Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. John 2:23-25
The above passage tells us that many believed in Jesus when they saw the signs He did. While Jesus’ signs and wonders were creating a following for Him. that did not excite Jesus because He knew man’s flaky condition.
According to the book of John, Jesus had already turned water into wine and had cleared out the temple from money changers. One would have brought people’s pleasure and the other their criticism. Furthermore, He received much criticism during His ministry for eating with tax collectors, healing the sick on the Sabbath, and calling God his Father. However, Jesus was not going to be tied down to what was approved by people around Him.
If Jesus were to have the expectation of being approved by people, he would not have been able to accomplish what the Lord had called Him to do. Similarly, we cannot expect people’s constant approval of us if we are intent on fulfilling God’s plan for our lives. As a matter of fact, our desire and expectation of being approved by others, opens the door to discouragement and disappointment. It sets one up for failure.
Jesus had the understanding that there were going to be things that even His closest people would not understand, but He was not going to change directions because of them.
Is it possible that we are looking for man’s approval because we are not sure of our decisions!? Or could it be that we don’t want to be judged or shunned!? There is a difference between receiving Godly counsel and seeking people’s approval. None of us are as accurate as Jesus in hearing God! We all need Godly counsel from time to time, and we should value a person’s Biblical advice. However, seeking people’s approval is the fear of man, and we should try to wean ourselves away from it.
Have you been influenced by people to change directions because they did not approve of what you were doing? Are you able to separate man’s Godly advice from their preference? If you have a need for man’s approval, it would be important to find the root issue and address it head on to ensure you are not bound by it any longer.