The Root of Man’s Opposition (5:40-44)

Purpose Statement. We will refuse to believe as long as we are enslaved to the praise of others.[1]

Purpose Statement. We will refuse to believe as long as we are enslaved to the praise of others.[1]

Purpose Statement. We will refuse to believe as long as we are enslaved to the praise of others.[1]

What is John’s purpose? That we may believe and have life. As John writes in , “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (). John’s purpose was that we would believe in Christ and in believing, have life. The reverse would as well be true. We need to realize that if we do not believe, we will not have life. Which then begs the question, why do people not believe?

What keeps us from belief? Our own refusal to come (5:40). John offers, at least one reason in . “You refuse to come to me that you may have life.” The weight of responsibility is clearly placed on one’s own refusal.

Yet, we know, as John has already posited in this gospel, that no one comes to belief unless the Father does the divine work of drawing. (1) The apostle John starts his gospel off by informing the reader that “all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born [by the will] of God” (). (2) As well, when Jesus speaks to Nicodemus in chapter three, he informs him that “unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God” ( NET). (3) Following his feeding of 5,000, Jesus dialogues with the Jews about being the “bread of life.” I this narrative, he declares to them that “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (). (4) Paul will later proclaim that it is the gift of God that anyone is saved by grace through faith, and that it is not their own doing ().

And yet, John clearly places the blame for disbelief on each person for their own refusal. So then, we draw two corresponding truths. (1) We give all credit to God for his effectually drawing anyone to salvation. And yet, (2) every sinner must take responsibility for his refusal to believe.

Macarthur. All responsibility for unbelief always falls on the sinner. Let me take it a step further. It doesn’t fall on the sinner’s environment. It doesn’t fall on the sinner’s parents. It doesn’t fall on the sinner’s bad circumstances. It falls on the sinner. Salvation is because God wills. Condemnation is because the sinner is unwilling.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus intimately combines these two seemingly incongruent realities. First, God’s divine will, “no one knows the Father except . . . [those] to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” And secondly, the ability and responsibility of man, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” ().

Why do we refuse to come? Because we want praise from others (5:44). “How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

Why do we want praise from others? Because we don’t know and love God (5:42). First, the passage indicates that the reason for wanting the praise from others is due to a lack of knowledge and love for God. Jesus says, in verse 41, that he does not receive glory from people. Jesus then contrasts these religious leaders in verse 42, “But I know, that you do not have the love of God within you.” The reason Jesus did not need the praise from men was due to his love for God. Some logical implications may be drawn. If I know and love God, I will desire his praise. Also, the more I love God, the less I feel the need for praise from others. I am then liberated to serve people instead of needing something from them.

Secondly, as an implication of the passage, we want praise from others because we want the benefits that come along with their praise. We enjoy their praise and adulation. We appreciate their attention. We like the positions we receive when we garner their praise. We like the remuneration that comes from being well received by influential people. And the list goes on and on.

Finally, the reverse is as well true. We want the praise of others because we don’t want the negative ramifications of their rejection. We don’t want their ridicule. We don’t want their rejection and criticism. We don’t want to be overlooked for a promotion. We don’t want to feel like we don’t fit in.

Following Lazarus’ resurrection and Jesus triumphal entry, John reveals to the reader why some of the religious leaders continued in their refusal to come to Jesus. John admits that “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” ().

So then, why do we refuse to believe? Because we love the glory of man, not the glory of God. We crave human praise more than we crave Jesus. We desire all focus be positively directed to ourselves with little left for Jesus. We want control. We want autonomy. We want independence. We want prestige. Right? Each of us crave at least one of those. Each of these describe us “apart from sovereign grace. This, Jesus says, is the root cause of unbelief. . . . When you have tasted the beauty of God and the approval of God in Christ, the addiction to human approval is broken. And you are free.”[2]

Our struggle. God’s conceptual and future oriented acceptance wield little power over man’s immediate, tangible, and audible praise.

You may say, “I want to please everyone. I want to please other people and I want to please God.” You may not find this to be mutually exclusive. In some context that may be true. In this context it is not. When two groups of people are diametrically opposed to one another, you cannot please them both either through your actions or through your words. In this context, you can only please God through your actions and words, or you can please the world through your actions and words. They are mutually exclusive. You must choose. John says this in his first epistle, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Fathers is not in him” ().

What happens when we want praise from others? We accept counterfeit messiahs (5:43). It may be worth noting that verse 43 indicates that there are people with a savior complex and people looking for a savior. “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him” ( ESV).

Our entertainment industry clearly acknowledges the reality that we are looking for a savior. Aslan in the Narnia Chronicles. Aragon, Gadolph, and Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. Optimus Prime in the Transformers. Harry Potter, along with his resurrection stone. Brad Pitt saves the whole world in World War Z by sacrificing himself. Neo from the Matrix Trilogy was “prophesied to save all mankind.” The Blank Panther in Wakanda.

Or it’s Donald Trump saving the economy, conservative values (ironically), and our guns. Or, AOC saves the world with her Green New Deal.

What do they all have in common? (1) The world is a mess. (2) A good and pure hearted (although tempted and often broken) character enters the storyline. (3) They protect and save others (often the entire world) at their own expense. (4) They sacrifice themselves for something bigger than themselves.

False or secondary impending destruction. When we buy into either false or secondary forms of destruction, we will likely embrace the savior proposing a solution. Whether a broken economy is the potential destruction and we embrace Trump as the savior of a dying economy or whether climate change is the potential destruction and we embrace AOC and her green new deal, either way we accept an alternative savior. In so doing we fail to see the primary destruction being the Fall and its resulting brokenness, which is only resolved by one Savior, Jesus Christ

[1] This purpose statement was largely drawn from a statement in John Piper’s message on the same text. “We can’t believe while we are enslaved to the craving to receive glory from one another.”

John Piper. “The Love of Human Praise as the Root of Unbelief” Desiring God (blog), September 20, 2009. Accessed May 24, 2019. https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-love-of-human-praise-as-the-root-of-unbelief

[2] Piper.

[2] Piper.