John 2:23-25

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes) 



2) Scripture Reading: John 2:23-25


 23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

3) Devotional: The word “but” has a way of changing everything that came before it in a sentence. Someone can give us a great compliment that really makes us feel good up until the word “but.” (“I love your outfit, but…”) The moment that word appears, we immediately forget what was said before it and brace for whatever is coming after it. That’s exactly what’s happening in this short concluding passage of John 2. Jesus has been performing signs and miracles, and many believe in His name. So far, so good. In verse 24, the dreaded “but” appears. Jesus does not entrust himself to these new believers, and John goes on in verse 25 to illustrate that Jesus sees what is truly at the core of each of us. In the original language, the same Greek word used for “believe” in verse 23 is also used for “entrust” in verse 24. The literal understanding of this word is “to pledge something to someone,” and can also be translated “commit.” Scholars are divided on why Jesus does not entrust himself- perhaps their belief is only “sign faith,” based on the signs and miracles they have seen, but regardless, two lessons are clear: Jesus sees past the facades and the opinions and affirmations of man right into our hearts to the root of our motivations for belief, and He commits His message and ministry to us as vessels to carry it to the world based on what He sees there, or not. A rather sobering thought.

4) Questions to Consider:
Do you believe because of what you have seen, or because of who Jesus is? Does the “vessel” of your life have enough integrity to carry the ministry of Christ to the world? What are the hidden things inside the core of your being that are compromising the flow of Christ in you and through you? Are you willing to commit those things to Christ and be set free?

5) Prayer: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:24-24)

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 2:17-22

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes) 



2) Scripture Reading: John 2:17-22

His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 

Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 

 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” T 

he Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 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.

 3) Devotional 
Now here's another example of where the Gospel of John differs from the other gospels.  With the addition of yesterday's passage of Jesus clearing the temple - John has depicted this event happening at the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  In the other gospels, it's described toward the end of Jesus' ministry.  So why is it different here?  Remember that John is writing just to keep a record, but there reasons behind each detail and event he describes.  Here we see Jesus being challenged to perform a miracle to prove his authority.  The way Jesus answers ties in with how he is introduced in the Gospel of John - that He is the new way.  And that the authority they wish to see will be shown through Jesus' death and resurrection.  Jesus came to turn the world as it was known upside down.  That the way people worshipped in temples then was the old way and through the resurrection of Jesus, there is a new temple for the people of God.  And as Christians today, according to 1 Corinthians 3:16, you are God's temple and God's Spirit lives in you.

4) Questions to Consider:

How has Jesus come in my life to do away with the old, to bring in the new?  What needs to be transformed within me so that God's Spirit may dwell in me?

5) Prayer:

Father God, may my life be a temple for you.  Dwell in me and may I dwell in you.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)