At that Passover when Jesus cleansed the temple he also worked a number of miracles. John calls them “signs”. These made a great impression, so that “many believed in (into) his name”. This phrase normally indicates thorough-going conversion to acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. Yet, strangely enough, “Jesus did not trust himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25). This triple emphasis on a guarded attitude towards the people reads strangely, coming as it does immediately after the first mention of many believing in his name. No clear-cut explanation of this difficulty has been advanced.
Perhaps this passage should be interpreted in the light of what happened two Passovers later (John 6:15). Then a great multitude believed on Jesus as their Messiah, so fervently indeed that they sought to compel him to be their king. It was a terrific surge of nationalistic spirit. The temptation to line up with this movement must have been very strong indeed. But Jesus would have none of it, and from that day forward his popularity with the people declined.
It is not unlikely that what is alluded to here in John 2 is the first burst of enthusiasm greeting Jesus as a national leader. Knowing what it meant and how wrongly based it was, Jesus shrugged off this wave of popularity and very shortly betook himself to the open country (3:22). By this very act he required those who would be his followers to separate themselves from the fever of politics which dominated the capital.
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Author: Harry Whittaker
Keywords: Nicodemus, water and spirit, born of water, born of water and spirit, born of spirit, new birth, born again, born from above, baptism, ruler of the Jews, Sanhedrin, Sanhedrim, came to Jesus by night
Bible reference(s): John 3:1-10
Source: Studies in the Gospels.
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.