Day 8: Jesus, Our Mind Reader

I must admit, when I write Love Speaks Daily, I always seek to inspire, uplift, and warm people’s hearts. Since I started this blog in 2009, I have always wanted to focus on the positive side of our faith. Anyone who has been with me that long knows that I don’t do many posts that are words of conviction unless I am fighting societal injustice or telling on myself. But, as soon as I got a clearer understanding of today’s passage, I knew that God was leading me in a different direction. 

Following the scene where Jesus cleanses the Temple, John 2:23-25 says in the MSG version,

“During the time he was in Jerusalem, those days of the Passover Feast, many people noticed the signs he was displaying and, seeing they pointed straight to God, entrusted their lives to him. But Jesus didn’t entrust his life to them. He knew them inside and out, knew how untrustworthy they were. He didn’t need any help in seeing right through them.”

When you look at the passage in the original Greek, the word pisteuō (often translated, “believe”) is used for both instances of the word entrust. In the first occurrence, the sense of the word is “to trust (as in have faith) or to have a strong confidence or reliance upon someone or something. The second time the word is used, the sense is “to entrust or to put into the care or protect of someone.”

So, if I were to translate these two lines, I would say. They had faith in Jesus because of the signs he performed that pointed straight to God. But, Jesus didn’t trust them with his life because he knew their hearts. In other words, although the people could trust Jesus, he knew that he couldn’t trust the people, no matter how much they sang his praises in the moment. Jesus knew that the moment he stopped performing signs, they would stop believing. Jesus knew that in the end, none of them would have his back. Either some would help kill him or some would do nothing to stop his death. 

Now, it’s our time. The question God has for all of us during this season of Lent is, “Can we be trusted?” While I assume that none of us will not crucify anyone, I still have to ask, “Can Jesus trust us with His life?” In other words, do we understand the importance of what Jesus did for us at Calvary to the point that we are willing to submit and commit our lives to Him? Do we sing His praises and do His will? Do we remain faithful even when there are no signs? Do we say his name in private and in public? Are we anchored in Christ during the storms or are we fair-weather friends? Can we be trusted?

Today, as you reflect, ask God to reveal any areas in your heart, mind, and life where you can’t be trusted to live for Jesus. AND, know that no matter what, if you trust God, even with your fickleness, God will have your back.