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In our text from Sunday, John drew a contrast between what believing in Christ meant for Isaiah and what believing in Christ meant for at least some of the Jewish leaders.

Isaiah's belief caused him to see the glory of God in Christ. He saw God high and lifted up, seated on His sovereign throne.  He saw God's train filling the temple to communicate there is no God but the Lord.  He saw the Seraphim crying Holy, Holy Holy in worship, adoration and submission to His authority.  For Isaiah, believing meant more than just acknowledging the existence of God or believing in Him to be what they wanted Him to be.  Believing meant beholding God!!  Believing meant beholding God and becoming more like Him in His character and mission.  And Isaiah so treasured the God he believed in that he was willing to die for His name to be glorified.

For at least some of the Jewish leaders, their belief had not seemed to open their eyes to behold and treasure Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  They may have acknowledged privately that only Jesus was sent by God to do and say what He did.  But their private "belief"  wasn't enough for them to confess publicly that Jesus Christ was their Messiah and that they were willing to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Him.  Matthew 10 says that if we deny having a relationship with Jesus before men, He will deny having a relationship with us before His Father. 

Believing in Jesus is so much more than just believing a few facts about Him.  Christ's gospel is not just the answer to an accounting problem.  We had a debt we could not pay.  He paid our debt in full.  We become debt free.  Someone can believe in those facts and yet not behold the glory of God in Christ Jesus.  Someone can believe in those facts yet not cherish, treasure, adore and obey Jesus.  

By God's great grace, a saving belief in Jesus opens our eyes to see the King in all of His beauty!!!  To see Him worthy of worship, adoration and obedience.  As we study the last week of Jesus' life leading up to the cross, may God open our eyes ever wider to behold His glory!!!