CONFESS JESUS!
"Nevertheless many, even of the rulers, believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, so that they would not be excommunicated from the synagogue; for they loved the approval of people rather than the approval of God." John 12:42-43
Jesus was convincing! He did miracles no one had seen since the creation of the world. His words were wisdom personified and piercingly convincing. He was merciful and kind to the common person and gentle and welcoming to children. Crowds followed Him wherever He went. He was compelling without being ostentatious. He stood up to the Pharisees without fear, challenging their motives and hypocrisy.
Most of all, Jesus knew the Torah and taught it with clarity and authority. The Temple rulers marveled at the power of His words. When He claimed to be the Son of God, in their hearts they believed Him. Among themselves, they agreed that truly Jesus was God incarnate.
But their agreement never left the rooms where they secretly collaborated. The Pharisees never dared find out what they thought. To have a place of such importance as being administrators of the Temple was not to be taken lightly. If the Pharisees ever found out that the rulers embraced what Jesus said and did, the rulers would be excommunicated from the Temple, and their positions of prominence would be relinquished. It was simply too large a price to pay to confess Christ.
John puts it this way: "They loved the approval of people rather than the approval of God." The praise of men meant more to the rulers than the blessing of God.
Jesus had come to His own, the Jews! The land of Israel, their inheritance, was governed by Rome. The Temple, their place of worship, was dominated by the legalistic and unmerciful Pharisees. Jesus had come to break the chains of religious legalism and be the savior first of the Jews.
But fearful and proud and selfish rulers of the day thought twice. They knew in their heart of hearts that Jesus was all He said He was. They believed He was their Messiah...but, the Pharisees had confronted Him as their enemy on numerous occasions. They hated Jesus. His popularity and the truths He taught threatened their position at the top of the ladder, and they were not about to give up their status and esteem held by the Jewish populous.
The Pharisees hated Jesus above all. their jealousy of Him was intense and unmovable. Any ruler who would have revealed and confessed his faith in Jesus would have spelled out his own demise! He would be defrocked of his leadership position and thrown out of the synagogue.
Status meant more to the rulers than souls. Had they stopped to truly evaluate the worth of Jesus, He would have outweighed any authority or position of authority. They gladly would have endured even a martyr's death for Him---had they considered---but they didn't. Instead, they kept their opinions to themselves and went along with the charade to their ow detriment. And worse, much worse than that, they failed to declare publicly their faith in the Savior. Their silence led to Jesus' crucifixion rather than the nation of Jews following what could have been their example and embracing Him as their Messiah, as well.
The cost is great, much greater than we suppose, when we keep our mouths shut when it ought to be open, declaring the Savior and all that He is! No one this side of eternity knows the potential their testimony for Jesus could have had on history and the salvation of Jewish souls who were lost instead. Influence for Jesus is the most important role any of us who profess to be Jesus' followers can wield.
We cannot afford not to confess Jesus at every opportunity. When we remain silent, souls are at stake: their and ours~ Speak up for Jesus!