At the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7, crowds of people were quietly discussing whether Jesus was a good person or a deceiver. “However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews” (see John 7:12-13).
Many of them followed the Lord. They loved Him and wanted to trust Him, but they knew the Jews and the rulers didn’t like Him. In those days, Jews who made waves with the Rabbis or the Pharisees could be expelled from the synagogue. Excommunication meant they couldn’t go to the synagogue or to the Jewish marketplaces to buy their goods. They would be banned from society. That was a strict price to pay, so many people were afraid.
Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man brings a snare.” Whether you do something to please someone, or don’t do something for fear of displeasing them, you’ll find yourself in a prison. It’s a horrible way to live, and we need to rise above it. The verse continues, “But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.”
I’ve always loved Paul’s words in Galatians 1:10. “Do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
If you want to please God—if you worry about what God thinks of you—you don’t have to worry about what anybody else thinks of you. The fear of the Lord frees you from the snare of the fear of man. If you get on your knees before God, you can get on your feet before any man.
Now, I don’t want you to think that I’ve never been afraid of people’s opinions of me. I’ve been in plenty of situations where I’ve been afraid to speak out for Jesus. We all can become intimidated by intellect, or boldness, or certain situations.
I remember the first time I wanted to share the gospel with a guy I worked with—he was one of the cool kids in my class. I was so afraid he would think I was a dork if I told him I loved Jesus. I was afraid that he would just shut me down. But one day I decided, “Today’s the day.”
So I walked up to him. I stumbled over a few words, and then something kicked in. I found myself sharing boldly, and then some eloquent words came out. And I thought, “Where’d that come from?” Have you ever experienced that—when the Lord overpowers your fear? Once that fear is overcome, no one can shut you up.
I think one of the biggest dangers we face in trying to represent Jesus Christ today is the fear of what people will think about you when you say you’re a Christian. Fearing people, or desiring to please them, can get us into so much trouble. So often we become like those in John 7:13 who were afraid to speak openly about Jesus, for fear of other people.
Let me say it again: If you bow before God, and you’re only concerned with pleasing Him, loving Him, and what He thinks about your life—you’ll be free from the fear of man.
