Jesus: The Reader of Human Hearts
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. John 2:23-25, NKJV.
The big problem with performing miracles and other "signs" is that people tend to follow for the wrong reason. Jesus realized that. Our Savior understood the human heart and that most people could not be trusted no matter what their outward profession of belief or allegiance. "He knew what was in man."
The scene in today's passage finds Jesus on His first visit to Jerusalem at the time of Passover. He had made a great impression on all of Palestinian Judaism during His early ministry in Galilee. But now He had arrived in the capital of His people and "many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did."
And it was Passover, the very time of year when Jesus later would give up His life for the sins of the world as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), or, more specifically, as our "Passover," who "was sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7, NKJV).
Seemingly everything was in place for Jesus to step forward and openly declare Himself to be the Messiah. Why didn't He? The answer is that He knew the human heart too well. He understood that many of those who believed were only attracted by the outward show of the things that they had seen and would abandon Him because of the fickleness of the human heart. "He knew what was in man." As a result, Jesus did not "commit Himself to them."
But because He knew the hearts of those He dealt with, there were some whom He was willing to open up to. It is not an accident that the next two major stories in John's Gospel feature Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus could not only identify the hearts of would-be followers who were shallow and fickle, but He could see below the surface and appreciate people who were receptive to His message. And He was willing to commit Himself to such. In the stories of the Samaritan woman and the Jewish ruler we find unlikely candidates for Jesus' kingdom. But He saw below the surface and revealed Himself to them in a way that He could not with most people. And out of that opening up flow some of the most precious truths of His ministry.
This Jesus who knows us so well still wants to lead us today. He wants us to open up to Him so that He can more fully reveal Himself to us.
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. John 2:23-25, NKJV.
The big problem with performing miracles and other "signs" is that people tend to follow for the wrong reason. Jesus realized that. Our Savior understood the human heart and that most people could not be trusted no matter what their outward profession of belief or allegiance. "He knew what was in man."
The scene in today's passage finds Jesus on His first visit to Jerusalem at the time of Passover. He had made a great impression on all of Palestinian Judaism during His early ministry in Galilee. But now He had arrived in the capital of His people and "many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did."
And it was Passover, the very time of year when Jesus later would give up His life for the sins of the world as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), or, more specifically, as our "Passover," who "was sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7, NKJV).
Seemingly everything was in place for Jesus to step forward and openly declare Himself to be the Messiah. Why didn't He? The answer is that He knew the human heart too well. He understood that many of those who believed were only attracted by the outward show of the things that they had seen and would abandon Him because of the fickleness of the human heart. "He knew what was in man." As a result, Jesus did not "commit Himself to them."
But because He knew the hearts of those He dealt with, there were some whom He was willing to open up to. It is not an accident that the next two major stories in John's Gospel feature Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus could not only identify the hearts of would-be followers who were shallow and fickle, but He could see below the surface and appreciate people who were receptive to His message. And He was willing to commit Himself to such. In the stories of the Samaritan woman and the Jewish ruler we find unlikely candidates for Jesus' kingdom. But He saw below the surface and revealed Himself to them in a way that He could not with most people. And out of that opening up flow some of the most precious truths of His ministry.
This Jesus who knows us so well still wants to lead us today. He wants us to open up to Him so that He can more fully reveal Himself to us.
RSS Feed
