When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone for he himself knew what was in everyone.
John 2:23-25
John’s Gospel is my favourite of the four Gospels, probably because he gives accounts of events often not referred to any of the other Gospels, and I frequently turn to this gospel to build up the picture. John’s Gospel approaches things in a more analytical fashion, recording in a way that someone who likes to know the detail can relate to. Where more than one gospel writer focuses on the same event, we are so fortunate that we can refer to all the accounts to build up the picture and see a wider perspective on things.
The verses I have chosen are few, but they tell us a lot about how much Jesus knew about the people he met and continues to meet today and the basis of His relationship with us.
The ’signs’ referred to in these verses are what Jesus was doing, witnessed by many. At this point he was openly speaking out about ‘wrongs’ and challenging the practices of the chief priests and other officials. He was drawing crowds wherever he went, associating himself with those less desirable, living on the edge of society and openly healing the sick who were brought to him.
But Jesus “didn’t entrust himself to them”. Why didn’t he?
Do you feel that you are a good judge of character, or do you always fall for the disingenuous? Are you taken to making decision about a person from your first impression of them or do you take a while to make up your mind about a person? However good we think we are at knowing people, we are prone to making judgements based on our previous experiences and prejudices. I tend to air on the side of caution when I first meet people, preferring to get to know a person before forming an opinion. We all probably know a person who dives into a relationship, throwing all caution to the wind.
Jesus, however, didn’t need to rely on someone else’s opinion and he knew that people are human and not perfect – flawed in fact, and when he first meets someone, he already knows everything there is to know about that person – their true self. He doesn’t need to get to know someone on first meeting them. He already knows far more than we could ever hope to know about a person. He knows every detail – whether we are genuine or whether we are putting on a front for an audience. He knows whether our actions and words are true or whether they are the opposite to what we believe and feel. He doesn’t need to rely on someone telling him about a person.
So, when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover, he already knew who he could trust, and to what extent he could trust them, and that when push came to shove the people before him would let him down - later proved when he was betrayed and crucified on the cross.
But he didn’t deviate or shy away from what he needed to do. He put his complete trust in God and he invites us to do the same.
Kathy Shaw
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