Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel
Wikimedia Commons public domain
(Please click to enlarge.)
Compare Matthew 13:10-17; Mark 4:10-12; 8:17-18; Luke 8:9-10
Failure to follow Jesus can come from various causes. John here suggests two: (1) hard-hearted blindness, a failure (or refusal) to see what ought to be plainly evident, and (2) fear of human opinion and/or desire for human approval, which overwhelms belief — “for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
Neither will hold up well as a defense, come Judgment Day.
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