Seeking Glory (John 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? - John 5:44

It is very interesting that Jesus connects the concepts of "belief" and "seeking glory." On the surface they don't seem to be much related, but as we shall see they are deeply connected.

The context of this verse is that Jesus is speaking to a group of Jews who refuse to believe in Him despite His performance of many signs.

In this verse, Jesus seems to suggest that their inability to believe stemmed from the fact that they sought the glory of man over the glory of God.

Seeking the recognition and honor of men is clear evidence of an unregenerate state. It does not necessarily mean that anyone who seeks the glory of man has not been born again, it simply means that they are not operating out of their born again identity in that moment.

Seeking the honor and glory of men is literally anti-Christ. In other words, it is the very opposite of what Christ did and calls us to do.

Jesus Christ was overlooked, despised, and rejected by the world, despite being both its Savior and Creator. Had He sought the glory of men, He surely could have become the most famous and liked man in the world during His life.

But by choosing to seek the glory of God over the glory of man, He willingly accepted a life of the most unjust hostility from the world - because glory from God and glory from the world cannot simultaneously coexist.

Of course in the end, we know that by choosing this path, Jesus not only received the fullness of the glory of God, but He also received more glory from man than any other human being in history. While He may have been relatively obscure during His earthly sojourn, two thousand years later He is practically unanimously agreed upon as the most influential figure of human history.

Thus, Jesus proves through His life, that anyone who truly desires to be great both in the eyes of God and man, must choose to seek only the glory of God. He must completely neglect the honor of man, and give himself fully to the pursuit of God.

If we claim to follow Christ and yet we still seek the glory of man, it proves we do not truly believe the gospel. For if we did believe the gospel, we would be seeking the lowest places on earth - the places that men despise to go. And this is where we would find Christ, waiting there patiently, ready to exalt us to heights beyond our wildest dreams.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled,

and whoever humbles himself will be exalted

Matt 23:12