As we continue our study of the Gospel of John, we pick up at verse 23 of Chapter 2. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle wrote:
“Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed in His name. But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person.” (John 2: 23-25)
The Scriptures are not clear on the signs Jesus was performing at the Passover Festival. We know He cleared the Temple Courts with a whip, and obviously had the people’s attention, but we do not know if he was healing the sick, or casting out demonic spirits, or causing the blind to see, or the deaf to hear as He taught them the ‘Kingdom of God was near’. We just know He was performing miracles, and many of the people believed in His name.
The name Jesus, is Yeshua in Hebrew, which means ‘salvation’. The Holy Spirit had touched many of the people as they saw and heard Jesus, and they called upon His name, and were saved. (Acts 2:21) However, many who said they believed only believed at the flesh level, what they could see with the eye, and not at the heart level which would have brought about a change within the soul. That is why He could not trust Himself to them at that time, He knew what was in their heart.
The Word tells us in (Jeremiah 17:9), “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Until the heart of the flesh, the natural man, is given unto to the Lord, and He replaces it with the heart of our born again spirit, we find ourselves thinking and believing one way today, and perhaps thinking and believing in another way tomorrow. We have heard the expression, “Just follow your heart.”, and I say “Amen to that”, but only if it is a born again heart.
In the natural man, our heart will have us all over the place, and many times not in a good place because we followed it. However, if we have asked the Lord Jesus into our heart, we are living in a born again heart; we are living in Christ Jesus. When He is in our heart, when He IS our heart, and we have given it all to Him, we can absolutely without question say, “Just follow your heart”, and trust it every time.
God knows what is in our heart. If there are some things in it that might lead us to wrong decisions: Open it totally unto Him. He will make it right.
May you have a wonderful week. May you prosper in all good things, and be in perfect health, God’s Beloveds. You are greatly Loved.
Poppa B.