John Chapter Two

In John chapter 2 Jesus has just collected a following and called men to come follow him to be his disciples. The chapter starts off with the first miracle that Jesus ever performed, helping his mother at the wedding feast. But then a few verses later Jesus is throwing tables over in the temple. I see someone who is compassionate, caring, and wanting to help and do what he can. Yet, I also see someone who cannot stand to see the salvation of others ruined by the actions of other people. It makes him angry! And yes, there is so much to be gleaned from the first miracle and from the incident of commerce taking place in the temple, but this is not what draws my attention as I read today.

Instead I am drawn to the last two verses of the chapter:

But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.


What does this mean? I read many different translations of the same verses, and all I could get was that Jesus was not trusting himself to man because he knew that men were fickle. Think about it, people were flocking to Jesus, verse 23 says "many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did." You see Jesus could see that they weren't following out of true conviction but because they saw miracles. Who wouldn't follow a guys running around performing miracles? Jesus knew that he could not count on this following and that this was not a true reformation and searching of the heart for most. It was for a few, but not the majority. In, other words what I hear from these verses is that Jesus could not get his hopes up, he knew what lay ahead even though it didn't seem as though that were the case at this point in time. What that must have felt like.

I couldn't stop there though, I wanted more understanding of this so I cross referenced looking for similar verses and found so much hope and promise. First stop 1 Samuel 16:7,

"...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."

1 Chronicles 28:9; (my personal favorite discovery in this search)

"And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever."

I inserted my name in this one, and it was so powerful. I just have to have a good heart and be willing and there I will find God. It is so true. This year I wasn't sure where I was with God, but I was so fed up with everything that I knew. I didn't have peace and knew that what I thought was a spiritual life was not working and couldn't possibly be what God wanted for me. So I laid my heart open to God and told him I wanted to start over, with him showing me the way. I have never experienced God is such a way as I have this year.

So yes, God knows our hearts. Jesus knows our thoughts and he knows man. No, he couldn't commit himself to the mass and trust that they were going to carry him through and accept him; but he does commit to those whose hearts are true.