The Divine Diagnosis Text: John 2:23-25
Introduction: The Folly of Man-Centered Metrics
We live in an age of religious marketing. The modern evangelical enterprise is obsessed with metrics. We want to know how many "decisions" were made, how many hands were raised, and how many people walked the aisle. We have pollsters and consultants who tell us how to make the message more palatable, the music more emotionally engaging, and the services more "seeker-sensitive." The underlying assumption is that if we can just generate a large enough crowd and a sufficiently positive response, then the kingdom is advancing. We want to see a movement, and we are willing to measure that movement by the standards of this world: popularity, enthusiasm, and visible results.
But in our text today, the Lord Jesus Christ is confronted with what any modern church growth expert would call a stunning success. He is in Jerusalem, at the Passover, the very center of Jewish religious life. He is performing signs, and as a result, "many believed in His name." By all external appearances, a revival is breaking out. The ministry is taking off. If Jesus had been running a ministry with a board of directors, they would have been popping the cork on the non-alcoholic champagne. They would have been talking about franchising the movement.
And yet, in the face of this apparent triumph, the Lord's reaction is one of divine reserve. He does not ride the wave of popular opinion. He does not launch a new campaign based on this surge in the polls. He does not entrust Himself to them. Why? Because He is God. He is not a politician seeking approval, but a physician who knows the disease. He is not fooled by outward symptoms of health, because He has X-ray vision into the human heart. He knows what is in man.
This passage is a profound and necessary corrective to our man-centered way of thinking about faith, conversion, and the church. It teaches us to distinguish between the excitement of the crowd and the reality of regeneration. It forces us to ask a foundational question: what kind of "belief" is saving belief? And what kind of belief is it that Jesus, in His perfect wisdom, refuses to trust?
The Text
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, when they saw His signs which He was doing.
But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,
and because He had no need that anyone bear witness concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
(John 2:23-25 LSB)
A Popular but Superficial Belief (v. 23)
We begin with the scene of apparent success:
"Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, when they saw His signs which He was doing." (John 2:23)
John tells us that "many believed in His name." On the surface, this sounds wonderful. This is what we pray for. But we must learn to read the Bible with the Bible's dictionary. The apostle John, throughout his gospel, is very careful to show us that there are different kinds of belief. There is a belief that is temporary, a belief that is superficial, and a belief that is demonic (James 2:19), and then there is a belief that is true, saving, and enduring.
What was the basis of this belief? John tells us plainly: "when they saw His signs which He was doing." Their faith was a sign-based faith. It was a wonder-faith. They were not drawn to the authority of His teaching, or convicted by the holiness of His character, or humbled by the radical nature of His claims. They were, to put it bluntly, impressed by the light show. They saw miracles, and they concluded that this man was someone to follow. But this is the kind of faith that is a mile wide and an inch deep.
This is the faith of the "Jesus mob." It is the same kind of crowd that would later shout "Hosanna!" on Palm Sunday and then "Crucify Him!" just a few days later. Their allegiance is based on what they can get out of Jesus. They want a political Messiah who will overthrow the Romans. They want a magical Messiah who will keep the bread and fish coming. They want a healing Messiah who will fix all their physical ailments. But they do not want a Lord who demands that they deny themselves, take up their cross, and die. Their belief is entirely conditional. It is a consumer faith, and the moment Jesus stops providing the goods they want, they will take their business elsewhere.
This is a standing rebuke to every form of Christianity that bases its appeal on signs and wonders, on emotional highs, or on promises of health and wealth. A faith that is born of the spectacular will die when the spectacular ceases. True faith is not based on seeing signs; it is based on hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). It is a faith that clings to Christ even when there are no miracles, no emotional rushes, and no visible benefits. It is a faith that says, with Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).
The Divine Prerogative: A Refusal to Trust (v. 24)
Jesus' response to this popular acclaim is startling and instructive.
"But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men," (John 2:24 LSB)
The word for "believed" in verse 23 and the word for "entrusting" in verse 24 are the same Greek root (pisteuo). There is a sharp, deliberate contrast here. Many "entrusted" themselves to His name, but Jesus, for His part, did not "entrust" Himself to them. They gave Him their flimsy, sign-based allegiance, but He refused to give them His endorsement. He did not make them His confidants or the foundation of His movement. He kept His own counsel.
This is a radical statement of the Lord's sovereignty and independence. He does not need us. He does not need our approval, our numbers, or our enthusiasm. His kingdom is not a democracy that depends on popular support. He is the absolute monarch. He is not carried along by the crowd; He is the one who commands the waves. For Jesus to entrust Himself to this mob would be like a master physician entrusting his diagnosis to the whims of his patients.
And the reason for this divine reservation is given: "for He knew all men." This is a direct claim to omniscience, an attribute that belongs to God alone. Jesus did not need to wait and see how they would turn out. He did not need to give them the benefit of the doubt. He knew them. He knew their hearts, their motives, their fickleness, and the shallow soil in which their apparent faith had been sown. He saw past the external profession to the internal reality, and He was not impressed.
The Foundation of Omniscience (v. 25)
John then elaborates on the depth of Jesus' knowledge.
"and because He had no need that anyone bear witness concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man." (John 2:25 LSB)
Jesus' knowledge was not based on observation or testimony. He didn't need anyone to come and whisper in His ear, "Be careful of that fellow, his heart isn't right." He did not need letters of recommendation or background checks. His knowledge was immediate, direct, and exhaustive. "He Himself knew what was in man."
And what is in man? The prophet Jeremiah tells us: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus understood it perfectly. He knew that apart from a sovereign work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, the human heart is a factory of idols, a pit of self-interest, and a fountain of rebellion. He knew that the same heart that could be thrilled by a miracle one day could be filled with murderous rage the next. He knew that man, left to himself, will always seek a god he can use, not a God he must serve.
This is why He did not entrust Himself to them. He knew that their "faith" was just another manifestation of what was "in man." It was a self-serving faith. It was not a gift from above, but a product of the flesh. And as Jesus would say just a few verses later to Nicodemus, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). Jesus was in the business of spiritual rebirth, not fleshly enthusiasm.
Conclusion: A Faith Worthy of Trust
This passage puts us all in the dock. It forces us to examine the foundation of our own profession of faith. Why do we believe in Jesus? Is it because we saw some sign, had some emotional experience, or because we think Jesus will fix our problems and make our lives better? Is our faith conditional on Him delivering the goods we want? If so, we are part of the Jerusalem crowd, and we must be warned that Jesus does not entrust Himself to such people.
Or is our faith a result of the Holy Spirit opening our blind eyes to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ? Is it a faith that has been granted by God, that rests not on signs and wonders, but on the sure promises of His Word? Is it a faith that confesses Him as Lord, not just as a miracle-worker? Is it a faith that clings to Him in sorrow as well as in joy, in want as well as in plenty?
True, saving faith is not something we manufacture. It is a divine gift. It is a miracle far greater than turning water into wine or healing a blind man. It is the miracle of a new heart, a new birth. And when God grants that kind of faith, it is a faith that Jesus recognizes. It is a faith He can trust. It is the faith of Abraham, who believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. It is the faith of the disciples who, when the crowds left, stayed and said, "You have the words of eternal life."
The good news is that this omniscient Lord, who knows the very worst of what is in us, still came to save us. He did not come for the righteous, but for sinners. He knows our deceitful hearts, and yet He went to the cross to cleanse them. He knows our fickleness, and He promises to keep those the Father has given Him. Do not come to Him with the flimsy faith of the crowd. Come to Him in repentance, confessing that you know what is in your heart, and cast yourself entirely on His mercy. For it is to the one who despairs of himself, and who trusts in Christ alone, that the Lord Jesus will gladly entrust Himself.