Read John 12:37-50

Even after all that the crowds have heard about Jesus and even after seeing His miracles including raising Lazarus from the dead, there are some who still refuse to believe in Jesus.

John explains that this was prophesied in the book of Isaiah. First, he quotes from Isiah 53:1…

Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” John 12:37-38 NIV

Then, he quotes from Isaiah 6:10…

For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

“He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him. John 12:39-41 NIV

While there are those who refuse to believe, there are others, including leaders, who believe but are afraid to admit this publicly out of fear of being throw out of the synagogue by the religious leaders.

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God. John 12:42-43 NIV

The situation is much the same today is it not?

There are those who are openly hostile to Christianity, expressing doubt about every aspect of our faith. These we know and clearly understand their point of view.

There are also those who attend church, claim to be Christ-followers, and who participate in the life of the church. Yet, once they step foot out of that “church world” into their “work world” or “school world” or “hobby world”, they will purposely hide their faith and pretend that “religion” isn’t that important to them. Fitting in and being “one of the guys (or girls)” is more important than boldly living out their faith. Fear of being mocked or ridiculed for believing “myths and old wives’ tales” also weighs heavy. For some, the cost of admitting their faith in Christ publicly is simply too much.

Questions to consider:

If you claim to be a Christ-follower, can you think of a time when you hid your faith to avoid an awkward situation or to avoid being mocked for believing in Jesus? Why did you do this?

What are some ways we can encourage each other to stand up for our faith, even in the face of ridicule or opposition?

Ask God to give you courage this week to boldly live out your faith in all the different “worlds” you move.