3. His Knowledge (2:23-25)
While in Jerusalem for the Passover, Jesus performed miracles that are not given in detail in any of the Gospels. It must have been these signs that especially attracted Nicodemus (John 3:2). Because of the miracles, many people professed to believe in Him, but Jesus did not accept their profession. No matter what the people themselves said or others said about them. He did not accept human testimony. Why? Because, being God, He knew what was in each person’s heart and mind.
The words believed in John 2:23 and commit in John 2:24 are the same Greek word. These people believed in Jesus, but He did not believe in them! They were “unsaved believers”! It was one thing to respond to a miracle but quite something else to commit oneself to Jesus Christ and continue in His Word (John 8:30-31).
John was not discrediting the importance of our Lord’s signs, because he wrote his book to record these signs and to encourage his readers to trust Jesus Christ and receive eternal life (John 20:30-31). However, throughout the book, John makes it clear that it takes more than believing in miracles for a person to be saved. Seeing the signs and believing in them would be a great beginning; in fact, even the disciples started that way and had to grow in their faith (compare John 2:11 and 22).
Throughout the gospel of John, you see the Jewish people divided over the meaning of these miracles (John 9:16; 11:45-46). The same miracles that attracted Nicodemus to Jesus caused some of the other religious leaders to want to kill Him! They even asserted that His miracles were done in the power of Satan! Our Lord’s miracles were testimonies (John 5:36), giving evidence of His divine sonship; but they were also tests, exposing the hearts of the people (John 12:37ff.). The same events that opened some eyes only made other eyes that much more blind (John 9:39-41).
It is important to see that Jesus tied His miracles to the truth of His message. He knew that the human heart is attracted to the sensational. The five thousand who He fed wanted to make Him King–until He preached a sermon on the Bread of Life, and then they left Him in droves! “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). In grace, Jesus fed the hungry; in truth, He taught the Word. The people wanted the physical food but not the spiritual truth, so they abandoned Him.
“He knew what was in man” is a statement that is proved several times in John’s gospel. Jesus knew the character of Simon (John 1:42). He knew what Nathanael was like (John 1:46ff.), and He told the Samaritan woman “all things” that she had ever done (John 4:29). He knew that the Jewish leaders did not have God’s love in their hearts (John 5:42) and that one of His disciples was not truly a believer (John 6:64). He saw the repentance in the heart of the adulteress (John 8:10-11) and the murder in the hearts of His enemies (John 8:40ff.). Several times in the upper room message, Jesus revealed to His disciples their own inner feelings and questions.
As you follow our Lord’s ministry in John’s gospel, you see Him moving gradually out of the bright light of popularity and into the dark shadows of rejection. At the beginning, it was easy for people to follow the crowd and watch His miracles. But then, His words began to penetrate hearts, with conviction following, and conviction leads either to conversion or opposition. It is impossible to be neutral. People had to decide, and most of them decided against Him.
Yes, Jesus knows the human heart. “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (John 4:48). People who want His works but not His Word can never share His life. “Seeing is believing” is not the Christian approach (John 11:40; 20:29). First we believe; then we see. Miracles can only lead us to the Word (John 5:36-38), and the Word generates saving faith (Rom. 10:17).
Our Lord’s accurate knowledge of the human heart is another evidence of His deity, for only God can see the inner person. This brief paragraph prepares us for the important interview with Nicodemus recorded in the next chapter. Note the repetition of the word man from John 2:25 to 3:1. Nicodemus wanted to learn more about Jesus, but he ended up learning more about himself!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
- When you first came to know Jesus, which of His characteristics had the deepest influence on you?
- Skim through this chapter. If you were one of Jesus disciples, what would you think of Him? Why?
- Read John 2:1-12. What does it say about Jesus that He performed His first miracle at a wedding?
- What impression of Mary does this story give you?
- Jesus was on a schedule when He was here on earth. Why does that matter to us? What is the significance of the word hour in verse 4?
- Turning the water into wine was the first of seven signs John recorded in this book. What did this sign point to?
- Read verses 13-22. Why was Jesus so upset with those selling merchandise in the temple courts?
- What is “zeal”? How is it different from fanaticism?
- What statement was Jesus making with His actions in the temple courts?
- Read verses 23-25. Why did John mention Jesus’ knowledge?
- How can Jesus’ glory, zeal, and knowledge affect the way you live this week?