[222 words]
“…many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men” (John 2:23-24).
This passage has been highlighted in my Bible for a while. Early on, it seemed odd to my frail ear that Jesus would not “commit Himself” unto people who “believed in His name.” Logically, there had to be a reason for Jesus’ reaction to the faith of these folks, right?
It is interesting that the word “believed” in 2:23, and the word “commit” in 2:24, come from the same word in the Greek. One is positive, and the other is connected with “did not.”
THE POSITIVE PHRASE: “many believed in His name.” THE NEGATIVE PHRASE: “did not commit Himself unto them.”
In these two verses, I see at least two vital messages about faith in God. First, while we know men can possess a faith that is saving (it’s called the ‘victory that overcomes the world’ – 1 Jn. 5:4), men can also possess a faith that is not trusted by Jesus. His disbelief in this people’s faith shows us that some faith is not deep and genuine, so Jesus doesn’t respond to it. Second, saving faith in Jesus involves action – “committing ourself” to Him. Mental agreement alone is powerless to save.
Michael Gilbert
Gardner church of Christ
Martin, TN