Faith Reciprocated

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"But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men." - Jn. 2:24 (NASB)

   As I was reading this morning, I was completely caught off guard by one simple thought that the Holy Spirit challenged me with: Can Jesus have faith in me? Let me back up just a little. In the context of chapter two, Jesus has returned to Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover feast, as was His custom. While He was there He undoubtably performed signs and wonders of which John does not elaborate on (v.23). As the people saw the signs, John writes that many "believed" in His name. That is good news. Then, we read verse 24 where Johns writes, "But Jesus…was not entrusting Himself to them." Something was gnawing at me, so I began to research the original language and noticed something powerful. The Greek word for "believe", PISTEUĊŒ, is the same word used in verse 24 translated as  "entrust."* As I was thinking about the connection, the thought occurred to me that men of which John was referring had some level of faith in Jesus, but Jesus did not have that save level of faith in them, for he knew what was in them (v.24). Let that sink in for a moment. Jesus did not have faith in men for he knew man. 
   Without getting lost in the theology of this, Jesus has obviously exercised faith in men, for He entrusted men to "go into all the world" with His good news. However, the question haunts me this morning: Can Jesus have faith in me? This leads to an onslaught of related questions: Am I faithful to Him? Do I use the gifts and abilities He has given me to further His purposes in this life? Is His presence noticeable in me to those around me? Do I live by His word? Do I spend time getting to know Him in private prayer? These questions beg answers, but they also beg action!
   How about you? Can Jesus have faith in you? It's a searching question, is it not?



*Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, NASB, Spiros Zodhiates, (G1400)

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