Mind Games
“For this cause they could not believe” John 12:39
Believe – Why don’t they believe? Why are there so few who really demonstrate Jesus is Lord of their lives? Why is the world so blind to the God who loves it?
Our circles of friendships all extend beyond the church walls. Every one of us knows someone who walks in the dark. They may be wonderful people, kind, considerate, moral citizens. They may be dearly loved family members or life-long friends. They may be the best neighbors you’ve ever had. But they don’t believe. Oh, they might not be atheists. They probably agree that there is a God. They might even say that Jesus is the Son of God. But they don’t believe. Just knowing the facts doesn’t qualify them as believers. John’s use of the verb pistis (to win over, to persuade) makes that abundantly clear.
The verb pistis is used 92 times in the gospel of John. It is never used as a noun. In John’s vocabulary, believing is always a verb. It is an action word. It is doing something. It is not about some statements of fact or some religious creed. It’s about transformed living, radical changes in perspective and the consequences that follow. To believe is a matter of the heart, not the head alone. And the heart is the center of my will, my emotions and my actions.
The real problem with believing usually has nothing to do with mental arguments. The reason they don’t believe is almost always a matter of not wanting to change behavior. Followers are asked to live differently. Not just have better morals. Not just make a kinder, gentler world. Actually, followers of Jesus are the scariest people in the world. They don’t follow even the best of this world’s standards. They have a different code; a code that demands self-sacrifice, giving, forgiving and radical freedom. But behind all this is something even deeper. Followers worship the One who rescued them. They are completely devoted to Jesus. They live to serve Him. He infects everything they do.
Why don’t they believe? Because they have not been rescued from themselves. Because they still value their own way. Because they have too much to become empty. Pistis is a terrible word for those who wish to hang on to life as they know it. Give me “beliefs” but do not ask for “believing”. I’m not ready to change. “For this reason, they could not”.
