“Now while Jesus was in Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover, many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people. He did not need anyone to testify about man, for he knew what was in man.” (John 2:23-25)
When I these words of Jesus in this passage this morning my mind also went to these words Jesus.
“Not everyone who says to me, ʻLord, Lord,ʼ will enter into the kingdom of heaven - only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, ʻLord, Lord, didnʼt we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?ʼ Then I will declare to them, ʻI never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!ʼ”
(Matthew 7:21-23)
Jesus “knows” and “sees” into the heart of every person who ever walked this planet, including those people who claim to walk after Him, and that includes you and me. The issue in the passage of John is not whether their faith was genuine or not, but what the object of their faith truly was. These individuals, after seeing the miracles, believed Jesus to be the Messiah. They most likely saw in him a political figure of some sort. They did not understand how he would usher his reign on earth, what his revolution would look like, that he did not come to be served but to serve. They saw him as a holy man and miracle worker. Their concept of "Messiah" was was not the same as Jesus' own, or the concept of Jesus John had that he is trying to convey in his Gospel. Jesus, as he states in Matthew, sees the heart of these people and he has full knowledge that they do not truly know him, understand who he is: the sacrificial lamb, the bearer and redeemer of their sins, the man of the cross. They did not know him.
My family, Jesus knows your heart. This Sunday is Palm Sunday when enter into the holiest time in the season of the church, Holy Week. I pray you will set aside time to these coming days to read the passion narratives in the Gospels, pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to open up you heart to truly know Jesus, and know in your heart what your calling to follow him entails, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me! God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
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