John 2:23-25 (NIV): Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
The Jewish leaders wanted to see Jesus do a miracle as proof of His authority to clear the temple. But He would not do a miracle to meet their demands. For those who needed a miracle but did not demand one, however, Jesus gave freely.
The miracles were all that many people needed to believe in Jesus. As the newly healed blind man would later say, “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” (John 9:33) Nobody had been able to do miracles for a very long time. But now here was a man who could not just do a miracle now and then, but one who could do one right after the other: healing sicknesses, casting out demons, whatever was needed. They weren’t completely sure who Jesus was, but they knew that He had to be someone who had come from God.
Even though the people trusted Jesus, He would not entrust Himself to them. Jesus, the creator of mankind, knew people from the ground up. He knew the evil that was in the twisted hearts of people, as well as how fickle they could be. He knew that as long as the people got from Him what they wanted, they would be solidly on His side. But if the miracles stopped, or if they somehow got disillusioned, they would turn against Him with the same fervor that they were scrambling to be near Him now.
Even at this point in His ministry, Jesus could see ahead to the welcoming crowds that would line the streets during His triumphal entry; the same people who would, just a few days later, be calling for His crucifixion. But even knowing that for a certainty, Jesus still loved those people. He understood that He had come to die for them BECAUSE they were depraved and fickle. He knew that only through His death and resurrection could the brokenness of their hearts be made whole. Only through His sacrifice could their relationship with God be restored so that they could be made genuinely holy.
Father, one of the greatest mysteries to me is how You can love us when we are so unlovable. Because You don’t just love the “nice” people, You love the whole world. You loved me when I was unlovable, and pursued me when I was in rebellion against You. Thank You for Your love and Your grace, so freely given to us all. Amen.