evidence of His divine character and receiving Him as Saviour. Pride, love of the world, ambition, and ignorance of Scripture and God's power led them to replace the prophets' teaching with interpretations serving error. Prejudice and fear of losing status kept them from accepting clear evidence of His Messiahship. Accepting Him would have condemned their earlier rejection, so they treated their own judgment as if it were God's and rejected Him despite the evidence of His works. Their silence left the people under the influence of chief priests and elders who sought to turn them from Jesus to human traditions and teachings, and their influence helped lead the nation to reject Him. They sought to keep others from hearing Him and to discourage the people. People in Jerusalem who secretly believed were still to have the gospel presented to them and be called to repentance.
Warning and Present Application
The warning reaches beyond those rulers to everyone who makes the same choice, resisting conviction, following personal inclination, resisting light, and trading faithfulness to God for acceptance among people through fear of rejection and of being cast out and openly shamed. To avoid reproach and shame by denying Christ is to reject eternal life, and guarding against seeking applause and living for others’ opinions is the safeguard against that exchange.
Parents who from love of human praise find no pleasure in wholehearted service close the door against light lest righteousness penetrate worldliness, and by preferring neighbors’ friendship and society to God’s friendship they shut out truth and righteousness. By precept and example they educate and train their children that it is of no account to break God’s commandments and to choose the ways and companionship of those who despise and trample His law. Children so led receive error in the full face of light and choose darkness rather than light, because their parents lead them in a path the parents themselves will not leave. The loss of those souls bought with Christ’s blood and belonging to Him is reckoned to the parents under whose guardianship they enter the path of tramplers of the law.
The same spirit hinders humble service and missionary work by keeping believers who lack moral courage to risk reputation from offering their abilities, as when educated and honorable people would not join the humble Galilean for fear of priests and rulers. It leads to relying on human counsel and wisdom instead of depending on God, so there is no growth in grace and knowledge of Christ. It makes work mechanical and self-serving, done to appear clever and receive praise from people while receiving none from God, for those truly united with Christ do not work to exalt self. Helpers who crave applause, flattery, and worldly admiration are unreliable and cannot help worldly visitors, since loving human praise more than God’s favor opposes humble, faithful service. In contrast, laborers are to stand alone in God and seek His approval, laboring in humility for others’ salvation with weeping, prayer, and work, running for an immortal crown and bringing neighbors before the throne of grace so that some may be reached who would not listen to a minister or colporteur.
Choosing human approval over God’s favor can lead those who received light to reject it and dishonor God and Christ. Natural affection for family and friends is no excuse for putting them before Christ, and such disloyalty bears continued sin, sacrifices more than the chooser’s own hope of eternal life, and harms others through influence failed to be used for righteousness and truth. That choice reflects lack of genuine faith that works through love and purifies the soul, leaving religious life without heavenly brightness and without the assurance that inspires hopeful trust. It produces false repentance in those who seem to begin to repent and vindicate truth and holiness, yielding only outward reformation from persuasion or fear rather than change of heart and universal turning from every besetting sin. Instead of a humble mind with sanctified boldness and courage to uphold the right by listening to God’s voice and obeying His calls and warnings, such persons turn from light and act contrary, supposing their own devising to be wisdom, while true repentance produces humility, courage to uphold what is right, and obedience.
Loving human praise more than God leaves a person claimed by Satan without moral power to resist worldly influence. Though deeply convicted when hearing truth, the person does not respond to the Spirit but mingles with worldlings, drinks in their spirit, and is borne down by the worldly current by voluntary choice, becoming one with them and loving worldly possessions and mammon above Jesus. It is thirsting for praise and honor more than for the waters of life, shown in being intoxicated by being thought important among men of the world, being deceived and controlled by words of esteem and by friendship and esteem of the rich and learned, keeping pride alive and keeping a person drinking the turbid stream of worldliness until no better way is seen. The love of money becomes woven into every fiber and all-absorbing, and prosperity can expose this snare of riches even in those who think themselves free from selfishness and pride, gradually drawing them from God. Unless overcome it will cost salvation, so that it would have been better never to have been born, and casting it off requires strong decided effort as severe as plucking out the right eye or cutting off the right arm.
The example warns against spiritual pride, self-righteousness, and dependence on human opinion rather than accepting truth through personal searching of Scripture. It warns against seeking mortal approval with greater anxiety than God’s while neglecting responsibility and earnest prayer, against thinking more of people’s praise than of God’s displeasure, and against valuing human approval, honor, and exaltation more than God’s approval so as to be kept from believing. Receiving the world’s praise and extolling is reason for alarm because it draws the heart toward human approval and can keep a person from seeing the true condition at risk of losing the soul. Humility at Jesus’ feet gives a clearer view of His purity and loveliness, exposes weakness and unworthiness, and moves to follow His example, and placing a right estimate on eternal things and regarding human praise in its true light takes away the influence of that friendship and esteem. Those who keep attention fixed on God’s glory will receive their reward in the future. Fear of persecution from the authorities can give way when believers recognize that God can deliver if He chooses, making them willing to suffer if He does not.