Jesus was and is omniscient

JESUS WAS AND IS OMNISCIENT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
"Oniniscience. Repeatedlyin Scripture Christ is said
to possessknowledge which by its nature declares that
He is omniscient.Christis saidto “know all” (literal
translationof John 2:24), and again, “He knew what
was in man” (John 2:25). The disciples bear witness:
“Now we know that you know all things” (John 16:30,
R.S.V.). Peter declared, “Lord, you know everything”
(John 21:17, R.S.V.). If Acts 1:24 be a reference to
Christ, it is another testimony: “Lord, who knowest
the hearts of all men…” The Scriptures also speak of
Christin His foreknowledge. In John 6:64, it is stated,
“ForJesus knew from the beginning who they were
that believednot, and who shouldbetray him.” Other
references substantiate the doctrine that Christhad
complete foreknowledge(John 13:1, 11; 18:4 ; 19:28 ).
Included in the concept of omniscienceis the idea that
in Christis also the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:30)."
John 2:24 But Jesus did not entrust Himselfto them,
for He knew all men.

BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men.
John 2:24, 25
Superficial faith
W. Steele, M. A.
I. THE DANGER OF A SUPERFICIALFAITH. It was only such a faith that
these people had who believed in Christ on the ground of His miracles. It did
not satisfyChrist. It had no deep rootand had not led to loyal acceptance of
His doctrine. Compare it with that of Nicodemus. Bothfelt that Christ was a
teachersent from God; but in the one case the feeling stopped there; in the
other it stimulated patient inquiry. Consequently, while Christ did not commit
Himself to the one, He did to the other. There are believers and believers;
there is a serious possibility of being a sincere believer, but with a faith so
shallow as not to be owned by Christ.
II. THE UNPROFITABLENESSOF A SUPERFICIALFAITH. Christ had
no faith in their faith. Shallow faith secures none of the privileges of
discipleship; it does not appropriate Christ, and therefore does not enjoy His
love and friendship. Christ reciprocates the faith of His true disciples only.
III. THE PERFECTACQUAINTANCE WHICH CHRIST HAS WITH THE
STATE OF PROFESSED BELIEVERS.
1. This bears on the nature of Christ ascribing to Him an attribute of Deity.

2. This bears on ourselves, telling us how thoroughly we are known. We may
deceive ourselves, but we cannotdeceive Him. This should lead to carefulness
and honesty.
(W. Steele, M. A.)
The omniscience ofChrist
G. T. Coster.
Nature in all her realms lies open to His eye. Mankind in all its races are in
His view. Every man's circumstances and thoughts are known to Him. This
knowledge'is —
I. INTUITIVE Ours is dependent on human testimony; His utterly
independent of it. Who told Him Zaccheus'name, or of the domestic history of
the womanof Samaria, or of the treachery of Judas? And so now from heaven
He addressedSaul of Tarsus by name and told the Asian churches that He
knew their works. Still "All things are naked and open unto His eyes."
II. UNIVERSE. With instant discrimination He knew friend from foe, the
enthusiasts which fed on His miracles, and that which was love to Himself.
Where is there a man? Christ knows Him, one of a thousand millions. What is
He doing in crowdedmart or solitarycell? Christ knows all about it.
III. INTIMATE. He reads thoughts, feelings, affections, desires. Deceptionhas
no covering from Him; hypocrisy no mask He cannot pierce. Judas may
deceive the twelve, he cannotdeceive the Lord. There is no secrecyin sin.
Conclusion:Take comfortfrom Christ's omniscience.
1. Are we in sorrows? Think of Hagar.

2. Do we give ourselves to prayer? Think of Nathanael.
3. Are we of doubtful mind? Think of Thomas.
(G. T. Coster.)
Christ's distrust of man
A. F. Muir, M. A.
I. WE MAY MEASURE IT IN PART BY THE TEMPTATIONIT
RESISTED. It was more wonderful than even His mighty works. Around
Christ was a nation full of Messianic hopes. All He had to do was by falling in
with the notional ideas to gatherthose hopes around Himself. Who could have
resistedsuch a temptation but He who knew the falsity of the hearts which
entertained those hopes.
II. IT DEPENDEDUPON THOROUGHAND ABSOLUTE KNOWLEDGE.
With most people distrust is the offspring, as in turn it becomes the parent of
ignorance. When men have never fairly tried their fellows or studied their
behaviour under circumstances whichreveal character, they naturally
hesitate to commit greatinterests to their keeping. Christ knew men because
He knew man.
III. ITS BEARINGS ON THE REDEMPTIVE WORKOF CHRIST WERE
MOST IMPORTANT.
1. It safeguardedHim from surprise and precipitancy.

2. It rendered His death absolutely voluntary.
(A. F. Muir, M. A.)
Christ's knowledge ofman
Calvin.
Christ knows the very roots of the trees; we know the characterof the trees
only from the fruits.
(Calvin.)
The miracles at the Passover
Miracles ofour Lord.
I. THE WORKS WHICH THE SAVIOUR PERFORMED.
1. Where they were performed.
2. When on the feastday, a most favourable time.
II. THE HONOUR WHICH THE SAVIOUR RECEIVED. No greaterhonour
can be given to a man than to trust him.
1. By what means the people's faith was produced. Miracles.
2. The number who were convinced of the truth of Christ's claims was
considerable.

III. THE CAUTION WHICH THE SAVIOUR EXERCISED.
1. How it was shown.
2. The reasonassigned.
3. The truth announced — "Needednot," etc.
(Miracles of our Lord.)
T. L. Cuyler, D. D.
I. HE KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE DISEASE WHICH AFFLICTS US. Our
faith in a physician's knowledge has often much to do with our recovery.
Christ knows thoroughly His ownworkmanship, and all about that sin which
is marring it.
II. CHRIST THROUGH HIS KNOWLEDGE IS ABLE TO WORK HIS
CURE. To perform this cure requires a perfect knowledge ofthe disease and
powerover it. Christ has both these.
III. CHRIST KNOWS THE CHRISTIAN IN A SPECIAL WAY. "I know My
sheep." He calls us by name. As in the human so in the Divine family
dispositions and temperaments are recognized. One canbe leadby a thread,
another will break an ox chain. Christ saw the faith of the Syro-phoenician.
He knew what was in boasting Peterand in Judas.

1. He knows the temptation of eachChristian, and will not allow us to be
tempted above what we are able.
2. In the light of this we are able to understand better our trials. Christ as the
Physiciandoes not hesitate to use the lancet when necessary. He bleeds the
plethoric that he may bring forth more fruit.
(T. L. Cuyler, D. D.)
W. Arnot, D. D.
He knows what was in man —
I. AS HE CAME AT FIRST FROM THE CREATOR'S HAND. God made
man upright; and that uprightness is knownto Him on whom our help has
been laid. The Son partook of the Divine council in which the human
constitution was planned.
II. WHEN HE HAD FALLEN. Knowing the characterof the perfectwork,
the Saviourknows also the amount of damage that it has sustained. He knows,
also, the gravity of man's sin, as an event affecting all the plans of God, and
the government of all intelligent beings. Some trees are of such a constitution
that if the uppermost bud is once nipped off, the tree is finally ruined. It can
never develop itself into its proper shape and dimensions. Such an uppermost
bud was humanity on the whole material creation. Deprived of its head, the
world could not shootup into the beauty and completenesswhich its Maker
intended it should attain.

III. WHAT WOULD RESTORE HIM, AND WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE
CURE. Knowing the worth of man as God had made him, our Physician
would not abandon the wreck;but knowing how complete the wreck was, He
bowed His heavens and came down to save. He united Himself to us, that if He
should rise so must we. I rejoice in the omniscience ofthe Holy One, both on
accountof the goodthat He knew in man, and the evil. A counsellorwho
understood less fully what our nature was, and our constitution fitted us to
become might have advised abandonment. It often becomes a question
whether a stranded ship should be left to her fate or brought off and repaired.
Sometimes an erroneous judgment is actedon. On one side, an effort is made
to save the wreck, whenit would have been better to abandon it, and
constructanother. Again, she is sometimes weaklyabandoned, when it would
have been profitable to have savedher. And so a helper who understood less
of our original nature and capability might have proposedto castus off as
hopelesslydamaged, supposing that, by allowing the "wreck to be wholly
washedaway, a new and higher degree of intelligence might have been called
into existence. Although Christ knew all the evil that was in man by sin, He
did not disdain to undertake the rescue. By assuming the nature of the fallen,
and meeting the law in their stead, He receivedthe curse into Himself and
exhausted it.
IV. SOME LESSONS:
1. Speaking ofthe unconverted — He knows what is in them and yet He does
not castout the unclean.
2. Speaking ofHis own disciples — He knows whatis in them, and with that
knowledge, it is because He is God and not man, that He does not shake them
off.

3. He knows what is in man, and therefore can make His word and providence
suitable.
(W. Arnot, D. D.)
Inward knowledge ofman necessaryfor goodauthorship
Dickens, writing about a cleverstory by a popular author, says, "It is
extremely good indeed; but all the strongestthings of which it is capable
missed. It shows just how far that kind of power cango. It is more like a note
of an idea than anything else. It seems to be as if it were written by somebody
who lived next door to other people, rather than inside of them."
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(24) But beneaththis shallow surface there is the unbroken ledge of rock.
They are easilymoved just because they are not deeply moved. The eye which
lookedat, lookedinto, others (comp. John 1:47 et seq.), saw to the very depth
of their hearts too, and knew all. It saw in that depth that the true inner man
did not believe, did not commit itself to Him; it found not the spiritual
receptivity, and there could not therefore be the spiritual revelation. He, on
His part, did not commit Himself unto them. (Comp. John 8:31, Note.)Our
version gives the correctsense, but it should be noted that “believed” in John
2:23, and “commit” here, represent the same Greek word.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:23-25 Our Lord knew all men, their nature, dispositions, affections, designs,
so as we do not know any man, not even ourselves. He knows his crafty
enemies, and all their secretprojects;his false friends, and their true
characters. He knows who are truly his, knows their uprightness, and knows
their weaknesses. We know what is done by men; Christ knows what is in
them, he tries the heart. Beware of a dead faith, or a formal profession:
carnal, empty professors are notto be trusted, and howevermen impose on
others or themselves, they cannot impose on the heart-searching God.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Did not commit himself - The word translated"commit" here is the same
which in John 2:23 is translated"believed." It means to put "trust" or
"confidence in." Jesus did not put "trust" or "reliance" inthem. He did not
leave himself in their hands. He actedcautiously and prudently. The proper
time for him to die had not come, and he securedhis own safety. The reason
why he did not commit himself to them is "that he knew all men." He knew
the "inconstancy" and"fickleness" ofthe multitude. He knew how easilythey
might be turned againsthim by the Jewishleaders, and how unsafe he would
be if they should be moved to sedition and tumult.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
24. did not commit—"entrust," or let Himself down familiarly to them, as to
His genuine disciples.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Christ did not take all these seeming believers into his bosom, nor callthem
after him, nor maintain any familiar fellowship and communion with them;
but made haste againinto Galilee, till his time was come, knowing that in so
public a place of danger they were not to be trusted; for being God blessedfor
ever, he had knowledge ofthe hearts of all men.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
But Jesus did not commit himself unto them,.... The sense according to some
of the ancients is, that he did not commit the whole of the Gospelto them; he

did not make known to them all his mind and will; this he only did to the
twelve apostles, his specialdisciples and friends; nor was the time come, that
he would make known, or have made known, the things concerning his
person, office, obedience, sufferings, death, and resurrectionfrom the dead:
but rather the meaning is, that he did not trust himself with these persons,
who believed in him, on the basis of his miracles; he did not take them into the
number of his associates;he did not admit them to intimacy with him; nor did
he freely converse with them, or make any long stay among them; but soon
withdrew himself from hence, and went into other parts of Judea, and into
Galilee:
because he knew all men: good and bad: all openly profane sinners, and all
their actions;not only their more public ones, but those that are done in the
dark, and which are the most secretlydevised, and levelled againstthe saints;
and he so knew them, as to bring them into judgment: and all goodmen, true
believers;he knows their persons, as they are his Father's choice, his gift of
them to him, his own purchase, and as called by his grace;and so as to
distinguish them at the lastday, and give up the full accountof every one of
them to his Father: he knows the worstof them, the sin that dwells in them,
their daily infirmities, their secretpersonalsins;their family sins, both of
omissionand commission;and their church sins, or which are committed in
the house of God; and takes notice of them, so as to resent them, and chastise
them for them; he knows the best of them, their graces, their faith, hope, love,
patience, humility, self-denial, &c; he knows their good works, andall their
weaknessesand their wants:and he knows all nominal professors, onwhat
basis they take up their profession, and what trust they place in it; he can
distinguish betweengrace and mere profession, and discern the secretlusts
which such indulge, and the springs and progress oftheir apostasy:he knew
all these men, that upon seeing his miracles, professedatthis time to believe in
him; he knew the hypocrisy and dissimulation of some of them; and he knew
the notions they had of a temporal Messiah, andthe temporal views they had
in believing in him; and their designto set him up as a temporal prince, as
some afterwards would have done: knew the flashy affections of others, who
were like John's hearers, that were pleasedfor a while; he knew what sort of
faith it was they believed in him with, that it would not hold long, nor they

continue with him; for he knew not only all persons, but "all things", as some
copies readhere; see John21:17.
Geneva Study Bible
{6} But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
(6) It is not goodgiving credit to those who trust only because of miracles.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
John 2:24-25. Αὐτὸς δὲ, κ.τ.λ.]But He on His part, though they on their part,
on accountof His miracles, believed on Him.
οὐκ ἐπίστ. ἑαυτόν]an intentional antithesis to the preceding ἐπίστ. εἰς τὸ
ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. Observe the emphatic ἑαυτόν:it must not be takenas meaning
“He kept back His doctrine from them” (Chrysostom, Kuinoel, and many), or
“His work” (Ebrard); but He did not trust Himself, i.e. His own person, to
them; He refrained from any closerpersonalintercourse with them. Without
any such reserve on His part, rather with confident self-surrender, had He
given Himself to His intimate Galileanfriends. Towards the Jews in
Jerusalem, on whom, from His knowledge ofthe human heart, He could not
bestow this self-devotion, because there were wanting in them the inward
moral conditions necessarythereto, His bearing was more strange and distant.
Observe the imperfects ἐπίστευεν and ἐγίνωσκε.
διὰ τὸ αὐτὸνγινώσκ. πάντ.] because He Himself (as in the following αὐτός)
knew all men, universal. Respecting none did His personalknowledge fail Him
with regard to the state of his moral feeling.

καὶ ὅτι, κ.τ.λ.]negative expression of the same thought in the popular form of
a still further reason.
ἵνα] not instead of the infinitive construction(Matthew 3:14 al.), but the object
of the need is conceivedof in the form of a purpose which the personneeding
guidance entertains. Comp. John 16:30;1 John 2:27.
περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρ.] does not apply to Jesus Himself (“concerning Him as man,”
Ewald), but concerning any man with whom He had at any time to do. See
Bernhardy, p. 315;Winer, p. 109 [E. T. p. 143].
αὐτός]of Himself, i.e. αὐτοδίδακτος, Nonnus. See Herm. ad Viger. p. 733;
Krüger, Anab. ii. 3. 7; comp. Clementine Homil. iii. 13 : ἀπείρῳ ψυχῆς
ὀφθαλμῷ.
τί ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρ.] the inward, though not outwardly indicated capacity,
character, disposition, and so on; τὸ κρυπτὸντοῦ νοῦς, Origen. Comp.
Nonnus: ὅσα φρενὸς ἔνδοθεν ἀνὴρ εἶχεν ἀκηρύκτῳ κεκαλυμμέναφάρεϊ σιγῆς.
To this supernatural and immediate discernment, as possessedby Jesus,
specialprominence is often given by John. Comp. John 1:49-50, John4:19;
John 4:29, John 6:61; John 6:64, John 11:4; John 11:15, John 13:11, John
16:19, John 21:17. It is the life expressionof His divine essence(Psalm7:10;
Psalm139:2; Acts 15:8), like the working of miracles.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
24. did not commit] The same verb as ‘many believed’ in John 2:23. ‘Many
trusted in His name; but Jesus did not trust Himself unto them.’ The
antithesis is probably intentional.
Bengel's Gnomen

John 2:24. Αὐτός) Himself.—οὐκ ἐπίστευεν ἑαυτόν, He did not commit
Himself) He did not descendto too greatfamiliarity with them (Septuag., Job
29:24, εἰ ἐγέλων πρὸς αὐτοὺς, οὐκ ἐπίστευον, “If I laughed on them, they
believed it not):” He did not reveal to them the things which it was not yet the
full time for revealing. [In fact, He left the city, when the passoverfeastwas
either not yet, or scarcely, finished, for this reason, becausethose men were
already meditating with themselves the plots, which broke out more openly,
ch. John 5:16; John 5:18, “The Jews soughtto slay Him, because He had done
these things on the Sabbath day:” and also “saidthat Godwas His Father,
making Himself equal with God;” John 7:1, “He would not walk in Jewry,
because the Jews soughtto kill Him:” for it was not then as yet the time for
His submitting Himself to encounter their hatred. Without doubt it was, as
having a secretsurmise of these things, that Nicodemus had the interview with
Him by night.—Harm., p. 163.]—Theantithesis to οὐκ ἐπίστευεν ἑαυτόνis
ἐπίστευσαν, many believed, John 2:23.—αὐτόν)Himself, of Himself, knew all
men.—γινώσκειν, knew) Often John so uses the word γινώσκειν, to know, of
Jesus having cognizance ofall things, without information given Him by man:
ch. John 4:1, “The Lord knew how the Pharisees hadheard that Jesus made—
more disciples than John;” John 5:6, “When Jesus knew that he (the impotent
man) had now been a long time in that case,”etc.
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 24, 25. - But Jesus did not (imperfect) trust himself to them; not even
to those who had "trusted on his Name." This remarkable expression
corresponds with many actions and methods of Jesus. When he was offered
the homage of devils, he forbade them to speak. When those who had been
simply healedof bodily disease begangarrulouslyto proclaim his praises, he
silencedthem. He had no faith in their faith, and consequently did not open to
them more of his nature; still less did he assume, as they would have liked him
to do, an immediate and outward Messiahshipof political revolt. He did not
break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax, and often made use of
the smallestremnant of spiritual apprehension; but evenin Galilee, whenthey
would by force have made him a king, "he sent the multitudes away." The
apparently arbitrary permission given to others to proclaim his Name (as, e.g.,
to the healeddemoniac of Gergesa, Luke 8:39; cf. Luke 9:57-62)suggeststhe

precise inquiry which John had felt from the first Jerusalemvisit, and which,
with profound insight, he thus meets:"He did not trust himself to them,"
owing to the fact that he knew - (γινώσκειν by apperceptive and continuous
processes) -all (men) persons. He penetrated their thoughts, discernedtheir
character, saw the meaning of their faith, the burden of their wishes, the regal
passions that consumed them - he knew all. And also because he had no need
that any should testify what was in (the) man; for he himself - without such
aid - knew what was in (the) man. The definite articles here may either
restrict the meaning to the men who happened one by one to come under his
searching glance (John7:51; Meyer), or it may mean "man" generically,
"human nature" in all its peril, weakness, and self-deception. Geikie ('Life of
Christ,' 1, 508)gives a novel, though entirely indefensible, translation: "He
needed not that any should bear witness respecting him as man." The better
and more accurate translationis the first; but since his glance is universal and
contactwith souls continuous - man by man - the statement thus embraces
even more than is involved in the generic sense. The knowledge ofman (homo)
"generically" wouldnot embrace his individualities - would leave out the
specialities ofeachcase. The particularism of Christ's penetrative glance gives
the strongerand better explanation of the reserve of Christ in dealing with
these half-believers, than the generic or rather universal knowledge whichis
supposedto be involved. N.B. -
(1) There is a so called faith to which Christ will not unveil himself - will not
give himself.
(2) The greatreward of faith in Christ is the faith of Christ.
(3) Faith in the Name of Christ, produced now by "signs," realorartificial,
fictitious or sacramental, mystic, or miraculous, or aesthetic, by series
Biblicae, or exaggeratedideas ofspecialprovidence, is not comparable to the
faith in Christ himself, which the truth about him excites.

(4) It is to the latter rather than to the former that the golden gates ofthe
heart of Jesus are opened.
Vincent's Word Studies
But Jesus (αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἱησοῦς)
The αὐτὸς, whichdoes not appear in translation, has the force of on His part,
marking the contrastwith those just mentioned.
Did not commit (οὐκ ἐπίστευτεν)
Rev., trust. There is a kind of word-play betweenthis and ἐπίστευσαν,
believed, in the preceding verse. Wyc. reproduces it: "Jesus himselfbelieved
not himself to them." He did not trust His person to them. Tynd., put not
himself in their hands. "He had no faith in their faith" (Godet).
BecauseHe knew (διὰ τὸ αὐτὸνγινώσκειν)
Literally, on accountof the fact of His knowing. John describes the Lord's
knowledge by two words which it is important to distinguish. Γινώσκειν, as
here, implies acquired knowledge;knowledge whichis the result of
discernment and which may be enlarged. This knowledge may be drawn from
external facts (John 5:6; John 6:15) or from spiritual sympathy (John 10:14,
John 10:27; John 17:25). Εἰδέναι (John 1:26) implies absolute knowledge:the
knowledge ofintuition and of satisfiedconviction. Hence it is used of Christ's

knowledge ofdivine things (John 3:11; John 5:32; John 7:29), Of the facts of
His own being (John 6:6; John 8:14; John 13:1), and of external facts (John
6:61, John 6:64; John 13:11). In John 21:17 the two words appear together.
Petersays to Jesus, appealing to His absolute knowledge,"Thouknowest
(οἶδας)all things:" appealing to his discernment, "Thouknowestor perceivest
(γινώσκεις) that I love Thee."
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
John 2:24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He
knew all men,
NET John 2:24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he knew
all people.
GNT John 2:24 αὐτὸς δὲ Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἐπίστευεν αὐτὸναὐτοῖς διὰ τὸ αὐτὸν
γινώσκειν πάντας
NLT John 2:24 But Jesus didn't trust them, because he knew human nature.
KJV John 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew
all men,

ESV John 2:24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because
he knew all people
NIV John 2:24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all
men.
ASV John 2:24 But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all
men,
CSB John 2:24 Jesus, however, wouldnot entrust Himself to them, since He
knew them all
NKJ John 2:24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew
all men,
NRS John 2:24 But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them,
because he knew all people
YLT John 2:24 and Jesus himself was not trusting himself to them, because of
his knowing all men,
NAB John 2:24 But Jesus wouldnot trust himself to them because he knew
them all,

NJB John 2:24 but Jesus knew all people and did not trust himself to them;
GWN John 2:24 Jesus, however, was waryof these believers. He understood
people
BBE John 2:24 But Jesus did not have faith in them, because he had
knowledge ofthem all.
was not entrusting Himself Joh 6:15 Mt 10:16,17
for He knew all men: Joh1:42,46,475:42 6:64 16:30 21:17 1Sa 16:7 1Ch 28:9
29:17 Jer 17:9 Mt 9:4 Mk 2:8 Ac 1:24 Heb 4:13 Rev 2:23
John 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
SAVIOR SEES
FALSE FAITH
John 2:24-25 is one sentence in the Greek.
But Jesus - Note the striking contrastwith those who saw His signs. They may
have seenHis signs, but He saw their hearts. They saw only the external, but
Jesus saw the internal. He saw their faith was fake!
Though they believed in Jesus, Jesus did not believe in them
--John MacArthur

On His part, was not entrusting Himself to them - These people believed in
Jesus, but He did not believe in them! They were “unsavedbelievers”!It was
one thing to respond to a miracle but quite something else to commit oneself
from the heart to Jesus Christ and continue in His Word (Jn 8:30,31, cpActs
8:13). He knew their hearts and knew their outward faith in Him was only
superficial. Enthusiasm for the spectacularwas presentin them, but Jesus is
always looking for genuine faith. See the interesting discussionofSimon the
magician's "belief" in [Acts 8:13+]
“He had no faith in their faith”
-- Godet
A T Robertson- “But Jesus himself kept on refusing (negative imperfect) to
trust himself to them.” The double use of πιστευω [pisteuō] here is shown by
Acts 8:13+ where Simon Magus “believed” (episteusen)and was baptized, but
was unsaved. He merely believed that he wanted what Philip had.
John MacArthur writes: "Johnbased these two phrases (believed in Jn 2:23
and entrusting in Jn 2:24) on the same Greek verb for "believe." This verse
subtly reveals the true nature of belief from a biblical standpoint. Becauseof
what they knew of Jesus from His miraculous signs many came to believe in
Him. However, Jesus made it His habit not to wholeheartedly"entrust" or
"commit" Himself to them because He knew their hearts. Jn 2:24 indicates
that Jesus lookedforgenuine conversionrather than enthusiasm for the
spectacular. The latter verse also leaves a subtle doubt as to the genuineness of
the conversionof some (cp Jn 8:31, 32). This emphatic contrastbetweenJn
2:23, 24 in terms of type of trust, therefore, reveals that "belief into His
name" involved much more than intellectual assent. It called for whole-
hearted commitment of one’s life as Jesus’disciple (cf. Mt 10:37; 16:24-26)."
(Ibid)

Warren Wiersbe:"The words believed in Jn 2:23 entrusting in Jn2:24 are the
same Greek word (pisteuo). These people believed in Jesus, but He did not
believe in them! They were “unsaved believers”!It was one thing to respond
to a miracle but quite something else to commit oneselfto Jesus Christ and
continue in His Word (Jn 8:30, 31). John was not discrediting the importance
of our Lord’s signs, because he wrote his book to recordthese signs and to
encourage his readers to trust Jesus Christ and receive eternallife" (Jn
20:30,31)However, throughout the book, John makes it clearthat it takes
more than believing in miracles for a person to be saved. Seeing the signs and
believing in them would be a great beginning; in fact, even the disciples
started that wayand had to grow in their faith (compare Jn 2:11 and Jn 2:22).
J Vernon McGee:The language that is used here is saying that He did not
believe in them. You see, they believed in Him, but He didn’t believe in them.
In other words, to put it very frankly, their faith was not a saving faith, which
He realized, of course. He knew what was in their hearts. This is always a
grave danger today for those who saythey believe in Jesus. Whatdo you mean
when you say you believe in Jesus? Do you mean that you believe in the facts
of the gospel? The important question is: Do you trust Him as your Savior
who died for your sins? Was He raisedfor your justification? Is He your only
hope of heaven.
Morris notes that entrusting "here is the same Greek word as "believe."
Although many in the Jerusalemcrowd "believedin his name when they saw
the miracles" (John2:23), Jesus did not "believe" in them because He knew
their hearts and knew their outward faith in Him was only superficial."
Entrusting (4100)see preceding not on pisteuo

For He knew (ginosko)all men - John frequently spoke ofspecialinsight
possessedby Jesus (Jn 4:17; Jn 5:42; Jn 6:61, 64; Jn 13:1, 11;Jn 18:4). This of
course speaksofthe divinity of Jesus. (Mt 9:4+; Jn 16:30; Rev 2:23): He knew
all men is a statement that was proven severaltimes in John’s Gospel. Jesus
knew the characterofSimon Peterdeclaring "You are Simon the son of John;
you shall be calledCephas” (Jn 1:42+). When "Jesus saw Nathanaelcoming
to Him, and saidof him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no
deceit!” (Jn 1:47+). The Samaritanwoman testified "Come, see a Man Who
told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” (John
4:29+). He knew that the Jewishleaders did not have God’s love in their
hearts (Jn 5:42+), and that one of His disciples was not truly a believer (Jn
6:64+). He saw the repentance in the heart of the adulteress (Jn 8:10,11+)and
the murder in the hearts of His enemies (Jn 8:40ff+). Severaltimes in the
Upper Roommessage, Jesus revealedto His disciples their own inner feelings
and questions. As you follow our Lord’s ministry in John’s Gospel, you see
Him moving gradually out of the bright light of popularity and into the dark
shadows ofrejection (see Jensen's chartat top of page which depicts Jesus
popularity). At the beginning, it was easyfor people to follow the crowdand
watchHis miracles. But then, His words began to penetrate and convict their
hearts, a point of decisionfor eachperson was reached, for convictionleads
either to conversionor opposition. Conviction makes it impossible to be
neutral about Jesus!People had to decide, and most of them decided against
Him. You may say "I have not decided," but be aware (and wary) for such a
statementis in fact tantamount to rejection(read and heed 2 Cor 6:2).
THOUGHT- Melancthon makes some very wise remarks on this verse, as to
the example which our Lord sets us here of caution in dealing with strangers.
It is a melancholy fact, which the experience of years always confirms, that we
must not trust implicitly to appearances ofkindness, or be ready to open our
hearts to every one as a friend, upon short acquaintance. The man who does
not hastily contractintimacies, may be thought cold and distant by some; but
in the long run of life he will escape many sorrows. It is a wise saying, that a
man ought to be friendly with all, but intimate with few. (J C Ryle)

Leon Morris has an excellentexplanation writing that "To believe on the basis
of the signs is to take as basic something we cansee and to which we give
weight on the basis of our experience. Jesuscalls people to trust Him for what
He is, not because He passes the tests we set. Those who had been attractedby
the miracles would have been ready to try to make an earthly king of Him (cf.
Jn 6:15). But he did not trust himself to them. He lookedfor genuine
conversion, not enthusiasm for the spectacular."(NICNT-Jn)
DEFICIENT FAITHFaith in Jesus canbe deficient in at leasttwo ways. The
first occurs when we base our faith on the wrong motives. We should not
believe in Jesus becauseofwhat he cando for us (or for what miracle he may
have done for us); we should believe in him for who he is—the Christ, the Son
of God. The seconddeficiencyof faith pictures trust as a point of arrival
rather than a point of departure. John described the disciples’ attitude toward
Jesus as belief, even though there was a greatdeal of room for growth. Either
of these deficiencies leads to incomplete and immature faith. Does your faith
rest on what Christ does for you or on who he is? (LAC)
Picture Prior to Evangelistic Tour
ILLUSTRATION OF MODERN DAY APOSTATE – (Click more detailed
discussion)The picture above is from 1946 – do you recognize the man on the
right? That’s young Billy Graham! The man on the left is Charles Templeton.
But first let’s back up! In 1936 at age of 19 Templeton after a night of
partying experiencedwhat he calleda “profound change!” He saidhis life
seemed“empty, wastedand sordid. It was though a black blanket had been
draped over me. A sense ofenormous guilt descendedand invaded every part
of me. I felt unclean.” As he was kneeling at his bedside pleading “Lord come
down. Come down.” Then he said a weight was lifted off and “anineffable
warmth beganto suffuse every corpuscle of his body.” That was 1936. Thenin

1941 Templetonfounded a church in Toronto, Canada which grew quickly. In
1945 atWinona Lake, Templeton met with other your fundamentalist leaders
including a young Billy Graham to found what we now call Youth For Christ
International. It was Templeton who recommendedthat Graham become the
organization’s first evangelist. And togetherthey toured the US and Europe
(photo below is before their Europeantrip). During the 1950’s Templeton
preachedin 14 countries including to some crowds as large as 70,000.One
Eastersunrise he preachedto 50,000 inthe Rose Bowl. It has been said had
Templeton continued as an evangelist, we would be asking ourselves “Billy
who?” Such was his powerand influence. The National Associationof
Evangelicals in 1946 namedTempleton one of the “best used of God.” So what
happened? Where is he today? Templetonsaid that the many years that he
preachedthe Gospelhe always doubted the Genesis accountof Creationand
he secretlyrejectedthe Biblical teaching on divine judgment and hell. In 1957
after a long time of introspection he publicly declaredhimself to be an
agnostic, someone who believes there is a God but cannot really know Him. In
1986 he published his spiritual memoir entitled “Farewellto God – My
Reasonsfor Rejecting the Christian Faith.” In this book he describedhis
pilgrimage from Christian faith to agnosticismto atheism. How does this
happen to one of the world’s greatestevangelist, who had dedicated himself to
preaching the Gospeland founded organizations to promote the Gospeland
even to be an encouragerto the man we see as the “posterboy” of evangelism,
Billy Graham?
Here is a quote from Templetonspokento Edward Babinski -
"When I finally shook free of Christianity, it was like being born again. I
beganto see all of life differently. The things that had once seemedimportant
now seemedtrivial. And things I'd never seenthe meaning of or the essence of
I beganto appreciate for the first time." (Leaving the Fold: Testimonies of
Former Fundamentalists by Edward Babinskiwho has a blog "debunking

Christianity" - and so clearly I am not recommended his work but only
linking to document the quote) (Click more detailed discussion)
RelatedResource:
Counterfeit New Births - What the New Birth is Not!
This sectiongives an excellentpicture of saving faith, of what genuine faith
is—ofthe kind of faith that really saves a person. (see Jn 6:66)
1.Saving faith is not head knowledge, not just a mental conviction and
intellectual assent. It is not just believing the fact that Jesus Christ is the
Savior of the world. It is not just believing history, that Jesus Christ lived
upon earth as the Savior just as George Washingtonlived upon earth as the
Presidentof America. It is not just believing the words and claims of Jesus in
the same way that a person would believe the words of George Washington.
2.Saving faith is believing in Jesus, who and what He is, that He is the Savior
and Lord of life. It is a man giving and turning his life over to Jesus. It is a
man casting himself upon Jesus as Saviorand Lord.
3.Saving faith is commitment—the commitment of a man’s total being and life
to Jesus Christ. It is a man’s commitment of all he is and has to Jesus. It gives
Jesus everything; therefore, it involves all of a man’s affairs. The man trusts
Jesus to take care of his past (sins), his present (welfare), and his future
(destiny). He entrusts his whole life, being and possessions into Jesus’hands.
He lays himself upon Jesus’keeping, confiding in Him about his daily
necessitiesandacknowledging Him in all the ways of life. He follows Jesus in
every area and in every detail of life, seeking His instructions and leaving his

welfare up to Him. It is simply commitment of a man’s whole being, all he is
and has, to Jesus. (Jn 4:50—Heb 5:5-10.)
There are three steps involved in faith which alone saves, steps that are clearly
seenin this passage. (See Ro 10:16-17formore discussion.)
1.There is the step of seeing (Jn 2:23) or hearing (Ro 10:16). A man must be
willing to listen to the messageofChrist, the revelationof truth.
2.There is the step of mental assent. A man must agree that the messageis
true, that the facts of the case are thus and so. But this is not enough. Mere
agreementdoes not lead to action. Many a personknows that something is
true, but he does not change his behavior to match his knowledge.For
example, a man knows that eating too much harms his body, but he may
continue to eat too much. He agrees to the truth and knows the truth, but he
does nothing about it. A person may believe and know that Jesus Christ is the
Savior of the world and yet do nothing about it, never make a decisionto
follow Christ. This man still does not have faith, not the kind of faith that the
Bible talks about.
3. There is the step of commitment. When the New Testamentspeaksoffaith,
it speaks ofcommitment, a personalcommitment to the truth. A man hears
the truth and agreesthat it is true and does something about it (See
commentary on James 2:14-26). He commits and yields his life to the truth.
The truth becomes a part of his very being, a part of his behavior and life.
J C Ryle - We are told that when our Lord was at Jerusalem, the first time,
He “did not commit Himself” to those who professedbelief in Him. He knew
that they were not to be depended on. They were astonishedat the miracles

which they saw Him work. They were even intellectually convinced that He
was the Messiah, whomthey had long expected. But they were not “disciples
indeed.” (John 8:31.) They were not converted, and true believers. Their
hearts were not right in the sight of God, though their feelings were excited.
Their inward man was not renewed, whateverthey might profess with their
lips. Our Lord knew that nearly all of them were stony-ground hearers. (Luke
8:13.) As soonas tribulation or persecutionarose becauseofthe word, their so
calledfaith would probably wither awayand come to an end. All this our
Lord saw clearly, if others around Him did not. Andrew, and Peter, and John,
and Philip, and Nathanael, perhaps wonderedthat their Masterdid not
receive these seeming believers with open arms. But they could only judge
things by the outward appearance. TheirMastercouldread hearts. “He knew
what was in man.”
The truth now before us, is one which ought to make hypocrites and false
professors tremble. They may deceive men, but they cannot deceive Christ.
They may weara cloak of religion, and appear, like whited sepulchres,
beautiful in the eyes of men. But the eyes of Christ see their inward
rottenness, and the judgment of Christ will surely overtake them, exceptthey
repent. Christ is already reading their hearts, and as He reads He is
displeased. Theyare known in heaven, if they are not known on earth, and
they will be known at length to their shame, before assembledworlds, if they
die unchanged. It is written, “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that
thou livest, and art dead.” (Rev. 3:1.)
But the truth before us has two sides, like the pillar of cloud and fire at the
Red sea. (Exod. 14:20.)If it looks darklyon hypocrites, it looks brightly on
true believers. If it threatens wrath to false professors, itspeaks peaceto all
who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. A real Christian may be weak,
but he is true. One thing, at any rate, the servant of Christ can say, when cast
down by a sense ofhis owninfirmity, or pained by the slander of a lying
world. He cansay, “Lord, I am a poor sinner, but I am in earnest, I am true.
Thou knowestall things: thou knowestthat I love thee. Thou knowestall
hearts, and thou knowestthat, weak as my heart is, it is a heart that cleaves to
thee.” The false Christian shrinks from the eye of an all-seeing Saviour. The

true Christian desires his Lord’s eye to be on him morning, noon, and night.
He has nothing to hide. (John 2 Commentary)
John 2:25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for
He Himself knew what was in man.
NET John 2:25 He did not need anyone to testify about man, for he knew
what was in man.
GNT John 2:25 καὶ ὅτι οὐ χρείαν εἶχεν ἵνα τις μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ
ἀνθρώπου·αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐγίνωσκεν τί ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ.
NLT John 2:25 No one needed to tell him what mankind is really like.
KJV John 2:25 And needednot that any should testify of man: for he knew
what was in man.
ESV John 2:25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself
knew what was in man.
NIV John 2:25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew
what was in a man.
ASV John 2:25 and because he needednot that any one should bear witness
concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.

CSB John 2:25 and because He did not need anyone to testify about man; for
He Himself knew what was in man.
NKJ John 2:25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He
knew what was in man.
NRS John 2:25 and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself
knew what was in everyone.
YLT John 2:25 and because he had no need that any should testify
concerning man, for he himself was knowing what was in man.
NAB John 2:25 and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He
himself understood it well.
NJB John 2:25 he never needed evidence about anyone; he could tell what
someone had within.
GWN John 2:25 and didn't need anyone to tell him about human nature. He
knew what people were really like.
BBE John 2:25 He had no need for any witness about man; for he himself
had knowledge ofwhat was in man.

He did not need. Jn 2:4. 4:32. 6:15. Mt 17:4. Mk 6:48. Lk 20:8. 22:49.
knew. Jn 1:42, 47, 48. 4:17-19, 29. 5:42. 6:61, 64, 71. Jn 10:14, 27. 13:1, 11, 27,
28. 16:19, 30. Jn 18:4. 21:17. Ge 42:7, 8. 16:7. 1 Ki 8:39. 1 Chr 28:9. 2 Chr
6:30. Ps 40:17, 44:21, 139:2. Is 66:18. Ezek 11:5. Mt 9:4. 12:25. 17:25-27.
22:18. Mk 2:8. 12:15. Lk 5:22. 6:8. 9:47. 11:17.
what was in. 1 Ki 8:39. Jer17:10. Jer 20:12. Mk 7:21. Act 1:24. Rev 2:23.
John 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
JESUS KNOWS
MEN'S HEARTS
And because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man - NLT - "No
one neededto tell him about human nature." Jesus did not need a human
witness to revealthe heart of men, their innermost thoughts.
To testify (witness)(3140)(martureo from martus/martys = witness = one who
has information or knowledge ofsomething and can bring to light or confirm
something. English = martyr) in its most basic sense refers to a legalwitness.
Thus the verb martureo means to be a witness, to testify, to give evidence, to
give testimony, to bear record, to affirm that one has seenor heard or
experiencedsomething. Testify relates to fact, not opinion, as in a courtroom
setting. Uses of martureo in John's Gospel. First5 uses refer to the witness of
John the Baptist.-Jn. 1:7+; Jn. 1:8+; Jn. 1:15+; Jn. 1:32+; Jn. 1:34+; Jn. 2:25;
Jn. 3:11+; Jn. 3:26+; Jn. 3:28+;Jn. 3:32+;Jn. 4:39+; Jn. 4:44+; Jn. 5:31; Jn.
5:32; Jn. 5:33; Jn. 5:36; Jn. 5:37; Jn. 5:39; Jn. 7:7; Jn. 8:13; Jn. 8:14; Jn.
8:18; Jn. 10:25; Jn. 12:17;Jn. 13:21; Jn. 15:26;Jn. 15:27; Jn. 18:23;Jn.
18:37;Jn. 19:35;Jn. 21:24
For (gar) is a straightforwardterm of explanation.

He Himself knew what was in man - This speaksofHis omniscience and
explains why no one needed to tell Him about human nature and at the same
time revealedHis divine nature. "This supernatural knowledge ofman is a
mark of deity. Some men of genius can read men better than others, but not in
the sense meanthere." (Robertson)
Vincent on knew in the imperfect tense - The imperfect expresses
continuance:He was all along cognizant as the successivecases presented
themselves;thus falling in with the next words, “what was in the man,” i.e., in
eachparticular man with whom He had to do. No such characteristic as this
was attributed to the gods of Paganism. “While, then, the gift of anything like
generalforeknowledgeappears to be withheld from all the deities of
invention, that of ‘the discernerof the thoughts and intents of the heart,’ is
nowhere found; nor was it believed of any member of the Olympian
community, as it was said of One greaterthan they, ‘He knew all men, and
needed not that any should testify of man, for He knew what was in man,’ ”
(Gladstone, “Homer and the Homeric Age,” ii., 366). Robertsonadds "
Imperfect active, “for he himself kept on knowing” as he did from the start."
THOUGHT on knew what was in man - This means that our Lord, as God,
possesseda perfect knowledge ofman’s inner nature, and was a discernerof
the thoughts and intents of the heart. We should remember Solomon’s words
in his prayer, “Thou only knowestthe hearts of all the children of men.” (1
Kings 8:39.) The immense difference betweenour Lord and all ministers of
His Gospelappears strikingly in this verse. Ministers are constantlydeceived
in their estimate of people. Christ never was, and never could be. When He
allowedJudas Iscariotto be a disciple, He was perfectly acquainted with his
character." (J C Ryle)

Leon Morris - This is to be understood in the light of the Old Testamentview
that God alone knows “the hearts of all men” (1 Kings 8:39). It involves an
unobtrusive, but not unimportant, claim about the Personof Jesus. It is
probably significant that “whatis in the heart of his neighbour” is one of the
seventhings the rabbis thought of as hidden from people (Mekilta Exod.
16:32). John assigns this knowledge explicitly to Jesus. Odeberg points out
that in one place or another John attributes to Jesus knowledgeofthe other
six as well (FG, p. 45). John clearly regards Jesus as possessedof a knowledge
that is more than human, but just as clearly he does not regardthis as
vitiating his realhumanity. Jesus’knowledge is derived from his close
communion with his Father(Jn 8:28, 38; 14:10). (NICNT-Jn)
D A Carson- Many commentators note the partial parallel to v. 25 in the
Jewishcommentary on Exodus, Mekhilta Exod. 15:23:‘Seven things are
hidden from man—the day of death, the day of consolation, the depths of
judgment, one’s reward, the time of restorationof the kingdom of David, the
time when the guilty kingdom [i.e. Rome] will be destroyed, and what is
within another.’Scriptural proof for this final ‘unknown’ is elsewhere
provided in Genesis Rabbah65, viz. Jeremiah17:10, ‘I the LORD searchthe
heart and examine the mind.’ Even in this regard, then, Jesus, farfrom being
limited like other human beings, does what Goddoes (5:19, cf. SB 2. 412).
Ryrie Study Bible notes that "The contrastis betweenpeople who put their
trust (pisteuo) in Jesus, and Jesus, who does not put His trust in people
because He knows their motives and thoughts. Enthusiasm for the spectacular
is present in them, but Jesus looksfor genuine faith."
J C Ryle - In leaving the whole passage, I cannothelp remarking what a
faithful picture of human nature it exhibits, and how many are the ways in
which human corruption and infirmity show themselves. Within the space ofa
few verses we find some openly profaning God’s temple for the sake ofgain,—

some angrily demanding a sign of Him who shows zealfor purity,—some
professing a false faith,—and some few only believing, but even these believing
with a weak, unintelligent faith. It is the state of things which exists
everywhere and always.
Steven Cole - Saving faith begins with God by accepting His evaluation of
our fallen hearts.
The reasonthat Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to these “believers” was thatHe
knew what was in their hearts. But the implication is that they didn’t know
their own hearts. Since this sectionserves to introduce the interview with
Nicodemus, he is an example. He thought that he was a good Jew, but Jesus
stunned him by telling him that he neededto be born again. His goodnesswas
not goodenoughto gethim into the kingdom of God. Note two things:
A. Only God truly knows the human heart.
In 1 Samuel 16:7, the Lord tells Samuel, “ForGod sees notas a man sees, for
man looks atthe outward appearance, but the Lord looks atthe heart.”
Solomonprays (1 Kings 8:39b), “ForYou alone know the hearts of all the sons
of men.” (Also, see 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 139:1-18, 23-24;Jer. 17:10; Heb. 4:13.)
So when John tells us that Jesus knew all men and knew what was in man, it is
a witness to His deity. Jesus could peer beneath the surface and evaluate the
thoughts and motives of hearts (Jn 1:47-48;4:17-19, 29;6:15, 64 16:30; 21:17;
Luke 16:15). Now, here’s the scarypart:
B. We need to ask the Lord to reveal His evaluation of our hearts to us.

Proverbs 21:2 states, “Everyman’s way is right in his own eyes, but the
LORD weighs the hearts.” Jeremiah17:9 says, ““The heartis more deceitful
than all else and is desperatelysick;who can understand it?” When the Lord
saves us, He gives us a new heart (2 Cor. 5:17), but the old man or flesh is not
eradicated. There still lurks within us the bent to do evil. The problem is, we
don’t realize just how powerful and deceptive this monster within really is.
That’s why Peter denied the Lord. He thought that he was strongerthan he
was. In fact, he denied the Lord’s prediction of his denial because he thought
he knew more than the Lord did! Later, when the Lord restoredPeterwith
His threefold question, “Do you love Me?” the third time, Peterreplied (Jn
21:17), “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” The Lord
knows our hearts better than we know our hearts. We have to allow Him to
revealour hearts to us. He does this gradually (thankfully-we couldn’t bear it
all at once!) as we read and study God’s Word. The more you see how weak
and prone to sin you really are, the more you’ll trust in the Lord to deliver
you from temptation and sin.
If you’ve never done so, you must ask Godto change your heart through the
new birth. Christianity is primarily a matter of your heart before God, not of
rituals or keeping rules. As you walk openly before the Lord, letting His light
shine into the dark places ofyour heart, you will grow in grace. If you’re
hiding some secretsinfrom others, remember, you aren’t hiding it from the
Lord. But you won’t gain the victory over it until you expose it to Him. Until
then, you’re just playing games with yourself, because Godknows the true
condition of your heart.
So, we need to be careful because there is such a thing as superficial faith that
does not result in salvation. Saving faith begins with accepting God’s
evaluation of us on the heart level.

3. Saving faith means having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus
Christ, trusting Him as the One who saves you from your sins.
Many people make a decisionto follow Christ, but that decisionis not an
indicator of the new birth unless it springs from the right motive, namely, a
desire to have our sins forgiven through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. R. V.
G. Tasker(The GospelAccording to St. John [IVP/Eerdmans], p. 65) wrote,
“[Christ] regarded all belief in Him as superficialwhich does not have as its
most essentialelements the consciousnessofthe need for forgiveness andthe
conviction that He alone is the Mediatorof that forgiveness.”
So, what does it mean for Jesus to believe in you, or to entrust Himself to you?
It has to do with a personal relationship. Trust is at the heart of all
relationships. If you don’t trust someone, you will not be close to him. You will
keephim at arm’s length, or just cut off all contact. To entrust yourself to
someone, you must trust him. For Jesus to entrust Himself to you, He must
trust you.
But how canHe do that in light of our propensity to sin? First, there has to be
the new birth where He imparts new life to us through the Holy Spirit. Only
then is there anything in us worth trusting. Jesus did not entrust Himself to
these superficial believers because He did not see their faith as the work of
God stemming from the new birth.
Then, we need to walk in obedience to Him. In John 14:21, Jesus states, “He
who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he
who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose
Myself to him.” He adds (Jn 14:23), “If anyone loves Me, he will keepMy
word; and My Fatherwill love him, and We will come to him and make Our
abode with him.” The Lord entrusts Himself to those who obey Him and it is

only those who have been born againwho are able to obey Him from the heart
(Rom. 6:17).
Some of the scariestverses in the New Testamentare Jesus’words in Matthew
7:21-23:“Noteveryone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but he who does the will of My Fatherwho is in heaven will enter.
Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name castout demons, and in Your name perform many
miracles?’And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from
Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”These people professedfaith in Jesus.
They calledHim “Lord.” They were even involved in impressive ministries.
But Jesus didn’t know them personally. Their disobedience showedthat
although they “believed” in Jesus, He didn’t believe in them. At the final
judgment, Christ’s evaluation of us will be the determinative factor. (Does
Jesus Believe In You?)
ILLUSTRATION - Some people were touring a mint where coins are made.
In the smelting area, there were caldrons of molten metal. The tour guide said
that if a person dips his hand into water, someone couldthen pour the molten
metal over his hand and he would not be injured or feelany pain. He askeda
couple if they would like to prove the truthfulness of what he just said. The
husband quickly replied, “No, thanks, I’ll take your word for it.” But the wife
said eagerly, “Sure, I’ll give it a try.” Putting her words into action, she thrust
her hand into a bucketof water and then held it out as the molten metal was
poured over it. The hot liquid rolled off harmlessly, just as the guide had said
it would. He then turned to the husband and said, “Sir, you claimed to believe
what I said. But your wife truly trusted.” (Adapted from, “Our Daily Bread,”
12/84.)
JESUS KNOWS It’s easyto believe when there is excitement and everyone
else seems to believe the same way. But sooneror later the opportunities will

come to discoverwhether our faith is firm when it isn’t popular to follow
Christ. It is comforting to know that Jesus seesthrough our efforts to be more
confident or perfectthan we really are. In fact, we will not fully appreciate his
grace until we recognize that he sees us and knows us exactly as we are, and
he loves us anyway. Part of trusting Jesus is acknowledging that he
understands us better than we understand ourselves. (LAC)
WILLIAM BARCLAY
THE SEARCHER OF THE HEARTS OF MEN (John 2:23-25)
2:23-25 When he was in Jerusalem, atthe Passover, atthe Feast, many
believed in his name, as they saw the signs which he did; but Jesus himself
would not entrust himself to them, because he knew them all, and because he
had no need that anyone should testify to him what man is like, for he well
knew what was in human nature.
John does not relate the story of any wonderthat Jesus did in Jerusalemat
the Passoverseason;but Jesus did do wonders there; and there were many
who, when they saw his powers, believedin him. The question John is
answering here is--if there were many who believed in Jerusalemright at the
beginning, why did Jesus not there and then set up his standard and openly
declare himself?
The answeris that Jesus knew human nature only too well. He knew that
there were many to whom he was only a nine-days' wonder. He knew that
there were many who were attracted only by the sensationalthings he did. He
knew that there were none who understood the way that he had chosen. He

knew that there were many who would have followedhim while he continued
to produce miracles and wonders and signs, but who, if he had begun to talk
to them about service and self-denial, if he had begun to talk to them about
self-surrender to the will of God, if he had begun to talk to them about a cross
and about carrying a cross, wouldhave staredat him with blank
incomprehension and left him on the spot.
It is a greatcharacteristic ofJesus that he did not want followers unless they
clearly knew and definitely acceptedwhatwas involved in following him. He
refused--in the modern phrase--to cashin on a moment's popularity. If he had
entrusted himself to the mob in Jerusalem, they would have declaredhim
Messiahthere and then and would have waited for the kind of material action
they expectedthe Messiahto take. But Jesus was a leader who refusedto ask
men ever to accepthim until they understood what accepting meant. He
insisted that a man should know what he was doing.
Jesus knew human nature. He knew the ficklenessand instability of the heart
of man. He knew that a man can be swept awayin a moment of emotion, and
then back out when he discovers what decisionreally means. He knew how
human nature hungers for sensations.He wantednot a crowdof men cheering
they knew not what, but a small company who knew what they were doing
and who were prepared to follow to the end.
There is one thing we must note in this passage, forwe shall have occasionto
mark it again and again. When John speaks ofJesus'miracles he calls them
signs. The New Testamentuses three different words for the wonderful works
of God and of Jesus, and eachhas something to tell us about what a miracle
really is.

(i) It uses the word teras (Greek #5059). Teras (Greek#5059)simply means a
marvellous thing. It is a word with no moral significance atall. A conjuring
trick might be a teras (Greek #5059). A teras (Greek #5059)was simply an
astonishing happening which left a man gasping with surprise. The New
Testamentnever uses this word alone of the works ofGod or of Jesus.
(ii) It uses the word dunamis (Greek #1411). Dunamis literally means power;
it is the word from which dynamite comes. It can be used of any kind of
extraordinary power. It can be used of the powerof growth, of the powers of
nature, of the powerof a drug, of the power of a man's genius. It always has
the meaning of an effective power which does things and which any man can
recognize. (iii) It uses the word semeion(Greek #4592). Semeionmeans a sign.
This is John's favourite word. To him a miracle was not simply an astonishing
happening; it was not simply a deed of power; it was a sign. That is to say, it
told men something about the person who did it; it revealedsomething of his
character;it laid bare something of his nature; it was an actionthrough which
it was possible to understand better and more fully the characterof the person
who did it. To John the supreme thing about the miracles of Jesus was that
they told men something about the nature and the characterof God. The
powerof Jesus was usedto heal the sick, to feed the hungry, to comfort the
sorrowing;and the fact that Jesus usedhis power in that way was proof that
God caredfor the sorrows and the needs and the pains of men. To John the
miracles were signs of the love of God.
In any miracle, then, there are three things. There is the wonder which leaves
men dazzled, astonished, aghast. There is the power which is effective, which
can deal with and mend a brokenbody, an unhinged mind, a bruised heart,
which can do things. There is the sign which tells us of the love in the heart of
the Godwho does such things for men.
-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)

ALBERT BARNES
Verse 24
Did not commit himself - The word translated“commit” here is the same
which in John 2:23 is translated“believed.” It means to put “trust” or
“confidence in.” Jesus did not put “trust” or “reliance” in them. He did not
leave himself in their hands. He actedcautiously and prudently. The proper
time for him to die had not come, and he securedhis own safety. The reason
why he did not commit himself to them is “that he knew all men.” He knew
the “inconstancy” and“fickleness” ofthe multitude. He knew how easilythey
might be turned againsthim by the Jewishleaders, and how unsafe he would
be if they should be moved to sedition and tumult.
Verse 25
Should testify of man - Should give him the characterof any man.
He knew what was in man - This he did because he had made all John 1:3,
and because he was God, John 1:1. There can be no higher evidence than this
that he was omniscient, and was therefore divine. To searchthe heart is the
prerogative of God alone Jeremiah 17:10;and as Jesus knew what was in
“these disciples,” andas it is expresslysaid that he knew what was in man -
that is, in “all people” - so it follows that he must be equal with God. As he
knows “all,” he is acquainted with the false pretentions and professions of
hypocrites. None can deceive him. He also knows the wants and desires of all
his realfriends. He hears their groans, he sees their sighs, he counts their
tears, and in the day of need will come to their relief.

CALVIN
Verse 24
24.ButChrist did not rely on them. Those who explain the meaning to be, that
Christ was on his guard againstthem, because he knew that they were not
upright and faithful, do not appear to me to express sufficiently well the
meaning of the Evangelist. Still less do I agree with what Augustine says about
recentconverts. The Evangelistrather means, in my opinion, that Christ did
not reckonthem to be genuine disciples, but despisedthem as volatile and
unsteady. It is a passagewhich ought to be carefully observed, that not all who
profess to be Christ’s followers are such in his estimation. But we ought also
to add the reasonwhich immediately follows:
Becausehe knew them all. Nothing is more dangerous than hypocrisy, for this
reasonamong others, that it is an exceedinglycommon fault. There is scarcely
any man who is not pleasedwith himself; and while we deceive ourselves by
empty flatteries, we imagine that Godis blind like ourselves. Buthere we are
reminded how widely his judgment differs from ours; for he sees clearlythose
things which we cannot perceive, because theyare concealedby some
disguise;and he estimates according to their hidden source, that is, according
to the most secretfeeling of the heart, those things which dazzle our eyes by
false luster. This is what Solomonsays, that
God weighs in his balance the hearts of men, while they flatter themselves in
their ways, (Proverbs 21:2.)

Let us remember, therefore, that none are the true disciples of Christ but
those whom He approves, because in such a matter He alone is competentto
decide and to judge.
A question now arises:when the Evangelistsays that Christ knew them all,
does he mean those only of whom he had lately spoken, ordoes the expression
refer to the whole human race? Some extend it to the universal nature of man,
and think that the whole world is here condemned for wickedand perfidious
hypocrisy. And, certainly, it is a true statement, that Christ can find in men no
reasonwhy he should deign to place them in the number of his followers;but I
do not see that this agrees with the context, and therefore I limit it to those
who had been formerly mentioned.
Verse 25
25.Forhe knew what was in man. As it might be doubted whence Christ
obtained this knowledge, the Evangelistanticipates this question, and replies
that Christ perceived every thing in men that is concealedfrom our view, so
that he could on his own authority make a distinction among men. Christ,
therefore, who knows the hearts, had no need of any one to inform him what
sort of men they were. He knew them to have such a dispositionand such
feelings, that he justly regardedthem as persons who did not belong to him.
The question put by some — whether we too are authorized by the example of
Christ to hold those persons as suspectedwho have not given us proof of their
sincerity — has nothing to do with the present passage. There is a wide
difference betweenhim and us; for Christ knew the very roots of the trees,
but, except from the fruits which appear outwardly, we cannotdiscoverwhat
is the nature of any one tree. Besides, as Paultells us, that charity is not
suspicious, (1 Corinthians 13:5,)we have no right to entertain unfavorable
suspicions about men who are unknown to us. But, that we may not always be
deceivedby hypocrites, and that the Church may not be too much exposedto

their wickedimpostures, it belongs to Christ to impart to us the Spirit of
discretion.
STEVEN COLE
Lesson13:Does Jesus Believe inYou? (John 2:23-25)
RelatedMedia
May 19, 2013
It seems to me that there is an epidemic of superficial or false faith in
America. Over the last few decades, polls have indicated that between30 to 40
percent or more of Americans claim that they have been born again. If one
third of our nation was truly born again, the moral condition in our land
would be vastly different!
While only God knows the true condition of people’s hearts, Jesus saidthat
we can know a tree by its fruit (Luke 6:43-44). We should be able to spot a
Christian by his godly behavior and lifestyle. Genuine faith results in good
works (James 2:14-26). As 1 John 2:3 states, “Bythis we know that we have
come to know Him, if we keepHis commandments.” He does not mean that
Christians never sin (see 1 John 1:9; 2:1). But his point is that the overall
pattern of a true Christian’s life will be one of obedience to Jesus Christ, not a
life of sin (1 John 3:4-10).

I bring up these matters because in our text we read about a situation where
many believed in Jesus, but Jesus didn’t believe in them. The word translated
“entrusting” (2:24, NASB) is the same Greek verb as “believed” (2:23). We
could rightly translate it, “Many believed in Jesus, but Jesus didn’t believe in
them.” While I found a couple of commentators who argue that these people
had genuine faith, I agree with the overwhelming majority of scholars who
argue that John intends for us to understand that these people had superficial
faith.
As we’ve seen, John’s purpose for writing was (20:31), “so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may
have life in His name.” In the prologue (1:1-18), John immediately sets forth
the glory of Jesus Christ as the eternalWord, the Creatorof all that is. He is
the source oflight and life. We saw in 1:12, “But as many as receivedHim, to
them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe
in His name.” In 1:14, John writes, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt
among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begottenfrom the
Father, full of grace and truth.”
In 1:50, Nathanaelis the first one in this gospelwho is said to believe in Jesus.
In 2:11, the disciples, who had already believed and followedJesus, believed
againwhen they saw His glory when He turned the waterinto wine. In 2:22,
John tells us that after Jesus resurrection, “His disciples remembered that He
said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had
spoken.” So Johnis drawing a portrait of Jesus as the glorious manifestation
of God with us, the one in whom everyone should believe for eternal life. He
has given us examples of early faith in the disciples.
But now we read (2:23), “Now when He was in Jerusalemat the Passover,
during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He
was doing.” You would expect John to move on, leaving this as another

example of saving faith following the earlierexamples that he has given. But
instead we read (2:24-25), “But Jesus, onHis part, was not entrusting Himself
to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify
concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” Why would Jesus
refuse to entrust Himself to those who believed in Him? I agree with John
Piper, who explains (desiringGod.org, “He Knew What Was in Man”):
What it says, in essence, is that Jesus knows whatis in every heart, and so he
can see whensomeone believes in a way that is not really believing. In other
words, Jesus’ability to know every heart perfectly leads to the unsettling
truth that some belief is not the kind of belief that obtains fellowshipwith
Jesus and eternal life. Some belief is not saving belief.
So while most of us (I hope) would say, “I believe in Jesus,”we all need to ask,
“Does Jesus believe in me? Has He entrusted Himself to me?” (We’ll look at
what that means later.) These verses teachus that…
We need to believe in Jesus in such a way that He believes in us.
These verses conclude the story of Jesus’first ministry visit to the temple, but
they also introduce us to the encounter with Nicodemus. John2:25 emphasizes
“man” (used twice)and then in 3:1, we read, “Now there was a man….” Also,
2:23 mentions the signs that Jesus was doing in Jerusalemduring the feast,
and in 3:2 Nicodemus acknowledgesthe signs that Jesus was doing. It’s
obvious as the interview progressesthat Jesus knew whatwas in Nicodemus’
heart and what he needed, namely, the new birth. So the story of Nicodemus
helps us to understand these verses (and vice versa).
1. There is such a thing as superficialfaith that does not result in salvation.

The disciples may have been initially enthused over the response ofthe people
and then puzzled by Jesus’seeminglyaloofresponse to them: “If He’s the
Messiah, why doesn’tHe welcome allof these people who are believing in His
name?” The reasonwas that He could see their hearts. He knew that their
faith was basedon seeing the miracles that He performed, but they weren’t
repenting of their sins and trusting in Him as their Saviorfrom sin.
Chapter 6 reports a similar incident. After Jesus fed the 5,000 withfive loaves
and two fish, we read (6:14), “Therefore whenthe people saw the sign which
He had performed, they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into
the world.’” “The Prophet” was a Messianic term (Deut. 18:15). The disciples
no doubt thought, “Great!These people get it! They’re acknowledging Jesus
as the Messiah!” But the next verse says that Jesus perceivedthat the people
were going to take Him by force to make Him king, so He withdrew to the
mountain by Himself alone. Jesus knew that the people superficially believed
in Him, but He didn’t entrust Himself to them. Let’s look further at
superficial faith:
A. SUPERFICIALFAITH IN CHRIST IS BASED ON THE
SPECTACULAR OR ON WHAT HE CAN DO TO RELIEVE YOUR
PROBLEMS,NOT ON JESUS AS SAVIOR AND LORD.
These “believers” (in 2:23) were impressedwith Jesus. Theyhad seenHim
clearout the merchants and money-changers from the temple. During the
visit to Jerusalem, He had performed some other signs that John doesn’t
specify (2:23). Maybe some of them had been healedor knew those who had
been healed. They were ready to sign on with Jesus.
But they really didn’t understand the truth about who Jesus is and what He
came to do. Like Nicodemus, they probably thought, “We’re goodJews.
We’re God’s chosenpeople. We keepthe Law of Moses. We just observed
Passover.” Theydidn’t understand that they were sinners who needed a

Savior. They didn’t know that Jesus is the Lord and that He commands His
followers to take up their cross and follow Him. They were amazed at His
signs, but they weren’t committing themselves to Him as Savior and Lord, so
He didn’t commit Himself to them.
We see an example of superficial faith in Acts 8. A magiciannamed Simon
had built quite a following in Samaria, claiming to be someone great(8:9).
When he saw the miracles that God was working through Philip, Simon
believed and was baptized. He continued on with Philip, being constantly
amazed by the miracles that he saw (8:13). Then, when Peterand John
arrived and prayed for the people to receive the Holy Spirit, Simon was
impressed. He offeredmoney to the apostles so that he could obtain the same
powers. But Peterstrongly denounced him (8:20-23), “Mayyour silver perish
with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before
God. Therefore repent of this wickednessofyours, and pray the Lord that, if
possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. ForI see that you
are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.” Clearly, Simon’s
faith was not saving faith.
B. SUPERFICIALFAITH MAY HAVE A HIGH VIEW OF JESUS, BUT IT
IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH.
These people were impressed with Jesus. Theyhad seenHim cleanse the
temple and thought, “He must be a greatprophet!” They had seenHim do
miracles and thought, “He must be a greatman of God!” Nicodemus is an
example of this. He calls Jesus “Rabbi,” acknowledgesthat He has come from
God as a teacher, and that God is with Him (3:2). But he didn’t understand
that Jesus came to impart the new birth or that he even needed the new birth.
He didn’t understand that Jesus woulddie as God’s provision for sinners to
receive eternallife (3:14-16). While I believe that he later came to faith, at this
point his view of Jesus was high, but not high enough.

We see the same thing in John 10:31-33, where Jesus’ critics acknowledged
that He did goodworks, but they were ready to stone Him for blasphemy,
because He made Himself out to be God. They had a high view of Jesus as a
goodman, but not high enough. They didn’t see Him as God.
Muslims have a high view of Jesus as a greatprophet, but their view is not
high enough, in that they think that Mohammad was a greaterprophet and
they deny Jesus’deity. The Jehovah’s Witnessesaffirm that Jesus is the
greatestofall createdbeings, but their faith is not saving faith because they
deny His deity, which also denies His ability to atone for our sins. The same is
true of the Mormons. Their “Jesus”is not the Jesus presentedto us in the
Bible, who is fully God and fully man. Superficial faith thinks highly of Jesus,
but not highly enough.
C. SUPERFICIALFAITH MAY BE THE STARTING POINT OF
GENUINE FAITH, BUT THE TEST IS WHETHER IT PERSEVERESAND
BEARS FRUIT.
Believing on the basis of signs (miracles)is better than not believing at all. In
John 10:37-38, Jesustells His Jewishcritics, “If I do not do the works ofMy
Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me,
believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in
Me, and I in the Father.” But believing because of miracles will not result in
salvationunless it is accompaniedby repentance. Simon the magician
believed, but he had not repented of his pride and love of power overthe
people. He was not saved. In the parable of the sower, it is only the seedthat
endures and bears fruit that is genuinely saved. (See, also, Matt. 24:13; Rom.
11:22;1 Cor. 15:2; Col. 1:23; Heb. 3:12-14;1 John 2:18-19.)Faith that
perseveres seeswithgrowing clarity the glory of Christ and what He did for
us on the cross so that it perseveres whentrials or persecutionhit.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (The Path to True Happiness [Baker], pp. 159-161)
points out that there are some who “believe” in Jesus intellectually, but their
hearts and their wills have never been touched. They may be scholars, but
their knowledge has never changedtheir lives. Others have their hearts
touched, but their minds have not been in operation. In fact, they have been
told that they should not try to understand. Often, they have not submitted
their wills to Christ. Experience is everything. There is a third group where
their Christianity is almost entirely a matter of the will. They don’t bother to
understand and they aren’t interested in their feelings. They just want to be
doing things to serve God.
Lloyd-Jones argues that all three types have superficial faith because they
have only picked out what appeals to them and believed in that. They haven’t
seenthemselves as lost sinners and Christ as the only one who can save them.
Their faith is partial, basedon what they like about Jesus. Butwhen things
don’t go the way that they envisioned, they fall away.
Many of us believed in Jesus with a shallow or superficialfaith. We trusted
Him because we wantedhealing or successorsomething other than salvation
from sin. But to go on and develop into genuine saving faith, you have to see
yourself as the Bible portrays you and see Christ for who He is.
2. Saving faith begins with God by accepting His evaluation of our fallen
hearts.
The reasonthat Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to these “believers” was thatHe
knew what was in their hearts. But the implication is that they didn’t know
their own hearts. Since this sectionserves to introduce the interview with
Nicodemus, he is an example. He thought that he was a good Jew, but Jesus
stunned him by telling him that he neededto be born again. His goodnesswas
not goodenoughto gethim into the kingdom of God. Note two things:

A. ONLY GOD TRULY KNOWS THE HUMAN HEART.
In 1 Samuel 16:7, the Lord tells Samuel, “ForGod sees notas a man sees, for
man looks atthe outward appearance, but the Lord looks atthe heart.”
Solomonprays (1 Kings 8:39b), “ForYou alone know the hearts of all the sons
of men.” (Also, see 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 139:1-18, 23-24;Jer. 17:10; Heb. 4:13.)
So when John tells us that Jesus knew all men and knew what was in man, it is
a witness to His deity. Jesus could peer beneath the surface and evaluate the
thoughts and motives of hearts (1:47-48;4:17-19, 29;6:15, 64 16:30;21:17;
Luke 16:15). Now, here’s the scarypart:
B. WE NEED TO ASK THE LORD TO REVEAL HIS EVALUATION OF
OUR HEARTS TO US.
Proverbs 21:2 states, “Everyman’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord
weighs the hearts.” Jeremiah17:9 says, ““The heartis more deceitful than all
else and is desperatelysick;who can understand it?” When the Lord saves us,
He gives us a new heart (2 Cor. 5:17), but the old man or flesh is not
eradicated. There still lurks within us the bent to do evil. The problem is, we
don’t realize just how powerful and deceptive this monster within really is.
That’s why Peter denied the Lord. He thought that he was strongerthan he
was. In fact, he denied the Lord’s prediction of his denial because he thought
he knew more than the Lord did! Later, when the Lord restoredPeterwith
His threefold question, “Do you love Me?” the third time, Peterreplied
(21:17), “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” The Lord
knows our hearts better than we know our hearts. We have to allow Him to
revealour hearts to us. He does this gradually (thankfully—we couldn’t bear
it all at once!) as we read and study God’s Word. The more you see how weak
and prone to sin you really are, the more you’ll trust in the Lord to deliver
you from temptation and sin.

If you’ve never done so, you must ask Godto change your heart through the
new birth. Christianity is primarily a matter of your heart before God, not of
rituals or keeping rules. As you walk openly before the Lord, letting His light
shine into the dark places of your heart, you will grow in grace. If you’re
hiding some secretsinfrom others, remember, you aren’t hiding it from the
Lord. But you won’t gain the victory over it until you expose it to Him. Until
then, you’re just playing games with yourself, because Godknows the true
condition of your heart.
So, we need to be careful because there is such a thing as superficial faith that
does not result in salvation. Saving faith begins with accepting God’s
evaluation of us on the heart level.
3. Saving faith means having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus
Christ, trusting Him as the One who saves you from your sins.
Many people make a decisionto follow Christ, but that decisionis not an
indicator of the new birth unless it springs from the right motive, namely, a
desire to have our sins forgiven through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. R. V.
G. Tasker(The GospelAccording to St. John [IVP/Eerdmans], p. 65) wrote,
“[Christ] regarded all belief in Him as superficialwhich does not have as its
most essentialelements the consciousnessofthe need for forgiveness andthe
conviction that He alone is the Mediatorof that forgiveness.”
So, what does it mean for Jesus to believe in you, or to entrust Himself to you?
It has to do with a personal relationship. Trust is at the heart of all
relationships. If you don’t trust someone, you will not be close to him. You will
keephim at arm’s length, or just cut off all contact. To entrust yourself to
someone, you must trust him. For Jesus to entrust Himself to you, He must
trust you.

But how canHe do that in light of our propensity to sin? First, there has to be
the new birth where He imparts new life to us through the Holy Spirit. Only
then is there anything in us worth trusting. Jesus did not entrust Himself to
these superficial believers because He did not see their faith as the work of
God stemming from the new birth.
Then, we need to walk in obedience to Him. In John 14:21, Jesus states, “He
who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he
who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose
Myself to him.” He adds (14:23), “If anyone loves Me, he will keepMy word;
and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode
with him.” The Lord entrusts Himself to those who obey Him and it is only
those who have been born againwho are able to obey Him from the heart
(Rom. 6:17).
Some of the scariestverses in the New Testamentare Jesus’words in Matthew
7:21-23:“Noteveryone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but he who does the will of My Fatherwho is in heaven will enter.
Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name castout demons, and in Your name perform many
miracles?’And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from
Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”These people professedfaith in Jesus.
They calledHim “Lord.” They were even involved in impressive ministries.
But Jesus didn’t know them personally. Their disobedience showedthat
although they “believed” in Jesus, He didn’t believe in them. At the final
judgment, Christ’s evaluation of us will be the determinative factor.
Conclusion

My aim in this message is, I hope, the same as John’s aim for including these
verses in his Gospel:to get us all to believe in Jesus in such a way that He
believes in us. Or, in Paul’s words (2 Cor. 13:5), “Testyourselves to see if you
are in the faith; examine yourselves!Or do you not recognize this about
yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”
Some people were touring a mint where coins are made. In the smelting area,
there were caldrons of molten metal. The tour guide said that if a persondips
his hand into water, someone could then pour the molten metal over his hand
and he would not be injured or feelany pain. He askeda couple if they would
like to prove the truthfulness of what he just said.
The husband quickly replied, “No, thanks, I’ll take your word for it.” But the
wife said eagerly, “Sure, I’ll give it a try.” Putting her words into action, she
thrust her hand into a bucket of waterand then held it out as the molten
metal was poured over it. The hot liquid rolled off harmlessly, just as the
guide had said it would. He then turned to the husband and said, “Sir, you
claimed to believe what I said. But your wife truly trusted.” (Adapted from,
“Our Daily Bread,” 12/84.)
You don’t want to stand before the Lord and hear Him say, “Your faith was
only superficial; I never entrusted Myself to you.” Genuine saving faith means
having a personalrelationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting Him as the
One who saves you from your sins.
Application Questions
Discuss:Since genuine faith must be tested, is it wise to try to give assurance
of salvationto someone who has just believed?

Does Jesus’knowledge ofwhat is in your heart make you uncomfortable?
How can you change your feelings on this?
Did you originally come to Christ because of“a sign” (something spectacular
that He could do for you)? What helped your faith to mature and grow?
Have you ever thought about Jesus trusting in you? Why is trust at the heart
of all relationships?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2013,All Rights Reserved.
DR. THOMAS CONSTABLE
Verse 24-25
Jesus" responseto people, in contrast, was not to put His trust (Gr. pisteuo) in
them. He knew people to be essentiallyuntrustworthy. He knew that the
initial enthusiasm and faith basedon miracles that some people manifested
would evaporate. Another view is that these were genuine believers who
"were not ready for fuller disclosures from the One they had just trusted."
[Note:Zane C. Hodges, "Untrustworthy Believers-John 2:23-25 ,"
Bibliotheca Sacra135:538 (April-June1978):148.]Some who initially believed
on Jesus turned againstHim later ( John 6:15; John 6:60; John 6:66). He did
not place His destiny in the hands of any others, though some of the Jews in
Jerusalemwere willing to place their lives in His hands (cf. John 10:14-15).
MoreoverHe did not commit Himself to anyone, in the sense that Jesus was
not dependent on human approval. [Note: Morris, p181.]
John may have meant that Jesus knew the nature of human beings (cf. 1
Samuel 16:7; Psalm139;Jeremiah 17:10;Acts 1:24), not that He knew the
thoughts of every personHe encountered. The Great Physiciancould read
people better than any human doctor can diagnose symptoms. [Note:Tenney,

" John ," p46.]Besides, Jesus wasa prophet, and prophets often
demonstrated supernatural insight. On the other hand, John could have
meant that Jesus, as only God can, knew the hearts of all people ( 1 Samuel
16:7; 1 Kings 8:39). The following two chapters particularly illustrate the
truth of both of these statements:Jesus had greathuman insight as well as
divine insight.
He Knew What Was in Man
Resource by John Piper Scripture: John 2:23–25 Topic:The Personof
Christ
Now when he was in Jerusalematthe PassoverFeast, many believed in his
name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not
entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and neededno one to bear
witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
Remember that the aim of John’s Gospelis that people might believe in Jesus.
John 20:31: “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
This has been underlined severaltimes in chapters 1 and 2.
John’s Task:Beliefin Jesus
In John 1:12, John says, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God.” After the miracle of
turning waterinto wine at the wedding in Cana, John says, “This, the first of
his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his
disciples believed in him” (John 2:11). Then after he drove the
moneychangers out of the Temple and said, “Destroythis temple, and in three

days I will raise it up,” John comments, “His disciples remembered that he
had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had
spoken” (John2:22).
So John is on task. He is writing with a view to helping people see the glory of
the Sonof God, experience his grace, and believe on him as the Sonof God
and supreme treasure of their lives and have eternal life.
Some Belief Is NotSaving
In view of this, John 2:23–25 has an unsettling effect. What it says, in essence,
is that Jesus knows whatis in every heart, and so he cansee when someone
believes in a way that is not really believing. In other words, Jesus’s ability to
know every heart perfectly leads to the unsettling truth that some belief is not
the kind of belief that obtains fellowshipwith Jesus and eternal life. Some
belief is not saving belief.
So there are two things to focus on here. First is the glory of the omniscience
of Jesus. And the secondis the discoverythat there is a kind of faith in Jesus
that he does not approve and does not accept.
1. The Glory of Jesus’s Omniscience
First, then, we focus on the glory of Christ in his omniscience. Rememberwe
are being guided by John 1:14 and 16 — “The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we have seenhis glory, glory as of the only Son from the
Father, full of grace and truth. . . . And from his fullness we have all received,
grace upon grace.” This is what John wants us to see — the glory of the only
Son from the Father and how, coming down that laserbeam of spiritual sight,
grace upon grace comes into our lives.

“Some belief is not the kind of belief that obtains fellowship with Jesus and
eternal life.”TweetShare onFacebook
What glory of the Son of God do we see in today’s text? We see it at the end of
verse 24 and in all of verse 25: “But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself
to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about
man, for he himself knew what was in man.”
Three statements. First, the sweeping generalstatementin John 2:24: “he
knew all people.” Second, the specific application of that statement to people’s
private, inner life in John 2:25: “he himself knew what was in man.” Third,
the implication of that in verse 25: “he needed no one to bear witness about
him.”
Jesus Knows All About All People
So the doctrine we may draw from this is that Jesus knows allabout all
people. No personis excluded from his knowledge, andno part of our life is
excluded from his knowledge. He knows everybody — and everything about
everybody. Here’s what Jesus will say in John 6:64: “There are some of you
who do not believe.” And John adds, “ForJesus knew from the beginning who
those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.” The
heart of Judas was open before Jesus. Jesus wasnot surprised when his
betrayal came.
Let this truth about Jesus sink into your heart. If you have everbeen
impressed with any man’s knowledge aboutpeople or wisdom in discerning
motives and explaining actions and predicting behaviors — if any characterin
fiction or personin history or living counseloror scholarhas ever impressed
you, the knowledge ofJesus should be infinitely more impressive.

No Secrets from Jesus
Perhaps the glory of his omniscience will come home to us more fully if we
draw out a few personal implications. It means that there are no complete
secrets in your life. You may have succeededin hiding something all your life
from everyone on this earth. But you have not hidden it from Jesus. The
person who matters most knows most. The person whose judgment about you
is all important knows all. Let that sink in. You are totally known. Totally.
There is not the slightestpart of your heart unknown to Jesus, atthis hour,
and every hour.
Therefore, there is always at leastone person you must relate to who knows
everything about you. You may be able to look at others in the face and know
that they do not know certain things about you. This shapes your relationship.
But there is one who when you look him in the face sees totallythrough you. If
you relate to him at all, you relate as one utterly laid bare. Utterly known.
What an amazing relationship! There is one, and only one, who actually and
totally knows you. Nobody else even comes close. Yourspouse’s knowledge of
you, or your best friend’s knowledge ofyou, compares to Jesus’s knowledgeof
you is like first-grade math to quantum mechanics. You are fully knownby
one person— Jesus Christ.
One Human Who Knows
Therefore, you always have someone to go to for help in knowing who you are.
One of the greatlongings of the human soul is to understand ourselves. Who
are we? What is our nature? What sortof being are we? What is our deepest
thought and feeling? What are our true and deepestmotives? What are the
relationships deep inside of me betweenknowing and feeling and willing and
doing?

There is one human who knows the complete answerto all these questions:
Jesus Christ. Do you recallPeter’s three answers to Jesus’s questionafter the
resurrection, “Do you love me?” Jesus askedhim three times, probably
because Peterhad denied Jesus three times. Petersaid the first time, “Yes,
Lord; you know that I love you.” He said the secondtime, “Yes, Lord; you
know that I love you.” He said the third time, “Lord, you know everything;
you know that I love you” (John 21:15–17).There is always one person who
knows your heart perfectly. Knows it better than you do — Jesus Christ.
One Who Is Always Willing to Love You
Therefore, you always have a personwho is willing to love you, knowing
absolutely everything about you. The reasonI say he is “willing to love you” is
that Jesus has a specialcovenantlove for those who trust him. He doesn’t love
everybody in the same way. Listen to the way he prays in John 17:9: “I am
praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you
have given me, for they are yours.” In other words, Jesus intercedes for those
whom the Father has given him. These are his friends. These are his disciples.
These are his sheep. These are the children of God. These are those who are
born again. These are those who believe. And are you in that number?
“You always have Jesus, who is willing to love you, knowing absolutely
everything about you.”TweetShare onFacebook
“To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God” (John 1:12). If you receive him, there will always be
one personwho will love you knowing everything, absolutely everything about
you. You will say with the disciples in John 16:30, “We know that you know
all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that
you came from God.”

I pray that this glimpse of the glory of the omniscience of the only Son of the
Father will move you to admire him more than anyone, and love and trust
him and follow him.
2. Faith That Jesus Doesn’tAccept
We saidthere are two things we should focus on in this today’s text: The first
is the glory of the omniscience ofJesus. Now the secondis the discoverythat
there is a kind of faith in Jesus that he does not approve. This is the
implication of his omniscience that John focuses on. He draws out the
implication that when Jesus looks into the heart of those who believed, he sees
something other than the kind of faith that makes you a child of God.
Remember John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). And here in
John 2:23 it says, “Manybelieved in his name when they saw the signs that he
was doing.” It seems Jesus shouldbe thrilled. But he’s not. Verse 24 says,
“But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all
people.” This is not the way he treats his own sheepwhom he calls by name,
his owndisciples. When Jesus withholds himself from them, he is saying that
they are not believing in a saving way. They are not the children of God. They
are not doing John 1:12. Whatever their faith is, Jesus does notapprove.
Not All That Looks Like Faith Is Really Faith
John is still on task here. The aim of his book is “that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Sonof God, and that by believing you may have life in
his name” (John 20:31). So it’s crucialthat John clarify that not all that looks
like faith is really faith. It is unsettling. But that’s the way life is. Better to
have Jesus point this out, and help us come to terms with it than discoverit on
our own when it may be too late.

Jesus was and is omniscient

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