In our survey of the Gospel of John, I was asked to speak on John, chapter 2.
But first, let us pray.
Father, anoint me that I may reveal the truth as it is in Jesus (Ephesians 4:21). Cause us to be satisfied with nothing less than a faith in Jesus requiring total commitment to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
In our survey of John 2, Jesus was just beginning His earthly ministry, when He and His disciples were invited to attend a wedding.
Evidently, the addition of the extra guests caused a shortage of wine.
He consented to his mother’s request to remedy the situation by creating wine from mere water (about 180 gallons of the Good Stuff).
This was His very first miracle (John 2:11), which was an indicator of both His divinity and His messiahship to His disciples.
The OT predicted the Messiah would work miracles, even as Jesus did.
“4 Say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you. 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:4-6 NIV).
If we were alive at that time, would we be as spiritually attentive and receptive to understand the part of Isaiah’s prophecy speaking of healing referred to Messiah’s First Coming, and the part speaking of vengeance pointed to His cleansing of the Temple, as well as Messiah’s Second Coming? Would we have identified Jesus as the Messiah? And, that the Messiah was Yahweh? (Compare Jesus’ rejection at Nazareth, Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1-2).
Reflecting back on the birth of Jesus, there was a devout Jew by the name of Simeon, “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25), who was ready for the Messiah; as well as a devout, prophetess Anna, who “worshipped night and day fasting and praying” (2:36), who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. They both were ready.
But again, are we ready for the Lord’s soon return and appearing as Simeon and Anna were?
In John 2, Jesus then proceeded on to Jerusalem, where He cleansed the Temple, in keeping with the Psalmist: “For zeal for Your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult You fall on me” (Psalm 69:9 NIV).
Then again, wouldn’t the cleansing of the Temple agree with the portion of Isaiah’s prophecy that cryptically referred to “your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you” (Isaiah 35:4)? No doubt Messiah has plenty left to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy at His Second Coming!
Before we rightly condemn the Jews of Christ’s day, would we have had enough spirituality to have known better about His messiahship? And, His divinity?
Finally, the most profound portion of John 2 is in verses 23 and 24, the last part of the chapter.
“23 Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed [Greek, pisteuō] in His name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:23-24 NIV).
Let us pause the narrative for one moment and consider this, that many people believed on the name of Jesus. This believing was the Greek word pisteuō. But also, notice very carefully, “Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them” (2:24). Entrust was also from the Greek word pisteuō. Both “believed in His name” and “would not entrust Himself to them” are translated from the same Greek word, pisteuō.
Why was that?
Because “He knew all people” (2:24), He knew their faith was insincere and insufficient for Him to entrust Himself to them, to commit to them, and to believe in them. This provides us with the realization that our faith is not enough for Jesus to commit Himself to us, unless we have genuinely committed ourselves to Him.
Pisteuō is used about 250 times in the NT. Pisteuō is translated as believe 240 times. Pisteuō is translated as commit eight times, in the KJV.
John 3:16 is properly translated, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes [Greek, pisteuō, COMMITS] in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).
Commit, as in commitment, is more of a long term investment for those who have counted the cost.
Commitment is what God is waiting for from the Church; and, all this time, the Church was under the impression that declaring ourselves as having trusted in Jesus as our Savior was mission accomplished, the end purpose of evangelical faith.
“To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples” (John 8:32 NIV). Small wonder Christ spoke to His disciples as those who believed on Him, and He emphasized those remaining, continuing, and enduring with Him are really His disciples. This is True Commitment!
“By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain” (1Corinthians 15:2). This is a daunting statement about commitment until we recall the purpose for the giving of the Holy Spirit is to inspire and confirm us in obedience. “And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:27). We have the power of the Almighty to succeed, so much more than the fear of failure the devil taunts us with in our dark moments.
“Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2John 1:8-9). Wouldn’t it be a strange thing, if the faith or commitment of a small child or the mustard seed faith of the youngest disciple was not sufficient for our Heavenly Father to overcome the enemy and the world for the benefit of His Little Ones? Of such are the Kingdom of God!
Let us pray.
Father, may we reform our understanding of faith from only an intellectual concept to a commitment of our all in all to Jesus for ever and ever. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
We Need A Miracle 