Pisteuō [Believe, Commit]

Synopsis of John 2

Ken

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. 

Jesus Knows All About Us

Ken

“He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person” (John 2:25 NIV). Of course, Almighty God knows everything about us. He is our Creator. “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17 KJV). This is what makes this matter of trusting in His name so vital. He knows when we sincerely believe Him and when we are trusting Him for selfish, self-serving reasons, such as the Jews who wanted to make Him a king because He had performed miracles for them. “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). 

Here’s the problem. 

Believing in Jesus is absolutely necessary to get to Heaven, i.e., “Believe [Greek, pisteuō] in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household” (Acts 16:31). 

However, insincere, selfish believing is unacceptable to Jesus, and He will refuse to commit Himself to us, as His children. “But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:24). 

How do we know they had insincere, selfish believing? 

“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” (2:23). These were the same people “Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (2:24). 

All of this sounds plausible, but is that what it is really saying? Yes. 

“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). 

Even, Paul insisted, believing was essential to salvation. Notice that Paul qualified the believing as the sincere, “I-really-mean-it” kind of faith, when he wrote, “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe [Greek, pisteuō, commit] in  your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). 

Translators chose to render pisteuō as “believe” in John 3:16, but they could have just as easily chosen “commit” to function as the equivalent. Commit gives us the sense of commitment. This is exactly what some have complained is missing from the recitation of the “Say-It-And-Forget-It” Sinner’s Prayer. But, is that fair to say? After all, it is supposed to be “praying-Jesus-into-your-heart.” That is where the “it-is-necessary-to-be-baptized-to-be-saved” insist upon the one being baptized proclaim “Jesus-is-Lord” at their baptism. “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe [Greek, pisteuō] in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 NIV). 

As you can see, both are in agreement on the necessity of heart commitment, but disagree on the mechanics of the commitment. 

Both praying the Sinner’s Prayer approach to salvation and the “it-is-necessary-to-be-baptized-to-be-saved” approach to salvation can be circumvented by the insincerity of the faith of the one believing, as we have seen by John’s inspired statement: “But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:24 NIV). Jesus knew what? He knew the sincerity of their heart, when they said, “I believe.” A sincere heart is what God accepts. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). 

Father, we know that this discussion will not solve everyone’s questions about the nature of salvation, but we pray it will take down barriers in our understanding preventing us from presenting salvation to those around us for whom Christ died. Cause Your Spirit to work in us and those around to give us a willing heart to repent, believe, and obey the Gospel. Grant us confidence in You as the One who knows us, loves us, and deserves us to submit to You for now and for Eternity. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your name, we pray. Amen and amen.

Commentary on the Gospel of John 2

Ken

Two events are portrayed in John 2, which are Christ’s miracle of creating wine from water (2:1-21) and His cleansing of the Temple to announce Jehovah’s dealings with His people Israel (2:13-22). But, of greatest significance to the Church of Christ today is an overlooked distinction made by John based upon one Greek word pisteuō, translated as believe, commit, and entrust (2:23-25).   

I would like to further preface my remarks on John 2. 

Augustine said, 

In essentials, Unity. 

In non-essentials, Liberty.

In all things, Agapé. 

He also said, 

The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, while the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. 

I believe in the verbal inspiration and infallibility of the Word of God, which demands the literal inerrancy of His Word, and you should, too. You and I ought to take God as literally as possible with His Word; in other words, take God at His Word, just as you would receive the words of anyone, who has integrity. 

If God says,

“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18 NIV).

Believe it. 

If He says, 

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). 

Believe it, but know assuredly, 

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (19:26). 

Likewise, God’s Ceremonial Law for Temple Worship and Civil Law for the Ancient Nation of Israel has long passed away, but God’s Moral Law of “Love never fails” (1Corinthians 13:8 NIV). “The moral laws are such as grow out of the nature of things, and which cannot, therefore, be changed – such as the duty of loving God and his creatures. These cannot be abolished, as it can never be made right to hate God, or to hate our fellow-men” (from Barnes Notes on Matthew 5:18). 

The Ten Commandments represent God’s Moral Law. Not one jot or tittle (Matthew 5:17, 18) of God’s Moral Law of Love or any other part of His Inspired Word, for that matter, can fail or pass away until all is fulfilled, as we shall see in John 2. 

Now, let us examine John 2. 

Chapter 2 

Wedding at Cana — The First Miracle of Jesus (2:1-12)

John 2:1 

“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there” (John 2:1). 

A marriage in Cana of Galilee is here recorded, where Mary the mother of Jesus was present. 

John 2:2 

“And Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding” (John 2:2 NIV). 

From the previous chapter, we learn Jesus and His disciples, Simon Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, and John, were also invited. 

John 2:3 

“When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to Him, They have no more wine” (John 2:3 NIV). 

Mary already had thoughts about the potential help of her miraculous Son, when she approached Jesus. Possibly the addition of Jesus and His five disciples made necessary more wine than Mary originally planned. 

John 2:4 

“Woman, why do you involve Me? Jesus replied. My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4 NIV). 

Addressing His mother as “woman [Greek, gunē]” was not considered disrespectful or rude by the Greeks, and was also used by Jesus to address the woman at the well (John 4:21) and Mary Magdalene after His Resurrection (John 20:15). Mary’s request to Jesus may seemed to have been initially rebuffed, but her importunity in asking, evidently made clear that Jesus was willing to answer her request. 

John 2:5 

“His mother said to the servants, Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5 NIV). 

Mary already knew to take Jesus at His word, and told the servants to likewise obey His directions. 

John 2:6 

“Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons” (John 2:6 NIV). 

180 gallons of wine is a considerable amount of wine, even today. 

John 2:7 

“Jesus said to the servants, Fill the jars with water; so they filled them to the brim” (John 2:7 NIV). 

This reminds us of Elijah directing the trench around the sacrifice in front of the prophets of Baal to be filled with water, then ordering his sacrifice to be drenched three times with water until the “water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench” (1Kings 18:35 NIV). And, in answer to his prayer, the LORD sent fire to consume the sacrifice and “licked up the water in the trench” (18:38). 

John 2:8 

“Then He told them, Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. They did so” (John 2:8 NIV). 

Jesus wanted the miracle to become known, since this was the beginning of His ministry. Advertising does have its place, but we shall see Jesus did not always need or want it. 

John 2:9 

“And the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside” (John 2:9 NIV). 

The banquet master recognized the wine to be the “good stuff.” 

John 2:10 

“And said, Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now” (John 2:10 NIV). 

Just as the LORD created in the Beginning, Jesus was also creating, this time, wine out of water. Not realizing the miracle, the banquet master objected to the waste of the best wine on those who were too full to appreciate. Most probably, the over abundance of quality wine would be a marriage gift to the newly married couple. Thank you, Jesus! 

John 2:11 

“What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which He revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11 NIV). 

Because the Early Church believed in taking the words of the Gospel of John literally, they rejected the writing of “The Infancy Gospel of Thomas” as part of our New Testament Canon of Scripture, because it falsely claimed Jesus performed miracles in His childhood, when it was clearly stated the transforming of the water to wine at “Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs [Greek, sēmeion, miracles] through which He revealed His glory” (2:11). 

John 2:12 

“After this He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples. There they stayed for a few days” (John 2:12 NIV). 

Evidently, some of Jesus’ immediate family, e.g., James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, were accompanying Jesus, along with His mother Mary, and the other five, newly christened disciples. 

Jesus Cleanses the Second Temple (2:13-22) 

The First Temple was built by Solomon [957 BC] and destroyed by the Babylonians [586 BC]. The Second Temple was rebuilt by Zerrubabel [516 BC] and later Herod began remodeling the Temple about 46 years earlier than that present time.  

John 2:13 

“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (John 2:13 NIV). 

The Gospel of John is instrumental in establishing this as the first Passover Jesus observed during His ministry (2:13), i.e., His second Passover (6:4), third Passover (11:55-57). How long was Jesus’ ministry? About 3 1/2 years. “Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry” (Luke 3:23 NIV). 

John 2:14 

“In the temple courts He found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money” (John 2:14). 

Either the merchants were selling in sacred areas of the Temple grounds or the transactions trivialized the real need of the people to look to God for the atonement of their sins. 

John 2:15 

“So He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables” (John 2:15). 

Though our Lord’s First Advent was to present Himself as a Saviour from our sins, “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11 KJV). And, this was a day to remind Israel that a Holy God was not happy with turning sacrifice and forgiveness into simply a moneymaking business. 

John 2:16 

“To those who sold doves He said, Get these out of here! Stop turning My Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16 NIV). 

John then cited Psalm 69: “Zeal for Your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult You fall on me” (Psalm 69:9). Jesus treated the merchants’ insults against His Father as an insult against Himself. God will not always restrain His anger. 

John 2:17 

“His disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for Your house will consume Me” (John 2:17 NIV). 

Uncommon intensity and devotion to God characterized Jesus and unsettled the religious establishment of the Jews, whose interpretation of prophecy required a different kind of Messiah. 

John 2:18 

“The Jews then responded to him, What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” (John 2:18). 

They challenged Jesus, “Who do you think you are to do all this?” This was not a question from an earnest seeker of the truth. 

John 2:19 

“Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19). 

Jesus answered according to their heart opposition, knowing it would help those, who would eventually repent and harden those who would not. He referred to His body as God’s Holy temple, just as “you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst” (1Corinthians 3:16). He was referring to His Resurrection from the dead (Mark 9:31).

John 2:20 

“They replied, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” (John 2:20 NIV). 

King Herod made improvements upon the Second Temple starting 46 years earlier. 

John 2:21 

“But the temple He had spoken of was His body” (John 2:21). 

Jesus was not speaking figuratively but literally, for He literally would die at their hands and resurrect. 

John 2:22 

“After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken” (John 2:22). 

Ancient prophesy demanded a literal Messiah (Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 9:25-26). It was not just an idea. Unfortunately, the Jews apparently wanted more of a deliverer from the Romans, not simply from their sins (Isaiah 53:1-12). Likewise, many today may be more prone to look for an easy Rapture exit than a plan for Spirit filled obedience in building His Kingdom. 

Jesus Knows What Is In Each Person (2:23-25) 

John 2:23 

“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” (John 2:23). 

“Signs” or miracles [Greek, sēmeion] were being performed and people “believed [Greek, pisteuō] in His name” (2:23). Pisteuō is the same Greek word used in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes [Greek, pisteuō] in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” “Believe [Greek, pisteuō] in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household” (Acts 16:31). “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe [Greek, pisteuō] in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Pisteuō is translated some 240 times out of 250, as believe. 

John 2:24 

“But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:24). 

The same Greek word pisteuō is here translated as entrust [NIV] and commit [KJV].  

Why would Jesus refuse to entrust or commit Himself to these Jews in John 2, if they had “believed [Greek, pisteuō] in His name” (John 2:23)? Since “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 simple but significant statement informs us that our faith is not enough for Jesus to commit Himself to us, unless we have genuinely committed ourselves to Him. 

This does not upend the validity of faith in our salvation, but it cautions us from the uselessness of promoting a “faith without deeds” (James 2:20). Instead, we should reevaluate John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes [literally, COMMITS] in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). 

John 2:25 

“He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person” (John 2:25). 

This is not a works salvation but an ongoing relationship with the only One who truly knows us, loves us, and genuinely seeks our highest good. 

How can we not in return commit ourselves to Him and count upon His Spirit to work in us “to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13)? 

Let us pray. 

Father, You have been amazingly patient with us to make Your point to us that faith is meaningless unless Your Spirit has inspired us to obey You. Work in us all Your good pleasure. And, may we keep our hand to the plow until Your Trumpet announces it is dinner time for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen and amen.