John 2:23-25
Verse 24 But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people.
After the disturbing Temple scene Jesus and His disciples continued their observance of the joyous festival. They would have done all the normal things the festival required – finding the perfect lamb, having the Passover meal together, celebrating days of unleavened bread and remembering the reason for the festival.
Jesus knew this was the true beginning of His earthly ministry and it brought opportunities to reveal Himself a little to the faithful who came to Jerusalem for the festival. There were so many people in the city for Passover from all over the known world, what better time to start revealing Himself.
After He started doing miracles people started taking notice. Had they seen miraculous types of things before? Possibly since there were people who worked magic and could make it appear they were making something happen. Just like those who went up against Moses and Aaron in front of Pharaoh just prior to the first Passover, there were people who would do things which looked like only God could do them.
The people who watched Jesus do these things may have thought He was just another one of those magicians. They said they believed in Him when actually they were just believing what they saw. Jesus knew their hearts, He knew their belief was in what they saw Him do instead of Him as the Messiah, this is why John said Jesus wouldn’t entrust Himself to them.
Jesus believed the truth of their hearts. While they were fascinated with His ability to do things others couldn’t, they couldn’t believe He was the One promised many generations ago to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Much like us in the current age who try to think of Christ in the way we think will best benefit our dreams and goals, the people of that time were not looking for the One prophesied as much as they were looking to be rescued from the Romans.
Jesus knew the hearts of these people. He could see what was motivating them and what they really wanted from Him and it wasn’t what He was there to give them. We need to make sure we don’t get stuck in the same line of thinking, wanting only what we think He will bring us instead of seeing what He really wants us to do in us.
Making It Personal
When you think about Jesus what comes to mind? Do your prayers reflect who He is or what you want from Him? Do you praise Him for what He does?
Making It Personal Kids
What are some things you think about when you think about Jesus? Do you think Jesus is only for giving you what you want? Do you love Jesus for who He is or what He can give you?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for revealing Jesus to us and showing us He is more than a vending machine, He is the Savior we desperately need. Give us the desire to know You for who You are and believe in You because You are who You are. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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