Mark 11:32

Mark 11:32 Meaning and Explanation

But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.

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They dare not say John's baptism was merely human, for all the people counted John a true prophet.

What Does Mark 11:32 Mean?

The other answer is just as costly. To call John's ministry 'of men' would set the council against the crowd, which held John for a prophet indeed—a conviction only deepened by his death. Mark breaks off their sentence with the blunt fact: they feared the people.

Fear of man has replaced fear of God as the council's compass. Weighing audiences instead of truth, they are owned by whichever crowd stands nearest—rulers in name, captives in fact. 'The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe' (Proverbs 29:25). And there is a quiet irony: the common people, for all their fickleness, judged John more truly than their rulers did. God's witness is often plainest to the humble.

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What does Mark 11:32 mean?

They dare not say John's baptism was merely human, for all the people counted John a true prophet.

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