John 5:41-44 41I do not receive glory from people. 42But I have known you that you do not have the love of God within yourselves. 43I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive that one. 44How are you able to believe, when you receive glory from yourselves and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
Jesus did not need people’s glory (doxan), approval, or praise (see verse 34) because he was one with the Father, who gave his approval and Spirit to Jesus. Jesus could have received their praise for many reasons, including his powerful miracles and wise teachings, but he did not need these because his self-worth was not connected to anything in the world. He was perfectly obedient to the Father and did nothing on his own but only as directed by the Father. However, he still desired for people to put their faith in him and listen to the message he spoke because by doing this, they would find eternal life.
Jesus strongly criticizes the Jews for four wrong outcomes from their faulty understanding of Scripture. First, they did not have the love of God in them. Lacking love is a major problem from misunderstanding the Old Testament and thinking it is all about law, justice, legalism, or that God is more interested in us following a set of rules. A popular idea that has been around since Marcion is that the Old Testament God is about law and the New Testament God is about love. A careful and open reading of the Old Testament will show that God’s love and the call to love God are found on every page though restated in numerous ways.
Second, they did not receive Jesus. In this chapter, and particularly in this monologue, Jesus strongly condemns their lack of faith in him. To receive in verse 43 means to believe in. The Jews had closed their minds to the new revelation (which was not really new but a fulfillment of Scripture) that Jesus brought. Believing in Jesus is the reason John wrote his Gospel (20:30-31).
Third, they received and listened to other people. They seemed to get excited or would honor others’ ideas, like famous rabbis of the time such as Hillel, Gamaliel, Akiva, and others known in history. Honoring one’s teacher is a good thing, but not to put this person higher than God or God’s Messiah.
Fourth, they got their praise from one another. They congratulated one another for their outstanding religiosity and legalistic righteousness as defined by their own teachings (verse 44). They liked to pat one another on the back about how well they were doing in keeping the various Jewish regulations. In today’s terms, they liked to bring up front those who paid their tithes, helped out in service to the church, or attended all the Sunday School classes. They did not seek God’s glory, with the assumption that they were in it for themselves. The word glory occurs more times in John than in any other New Testament book. Jesus embodied God’s glory. When we look to him, we find God’s purposes for us.
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