A Fickle Fanbase
John 2:23-25 Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Many people believed in him because they saw the miraculous signs he did. But Jesus did not trust them, because he knew how all people think. He did not need anyone to tell him what a person was like. He already knew.
Created as we are, as social creatures, we by and large love it when our relationships are on an even keel. That involves us pleasing other people and, of course, vice versa. But this whole people pleasing thing is something that we can take too far.
You know how it goes. Any relationship is give and take, and there’s a balance in there somewhere. When we get it right, man, those relationships are so rich and rewarding, aren’t they?
But little by little, the expectations of others can end up taking over our lives. We all like to be liked, so without even realising it we can end up dancing to the tunes of others, almost like a marionette with other very imperfect people pulling the strings. That’s something that Jesus knew all too well.
John 2:23-25 He was in Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Many people believed in him because they saw the miraculous signs he did. But Jesus did not trust them, because he knew how all people think. He did not need anyone to tell him what a person was like. He already knew.
And He did well not to trust them because down the track those very same people were whipped into an angry mob, shouting “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Look, no matter how good you are, how much you “wow the crowd”, they’re an incredibly fickle fanbase. They’ll inevitably judge you according to how they feel and what they want.
Sure, it’s nice to receive the odd pat on the back for a job well done. But like Jesus, discern what’s in people’s hearts. Know when their intentions are pure and when they’re not.
Don’t live to please the crowd.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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