Y5. Denying Yeshua for Fear of Man. [Make a Comment]
We are not to deny believing in Yeshua for fear of man.
This precept is derived from His Word (blessed be He):
Key Scriptures
*Matthew 10:28-33
Do not fear those who kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul.
Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gei-Hinnom.
Aren't sparrows sold for next to nothing, two for an assarion? Yet not
one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's consent. As
for you, every hair on your head has been counted. So do not be afraid, you
are worth more than many sparrows. Whoever acknowledges me in the presence
of others I will also acknowledge in the presence of my Father in heaven.
But whoever disowns [denies] me before others I will disown [deny] before my
Father in heaven.
((see also, Luke 12:4-9))
2 Timothy 1:7-8
For God gave us a Spirit who produces not timidity, but power, love and
self-discipline. So don't be ashamed of bearing testimony to our Lord
or to me, his prisoner. On the contrary, accept your share in suffering
disgrace for the sake of the Good News. God will give you the strength for
it ...
Supportive Scriptures
Proverbs 29:25
Fearing human beings is a snare; but he who trusts in ADONAI will be raised
high [above danger].
Mark 8:38
For if someone is ashamed of me and of what I say in this adulterous and
sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes
in his Father's glory with the holy angels.
2 Peter 2:1
But among the people there were also false prophets, just as there will be
false teachers among you. Under false pretenses they will introduce
destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and thus
bring on themselves swift destruction.
1 John 2:22-23
Who is a liar at all, if not the person who denies that Yeshua is the
Messiah? Such a person is an anti-Messiah- he is denying the Father and the
Son. Everyone who denies the Son is also without the Father, but the person
who acknowledges the Son has the Father as well.
Commentary
Fear of men's disapproval is a primary motive when believers deny Yeshua, and when unbelievers refuse to consider him. Those feared may be family members, employers, co-workers, friends, or even fictitious figments of the imagination. Scripture is clear that whether one is a believer or an unbeliever, denying the true and full identity of Yeshua (Messiah, son of God, fullness of the deity, etc.) is sin,1 and can have disastrous consequences.
1. Unintentional sin in the case of an unbeliever.
Classical Commentators
This Mitzvah is not addressed by any of the Jewish classical commentators.
NCLA: JMm JFm KMm KFm GMm GFm