March 26, 2023
Seeing Through the Cloak of Godliness
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” John 5:44-47 (NASB)
Years ago in a courtroom, a law enforcement officer took the stand. He gave testimony for the defense in a quite sensitive case. As the officer took the stand, looking professional in his uniform, he showed confidence and character. Surely those in the jury would believe him based on how he looked and carried himself. After a few minutes in cross-examination, the prosecuting attorney revealed serious credibility problems with the officer. His testimony was now in question. Many answers the officer gave led to serious credibility issues. From this point on, clear violations of agency policy, ethics, and even morality issues were at hand. Toward the end of the case, the officer’s testimony was discarded because no one believed him. This led to career problems and his general credibility in the future. At the close of the case the defendant was found guilty and sentenced to several life terms in prison. Even with the officer’s appearance, and demeanor, it didn’t shake the judge in the case. He could see through the uniform and the appearance. He didn’t believe his testimony. Jesus saw this with the Jews as well.
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? No matter what clothing the Jews wore, Jesus could see into their hearts. A. T. Robertson says, “They were not true Jews (Rom. 2:29; Esther 9:28) who cared for the glory of God, but they prefer the praise of men (Matt. 6:1f.; 23:5) like the Pharisees who feared to confess Christ (John 12:43).[1] These men over admired and overvalued themselves. They were more interested in what praise they could receive on earth, instead of affirmation from God alone. Because of this, their belief systems were based upon self-worth, but Jesus knew how to counter and disqualify their testimonies too. “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.” Yes, Jesus used it, God’s Word. The thing the Jews used to qualify themselves, was the very thing Jesus used against them. If they followed the Law according to Moses, surely, they would find truth in Jesus’ words. By the words Jesus spoke, surely the Jews would find that He was from God. While delivering these words, Jesus lays something weighty for them to think about, “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope.” In other words, “If you are wrong guys, guess who will be judging you?” “And I’ll use Moses as my witness.” “He might have been your witness, but he will be your demise.” “Your testimony will be your discounted.”
This type of scenario is around us every day. People cloak themselves in a garb of godliness. It’s not real. It’s outward, self-serving. It makes them appear holier than you. It’s downright dangerous when you consider how it can affect eternity, but it happens every day. It might be cloaked in a person’s religion. It might be the Christian clothes they wear. It might be in the conversation they hold with others, but is it in their daily lives? Don’t fall for this in your life. If you sense, there is any insecurity find someone who can help. Get it settled now!
[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Jn 5:44.