The praise of men
This passage is talking about believers that were more interested in impressing man than God:
John 12:42-43 (NKJV) Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Other translations say “they loved the approval and the praise and the glory that comes from men” (Amplified) and “they preferred human praise to the glory of God” (NAB).
It’s human nature to want to please people, as they are tangible, they’re in our face every day, and we have to live with them. The reward is immediate – and so is the criticism when we fall short of what man expects of us. By comparison, we know God’s there, but we don’t get that same sense of tangibility, approval and reward from Him.
I was in meetings in Cleveland this past week with Georgian and Winnie Banov and Heidi Baker. Heidi’s two messages spoke to me. As I was listening Thursday morning, I thought of Ananias and Sapphira:
Acts 4:34-35, 5:1-2 (NLT) There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need…
But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
Read Acts 5:1-11 for the rest of the story. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to impress people with their generosity. They were not required to give everything they had. God would have honored them more for their honesty.
They both died. Did God kill them? I don’t believe so. Exodus 33 shows that God’s goodness and glory are too much for man to see and live. My personal opinion is that they caught a glimpse of the goodness of God compared to their acts, and their hearts failed them.
Did they go to heaven? I believe so, if they had faith in Jesus Christ. They just went earlier than they planned, and instead of leaving a legacy for the kingdom, they leave a warning of the false value of trying to impress men.
Doug
What words of grace to a pair so often detested in Christianity. Who knows? We may walk with them and rehease the whole incident in heaven. Truth be known, many people have done things just as ungodly or worse and lived, but they’re lives were left as a warning….. Very interesting, grace-filled perspective, brother!