My jr. high small groupers, my youngest child, & I are continuing to make our way through The Gospel of John in six weeks of summer break. In our Day 4 reading, the fact that Jesus did not entrust Himself to some believers struck me — and that is where I decided to dig in today.
Six Summer Weeks in John
Week 1, Day 4: John 2:13-25
*Click here to read the Week 1, Day 1: John 1:1-18 post.
“The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple He found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15And making a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And He poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16And He told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make My Father’s house a house of trade.’ 17His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house will consume me.’
18So the Jews said to Him, ‘What sign do You show us for doing these things?’ 19Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ 20The Jews then said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ 21But He was speaking about the temple of His body. 22When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
23Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He was doing. 24But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people 25and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
John 2:13-25 (ESV)
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“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He was doing. 24But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people 25and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
John 2:23-25 (ESV)
*Click here to read John 2:23-25 in the NIV, NLT, & CSB.
Who? Jesus
Where? Jerusalem
When? Passover Feast
What? Many believed in His name
Why? When they saw the signs He was doing
Here’s what struck me…
Jesus did not entrust Himself to those who believed in His name when they saw the signs He was doing at the Passover Feast in Jerusalem.
What does it mean to entrust?
| To give over (something) to another for care, protection, or performance | The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4th ed. |
| To commit to another with confidence | merriam-webster.com |
| To put into the care or protection of someone | vocabulary.com |
| “To entrust is to give someone a responsibility you assume she will fulfill. If you entrust someone with the task of getting you to school on time, make sure she’s punctual. To entrust is to let someone take care of something for you because you believe she will protect it. It could be a duty or a thing — you might entrust a nursing home with the care of your parents or entrust an accountant with your finances. Entrust is a verb that needs an object, so you always entrust with or to something. If a friend entrusts you with a secret, she trusts you not to tell.” | vocabulary.com |
Jesus did not put Himself into the care or protection of those who believed in Him at the Passover Feast. He did not commit Himself to all believers with confidence that they would do the right thing by Him at all times or even ultimately.
Jesus knew what was in man.
“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He was doing. 24But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people 25and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man.“
John 2:23-25 (ESV)
Who? Jesus
What? Did not entrust Himself to them
Why? Because He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man
How? For He Himself knew what was in man
Do we know what is in man? woman? mankind? all humans?
Some things the Bible says about what is in man (us!)…
“…the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”
Genesis 8:21 (ESV)
We start out with bad intentions.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
Proverbs 14:12 (ESV)
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
Proverbs 16:25 (ESV)
Our ways aren’t so nice; God said it twice. 😉
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)
Our plans do not always correspond to God’s purposes.
“Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?“
Proverbs 20:6 (ESV)
We may say we’re faithful… but we’re really not always.
“A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way?“
Proverbs 20:24 (ESV)
We can’t get ourselves where we need to go! We depend upon God for that.
“A righteous person who yields to the wicked is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.”
Proverbs 25:26 (CSB)
Even righteous people mess up and give in to evil.
“Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.”
Proverbs 27:20 (NIV)
The more we look, look, look, the more we want, want, want — and we usually don’t want the right things.
“To have regard for one person over another and to show favoritism is not good, because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.”
Proverbs 28:21 (AMP)
There is no good reason to put a person on a pedestal; it doesn’t take much to get someone to sin — even someone you look up to!
The Lord knows all about us.
“Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the abyss, the place of eternal punishment) lie open before the Lord— How much more the hearts and inner motives of the children of men.”
Proverbs 15:11 (AMP)
“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.”
Proverbs 16:2 (ESV)
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.”
Proverbs 21:2 (ESV)
God can see everything: our hearts, our motives, our spirits. We may be tempted to look at ourselves and others we like or admire and see purity & righteousness; however, God sees the whole truth about us: we are sinners in need of a Savior, slaves to sin in need of a new Master. As the Son of God, Jesus knew all this about us, too.
We, none of us, are completely trustworthy. You may not like the sound of that, but it’s true. Not even all who believe in Jesus can be trusted with abandon. Now, I don’t mean “never trust anyone; live paranoid and keep to yourself!” What I do mean, what seems to be indicated in John 2:24-25, is that we need to exercise caution, wisdom, discernment, prudence, discretion, and all those other lovely things we read about in Proverbs.
We can and should be able to trust certain people in our lives with particular things; yet there is only One to whom we can entrust our whole lives, even our souls. I trusted my parents to care for me and raise me and support me as I grew up. I trust my husband to be my partner in life, and we trust one another with practical and spiritual things. I have trusted certain sisters-in-Christ with sensitive information and prayer requests over the years. Yes, I have trusted many people with many things; yet there is only One to Whom I entrust my whole life, even my soul: “Him who judges justly” (I Peter 2:23, ESV).
Jesus entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
Read what the apostle Peter wrote about Jesus entrusting Himself:
“When He (Jesus) was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.“
I Peter 2:23 (ESV)
Who is “Him who judges justly”?
“Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for He comes,
Psalm 96:13 (NIV)
He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in His faithfulness.”
“But You, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have committed my cause.”
Jeremiah 11:20 (NIV)
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.”
II Timothy 4:8 (NIV)
“For the Lord is righteous, He loves justice; the upright will see His face.”
Psalm 11:7 (NIV)
“The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love.”
Psalm 33:5 (NIV)
“I will sing of Your love and justice; to You, Lord, I will sing praise.
Psalm 101:1 (NIV)
“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.”
Psalm 103:6 (NIV)
“I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.”
Psalm 140:12 (NIV)
The Lord God is the just, righteous Judge.
To Whom did Jesus entrust Himself? God the Father
Jesus entrusted Himself to God the Father.
Spoiler alert: In John 4:34, Jesus tells His disciples “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” Jesus was all about trusting the Father as He did His will. At no point was this clearer than just before the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane:
“And going a little farther He (Jesus) fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.'”
Matthew 26:39 (ESV)
Even though Jesus knew He was facing unimaginable horrors — crucifixion, beatings, flogging, mocking & humiliation, abandonment by those closest to Him, the betrayal of a disciple, taking on all sin & God’s wrath, death — He trusted God so much (completely!) and was so committed to doing God’s will that He prayed “not as I will, but as You will.”
Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (ESV). Trusting the Lord does not mean trusting Him to keep you safe from all suffering; however, it does mean trusting Him to cause “everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” (Romans 8:28, NLT).
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
I Peter 4:19 (ESV)
As Christians following Christ, we will suffer — but we will only suffer according to God’s will. We can entrust our souls to our faithful Creator because He is good, He is love, He knows everything, and He has the power to work it all out for the best! Any suffering we endure will be to His glory and our ultimate good.
Entrust your soul to your Faithful Creator.
from I Peter 4:19 (ESV)