Timing, Temples and Trust Pt. 3

Chapter two is divided into three subjects: TIMING, TEMPLES & TRUST!  Let’s look into Trust. – John 1:23-25

PLACES IN THE HEART!

“. . .when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, . . . 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)

Note the strategic placing of this passage just prior to the conversation recorded in chapter 3 between Nicodemus and Jesus and the “many who believed in His name” here in chapter two. 

What is it in us that searches for affirmation?  At the same time what is it in us that assumes affirmation. Or for some, what is it in us that avoids affirmation at all? There are places in our hearts that need examination, not from a human point of view, but from God’s Word and Spirit. 

Look again at what John’s Gospel reveals in verse 23-25: 

1. Many believed in Jesus’ name when they saw the signs He did!

We prefer outward signs & wonders to the intimate relationship which God prefers.

2. Jesus did not commit himself to them because He knew all men!

Jesus did not build His confidence on human opinions! We learn throughout the Gospels that Jesus knew what people were thinking. He discerned the thoughts of religious leaders, His disciples, and those who sought Him out. He knows our heart! 

3. Jesus had no need that anyone testify of Him, for He knew what was in man.

Jesus knew the unsteadiness of people’s faith and commitment to Him. Jesus’   commitment was to His Father’s words and thoughts, only. 

We must not let this truth wreck our confidence, (as believers) that God is working mightily in us.

We need to firmly place our confidence in the truth that He will finish what He has begun in us. 

There are two ways to learn from this. For starts, look into David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23-24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 

See if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. (NKJV)

Pride or ignorance can conceal the real issues in our heart. The Psalmist invites God to know the thoughts and anxieties that are in his heart. We need the Holy Spirit to reveal where our anxious thinking is stifling our relationship with God. We must pray the same! 

What if we allow God to transform and realign our thinking with His?

Imagine how the results of this prayer could change our relationship and trust in the Lord.