Trying to Stay on the Fence

They loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. John 12:43 ESV1

Read John 12:42-50

Sitting on the fence is a common English idiom to describe the actions or thoughts of one who is indecisive or refuses to choose between two opposing sides. This inability to decide is usually due to a lack of courage. When one weighs the options and the potential losses involved in making a firm commitment to either side, sitting on the fence often seems like the safest place. However, assumptions often do not agree with reality.

Sitting on the Fence

When it comes to following Jesus, it is tempting to remain in a place where you have both assurance of your eternal salvation and confidence in your status in this world. This is especially true if your religious community encourages you to temper your commitment to Christ. That happened between the early Believers in Jesus and the Jewish religious elites known as the Pharisees.

“Many even of the authorities believed in Him but for fear of the Pharisees, they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue” (John 12:42).

It is especially tempting to stay sitting on the fence if there are undesirable consequences to openly choosing Christ. During Jesus’ time on Earth, both chief religious and secular rulers feared the Pharisees because of what they had the power to do. The Pharisees could upset the lives of those who opposed them by putting them out of the synagogues.

“To be ‘put out of the synagogues’ [was] more than being excluded from a Jewish house of worship. It meant to be condemned by the Jews as a heretic or a pagan. It meant to be shunned by your people and banned from society. Today that may not mean much. In the days of Jesus, it meant everything – being hated, excommunicated, loss of income, loss of family, open persecution, even death.”2

Some examples of this handicapping fear of the Pharisees are recorded in Scripture. About six months before Jesus’ Passion Week:

“The [Pharisees] were looking for [Jesus] at the [Feast of Booths], and saying, ‘Where is He?’ And there was much muttering about Him among the people. While some said, ‘He is a good Man,’ others said, ‘No, He is leading the people astray.’ Yet for fear of the [Pharisees], no one spoke openly of Him” (John 7:11-13).

During that same celebration, Jesus healed a man who had been born blind:

“They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formally blind … The [Pharisees] did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ (His parents said these things because they feared the [Pharisees], for the [Pharisees] had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore, his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him’” (John 9:13, 18-23).

The prideful, self-righteousness of the Pharisees, coupled with their position of influence that could cause considerable damage to lives and reputations, caused people to hide their true beliefs and deny connections with those they loved. Imagine how long and hard the parents above must have prayed for their son’s healing. Consider how much their hearts must have ached for him to find fulfillment as a productive member of society. Yet, when their prayers were answered and their son was ecstatically praising Jesus as his Healer, their fear of the Pharisee’s ability to socially destroy them caused these parents to abandon their beloved son.

The fear of losing all they held dear in this life paralyzed many who believed in Jesus as Savior. They believed but refused to confess that belief. The profession of their faith in Jesus could put them in danger. But their lack of confession left them uncomfortably perched on the fence with one foot in the world and one in Christ’s Kingdom.

It may seem like a wise idea to refuse to openly proclaim one’s devotion to Jesus in such a potentially harmful environment. The Apostle Paul would disagree. He emphasized that true Followers of Christ both believe and confess:

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

It isn’t until there is something to lose that confessing Christ proves a true Believer. It is easy for you to say you love Jesus when that confession doesn’t cost you anything. But do you love Jesus if you hold back from declaring Him as Lord when it may affect you negatively?

On the Shaded Side

This passage in John’s Gospel reveals the underlying reason the Believers remained hidden and refused to confess their faith in Jesus.

“They loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:43).

Ultimately, those who believed and did not confess Jesus were not as committed to Christ as much as they were concerned about their reputations. They weren’t trusting Jesus as much as they were relying on their abilities to determine their destinies. They cared more about what people thought of them than God did. They wanted what the world offered over what God had available for them.

The Pharisees who threatened the half-hearted Believers were not much different than those they kept confined to the fence. The Pharisees convinced themselves they were pleasing God but so much of what they did was to impress people. Though they received many accolades from their admirers and one another, their work had no eternal value. In one of His conversations with the Pharisees, Jesus asked this penetrating question:

“‘You refuse to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?’” (John 5:40-44).

There is a glory that comes from man and has benefits in this lifetime. But this glory is fickle. A person can work hard, do everything right, and rise to the top only to find themselves plummeting after one small mistake. Remaining on top requires making compromises, constantly evaluating one’s position, and pushing down the haunting worry of losing what has been gained.

According to Jesus, one does not love God and cannot believe in Him if he/she desires the glory of man.

“‘No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money’” (Matthew 6:24).

The things that are of value in this world’s system are opposed to what is important in God’s estimation.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

Contrary to what the world holds in high esteem, here are some examples of what God considers worthy of praise:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

 

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).

 

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

 

“Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).

The fear of man that causes people to worry about their places in the worldly system slowly kills everyone who pursues this kind of glory. They end up trading eternal exaltation for passing pomp. According to Jesus, seeking man’s glory equates to missing out on real life.

In all reality, sitting on the fence is the most dangerous place to be. Spiritually speaking, those in this middle ground, are at the mercy of Satan.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

The devil doesn’t have to spend much time working to control those who are solidly established in his territory. And, though he works hard at it, he can’t ultimately do much to harm those who cling tightly to Jesus.

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 47b-8a).

The enemy spends most of his time running back and forth along the border between his region and Christ’s desiring to pull those who try to balance on the fence back onto his side. Those who are already leaning toward the glory of man are much easier for Satan to draw in his direction.

On the Sunny Side

There is a place that is much safer and more comfortable than attempting to stabilize oneself on the thin edge of a fence. Jesus boldly explained the advantages available for those who fearlessly confess their belief in Him.

“Jesus cried out and said, ‘Whoever believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me’” (John 12:44).

Cried in Greek is krazō; it means to cry out aloud or to speak with a loud voice.4  It is used in the Scriptures in times of earnestness, fear, excitement, and desperation. It is only used of Jesus here, in John Chapter 7, and as He died upon the Cross.5 Each time, Jesus was in the company of angry people bent on killing Him and He was surrounded by large crowds seeking understanding. By loudly crying out in each instance, Jesus exclaimed, “Listen up; this is extremely important.”

So, what was so significant in this account, where Jesus was again surrounded by people bent on destroying Him, that Jesus would be crying out, to those trying to stay in relative safety, “Get off the fence, confess your belief, and come side with Me!”?

Jesus was loudly proclaiming, “Through Me, you have access to God.” The Pharisees, whom the non-confessing Believers were trying not to offend, taught that one must flawlessly follow hundreds of rules to be right with God. Jesus emphasized something far different. He shouted, “If you believe in Me, I will give you all you need to be right with God.”

“‘Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him, God the Father has set His seal.’ Then they said to Him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent’” (John 6:27-29).

Simply believing in Jesus gives a person access to God. Paul had once been a Pharisee and aggressively persecuted true Believers. After his powerful conversion, Paul became a Christian missionary and taught those in the Ephesian church:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus didn’t stop loudly proclaiming that one could freely access Almighty God through Him. Jesus went on to krazō that more was available to those who got off the fence and came to God through the Gate He held open for them. Jesus cried out,

“‘And whoever sees Me sees Him who sent Me’” (John 12:45).

Just a short time before Jesus made this exclamation, some Greeks had come to one of The Twelve, Philip, asking to see Jesus. Jesus, through a long and somewhat confusing explanation, told them that they could do much more than see Him; they could know Him! 6 Perhaps, those Greeks were still in Jesus’ presence and heard Jesus explain, this time more clearly, what He had shared with them earlier.7

This time, Jesus loudly proclaimed to those tempted to stay sitting on the fence, “If you jump down and run to Me, you can have an intimate relationship with both Me and My Father.”

Jesus went on to loudly announce:

“‘I have come into the world as Light so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness’” (John 12:46).

John started his Gospel with this statement:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him, was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life and the Life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-5).

The Word, Jesus, was the Creator of light and referred to Himself as “The Light of the World” (John 8:12). Darkness designates the enemy, his domain, and the ones who participate in evil.

“‘The Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the Light and does not come to the Light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the Light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God’” (John 3:19b-21).

In the presence of even the smallest amount of light, darkness flees. No one has to stay in the darkness. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, we can access everything we need to victoriously live in the Light.

“At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) … Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible” (Ephesians 5:8b-9, 11-13).

At the top of His lungs, Jesus declared, “In Me, you have victory over sin and Satan. Come to Me and experience the joy of walking unhindered in all that is right and true!”

“‘The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, that you may become sons of Light’” (John 12:35b-36).

 

“‘Truly, truly, I, [Jesus], say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’” (John 8:34-36).

Barbed Wire in Your Britches

Though Jesus loudly and convincingly shared the benefits of choosing His side of the fence, many still stayed perched upon it. To those, Jesus explained:

“‘If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world’” (John 12:47).

Jesus does not want to judge fence-sitters. He wants to save them from the torture of staying in this zone of noncommittal.

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:17-18).

Those who believe in Jesus as Savior will not be condemned or judged by Christ. But, by sitting on the fence, they subject themselves to a self-imposed judgment. It is impossible to experience any degree of freedom while confined to a fence rail. Jesus never intended His followers to be so restricted. It is the enemy that keeps people on the fence.

“‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I [Jesus] came that they may have life and have it abundantly’” (John 10:10a).

What causes people to stay on the fence and miss out on the abundant life Jesus promises His followers? The text tells us it is the one who “hears Jesus’ words and does not keep them.” The word translated here as keep is the Greek word, pisteuō. It means to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in … to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith.8

If you remain on the fence, you do so because you do not trust what Jesus said is true. You are immobilized from coming down from the fence because you have more faith in your understanding and abilities. Consequently, you will miss out on the relationship with God and victory in Christ that is available to you.

Both Feet on the Dark Side

But what is far worse is the fate of those who purposely decide to stay in darkness.

“‘The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the Last Day. For I have not spoken on My own authority but the Father, who sent Me, has Himself given Me a commandment—what to say and what to speak’” (John 12:48-49).

Prompted by love and at the command of His Father, Jesus came to Earth to take on the punishment and pay the penalty originally designated for rebellious humans. Through both word and deed, Jesus did everything necessary to give salvation to anyone who wants it.

“‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life’” (John 3:16).

No one has to stay on the dark side of the fence. Jesus has opened a Gate that leads to freedom on the light side. But Jesus isn’t going to make anyone go through that opening. He isn’t going to force people to follow Him. It is up to each individual to decide whether to follow Christ or not. But if one does not go through the opening Jesus made, he/she chooses judgment.

No one has to be judged but those who refuse to enter God’s Kingdom through the Gate of Christ will be condemned. That is just the way things are. The Father will have Jesus pronounce judgment on anyone who chooses to not heed His Son’s words. Jesus explained it this way:

“‘For the Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life … I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just because I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me’” (John 5:22-24, 30).

Eventually, the Gate Jesus opened by His sacrifice will close. All who chose to stay on the dark side of the fence will have missed their opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God. Though no one has to stay on the dark side and suffer the condemnation that goes with it, those who reject Christ select eternal judgment over eternal life. Those who remain on the dark side of the fence do so because the here and now is more important to them than eternity. The sad thing is that the satisfaction of the present time won’t make up for the torment of forever.

Off the Fence and in the Light

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

 

“The Hebrew word used for ‘created’ used here is bara. Bara means ‘to create from nothing.’ [God] not only formed the heavens and the earth, but He spoke into existence the matter He used to form it. Psalms 33:6 says, ‘The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.’ His word, His breath, made what was not yet appear. Humans can create, but they cannot bara. Only [God] can bara. Our God is unique in that only He can form a creation out of nothing.”9

There is power in the spoken word of God. His words literally bring forth life. He who spoke life into existence continues to speak life into those who get off the fence and join Him on the light side of the fence.

The Father sent Jesus to proclaim eternal life through His words and actions. Jesus testified:

“‘I know that His commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told Me’” (John 12:50).

The essence of all God is, in all of His Three Persons, and all that He does, in any of His Persons, is about life.

“Jesus said …, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show Him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will’” (John 5:19-21).

Life on the fence’s light side is both physical and spiritual. It is both now and eternal.

“‘Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment’” (John 5:25-29).

Eternal life is more than living forever; it is a relationship with the One who is eternal. It is not something that will happen in the future; it is something that starts now and carries on forever. At the Last Supper, Jesus prayed:

“[Jesus] lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify You since You have given Him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed’” (John 17:1-5, emphasis added).

The abundant spiritual and physical life that Jesus offers now and has no end, is one of no fear. It does not require one looking over his/her shoulder wondering what people think or panicking about the possibility of falling from his/her precarious perch. This life is one of complete peace and freedom. To quote Jesus’ words again:

“‘I came that [you] may have life and have it abundantly’” (John 10:10b).

This life is the opposite of sitting on the fence. And it turns out choosing the Light side is the safest place after all.

 

 

1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

2 https://www.wintonchurch.org/news/put-out-synagogue

3 To read my commentary on this event, check out https://blueturtletrails.com/to-see-or-not-to-see/

4 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2896/kjv/tr/0-1/

5 Check out John 7:25-31, cross-reference with John 14:6; John 7:37-39, cross reference with 2 Peter 1:3-4; and Matthew 27:50 & Mark 15:37

6 To read my commentary on this event, check out https://blueturtletrails.com/seeing-jesus-in-difficult-circumstances/

7 The Greek word used here for see is theōreō. It means to behold, … to view attentively, … to enjoy the presence of one: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2334/kjv/tr/0-1/ This word, different than the one the Greeks used, horaō, means more than to meet or to look at; it speaks of a relationship. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3708/kjv/tr/0-1/

8 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4100/kjv/tr/0-1/

9 “The Names of God” (Hanover, Maryland: The Daily Grace Co., 2022), 85-86.