John 5:41

I receive not honour from men.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(41) I receive not honour.—The word is better rendered glory here, and in John 5:44. Jesus continues to dwell, in the remainder of the discourse (John 5:41-47), on the true cause of their incredulity. “Ye will not come to Me,” is the central thought. But were they, then, to follow this young Teacher, while they themselves had schools and disciples who held their teaching sacred, and their persons in honour, and addressed them as “Rabbi?” No! this is not the true coming to Him. They seek glory from men. He does not receive it (John 5:34).

Benson Commentary

John 5:41-43. I receive not honour from men — I need it not; I seek it not from you for my own sake. As if he had said, Though I speak of your coming to me as necessary in order to your salvation, it is not out of an ambition of drawing multitudes after me, who may approve and applaud my teaching; for the whole of my conduct proves that I seek not the praise of men. But I say it out of a tender regard for your salvation and reformation; for I know you — I am fully acquainted with the state of your minds, and the conduct of your lives; that ye have not the love of God in you — That, notwithstanding the distinguished profession of piety which you make, you are destitute of that great and only principle of true religion, the love of God: For I am come in my Father’s name — With evident credentials from him; and yet ye receive me not — Which, if you had really loved him, you would undoubtedly have done: if another shall come in his own name — Without such credentials, and without any commission from God; him ye will receive — Provided he assume the majesty of a king, and promise you temporal wealth, power, and glory. Of this infatuation the Jews gave many proofs during their wars with the Romans, and a little before the destruction of Jerusalem. For then many impostors arose, pretending to be the Messiah, and promising them deliverance, by which, although they wrought no miracles, yet they drew great multitudes after them, as their own historian, Josephus, informs us; and met with a much better reception, even from the Pharisees and rulers, than Christ did, notwithstanding all his miracles. And no doubt Christ meant to include these, and all who appeared while the sanhedrim existed.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

5:39-44 The Jews considered that eternal life was revealed to them in their Scriptures, and that they had it, because they had the word of God in their hands. Jesus urged them to search those Scriptures with more diligence and attention. Ye do search the Scriptures, and ye do well to do so. They did indeed search the Scriptures, but it was with a view to their own glory. It is possible for men to be very studious in the letter of the Scriptures, yet to be strangers to its power. Or, Search the Scriptures, and so it was spoken to them in the nature of an appeal. Ye profess to receive and believe the Scripture, let that be the judge. It is spoken to us as advising or commanding all Christians to search the Scriptures. Not only read them, and hear them, but search them; which denotes diligence in examining and studying them. We must search the Scriptures for heaven as our great end; For in them ye think ye have eternal life. We must search the Scriptures for Christ, as the new and living Way, that leads to this end. To this testimony Christ adds reproofs of their unbelief and wickedness; their neglect of him and his doctrine. Also he reproves their want of the love of God. But there is life with Jesus Christ for poor souls. Many who make a great profession of religion, yet show they want the love of God, by their neglect of Christ and contempt of his commandments. It is the love of God in us, the love that is a living, active principle in the heart, which God will accept. They slighted and undervalued Christ, because they admired and overvalued themselves. How can those believe, who make the praise and applause of men their idol! When Christ and his followers are men wondered at, how can those believe, the utmost of whose ambition is to make a fair show in the flesh!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I receive not honour ... - "I do not say these things because I am desirous of human applause, but to account for the fact that you do not believe on me. The reason is, that you have not the love of God in you." In this passage we see:

1. That we should not seek for human applause. It is of very little value, and it often keeps men from the approbation of God, John 5:44.

2. They who will not believe on Jesus Christ give evidence that they have no love for God.

3. The reason why they do not believe on him is because they have no regard for his character, wishes, or law.

Love of God - Love to God.

In you - In your hearts. You do not love God.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

41. I receive not honour from men—contrasting His own end with theirs, which was to obtain human applause.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

I depend not upon the single testimony of men; or, I seek not, nor hunt after, the honour of men, nor regard what they think or say of me.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

I receive not honour from men. Not but that honour from men was due to Christ; and it becomes all men to honour him, as they do the Father; and he does receive honour and glory, and blessing from his saints, by their praying to him, praising him, believing in him, and serving him; but his sense is, that in asserting his equality with the Father, and in producing the testimonies he did, in proof of it, his view was not to obtain honour and applause among men, but to vindicate himself, and glorify his Father: nor did he say what he had just now said, about men's coming to him, with any such intention, to gather a party to him, to set up himself as a temporal king, in great pomp and splendour, and receive worldly homage and honour from men, as his subjects; for his kingdom was not of this world, and coming and subjection to him were things of a spiritual nature.

Geneva Study Bible

I receive not honour from men.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

John 5:41. Δόξαν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ λαμβάνω, not “glory from men I am not receiving,” not quite “glory from men I do not seek,” but rather, that which is in my judgment glory, I do not receive from men: not what men yield me is my glory. Ambition is not my motive in making these claims.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

41. I receive not honour] It is nothing to Me; I have no need of it, and refuse it: comp. John 5:34. Glory would perhaps be better than ‘honour’ both here and in John 5:44, and than ‘praise’ in John 9:24 and John 12:43; see notes there. Christ is anticipating an objection, and at the same time shewing what is the real cause of their unbelief. ‘Glory from men is not what I seek; think not the want of that is the cause of My complaint. The desire of glory from men is what blinds your eyes to the truth.’

41–44. Not that I seek glory from men; had I done so, you would have received Me. Your worldliness prevents you from receiving One whose motives are not worldly.

Bengel's Gnomen

John 5:41.[110] Παρὰ ἀνθρώπων, from men) even from those by whom the Scripture was written: comp. John 5:34, “Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth, but I receive not testimony from man,” concerning John, who was greater than the prophets; and yet Jesus did not receive testimony even from him.

[110] δόξαν, glory [honour]) Jesus in this passage had spoken great things concerning Himself. Now he states why He does so; namely, that He might bring poor souls to the blessed knowledge and love of GOD.—V. g.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 41-47. -

(d) The effect of the revelation of the Son upon the Jews. Verses 41, 42. - This appeal to the will of man was apparently entirely misunderstood, and ended for the time in failure. "They would not come." Everything was prepared, but none were ready or willing to accept even so rich a blessing as life itself. This is the refrain of the whole Bible: "Ye will not; .... Ye would not;" "What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?" "I called, and ye refused;" "I wrote the great things of my Law; ye have counted them as strange things." Our Lord proceeds in the closing words to account in some respects for this unwillingness. I receive not glory from men, but I know you (ἔγνωκα, I have come by experience or intuition to such knowledge of you), that you have not the love of God in you. The love of God is the principle of all obedience; and Christ elsewhere declares it to be the first and great commandment of the Law. But love is the principle of all knowledge. "He that loveth not knoweth not." This principle reaches its fullest expression when we learn the greater truth that "God is love." It is true of all objects of love, the highest kind of knowledge is not possible without love. This is pre-eminently the case when we think of knowing God. Since God is essential Love, without experiencing love we cannot realize that Divine essence. Again, there is an elementary faith that precedes elementary love, but when love is once awakened, faith again deepens, and love grows by what it feeds upon, until the faith becomes vision and the love rapture. But why the opening words, I receive not glory from men? Probably they intimate opposition and questioning to some such effect as this: "Thou hast declared thyself the Giver of life and resurrection, and charged our lack of spiritual life upon our unwillingness to believe these claims and to submit ourselves to these exalted assumptions or to go to thee for life. Thou art eager, after all, for our approval and glory." To this Christ replied, "Glory from men I receive not. It is not for my sake, but for yours, I say, 'Come unto me and live;' but, alas! having searched you through and through, I discern no love, none of the spirit out of which the forces of faith can be evolved. The reason why you are unwilling to come to me for life is that you are measuring me by yourselves, and have not that self-emptying and abnegation and distrust out of which faith and love, love and faith, must ever spring." John 5:41

Vincent's Word Studies

I receive not honor from men

The Greek order is: glory from men I receive not. Compare John 5:34. His glory consists in his loving fellowship with God. Men who do not love God are not in sympathy with Him.