Well, I love this next passage. I love where it sits early in the Gospel of John because John has written these words to let you know something very important to know and understand: Jesus knows you better than you know yourself.
This is John 2:23-25:
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
Before we examine this incredible passage, I want to consider one word in it. It's the word "sign." Instead of calling the amazing things, the miracles that Jesus did "miracles," John consistently uses the word "sign." It really is the perfect name. What's the function of a sign? It's to point you to something. We all know this. The sign is not the thing; the sign points you to the thing. If you see a sign, "Disney World: 2100 Miles," you don't stop at the sign with your family and expect to find something wonderful because the sign is not the thing.
The important thing, then, about the miracles of Jesus are not the miracles themselves, but what they point to in the person who is doing it. This is the function of the miracles of Jesus. They are meant to point us to the identity and glory of Jesus and the gospel that has him at the center of its hope. In this way, every miracle of Jesus preaches the gospel to us, the gospel of the depth of our need and how those needs are only ever met in the person and work of the Son of God, the Messiah, Jesus. That's important to remember.
But what is powerful about this passage is its clear declaration of the divine omniscience of Jesus. Jesus was reluctant to entrust himself to anyone because he knew what was in people. This means he knew their hearts. Now, you need to understand this, and I need to understand this, in its most general and specific sense: He knows the heart of every person who has ever lived. Now because sin blinds and distorts our view of ourselves, this means that Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. We need to take, at face value, the things that Jesus says about us and what's in us because he knows us better than we know ourselves. It means he knows the heart of every person that's in that crowd that day, each individual one. Jesus knows humankind, but he knows each of us intimately and specifically, even to the particular thoughts and motives of our heart. We should all be amazed that Jesus knows us this completely.
Yet even though he knows us, he still loves us and blesses us with his grace. I can't ever read this passage without thinking about Psalm 139. Listen to these words.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there's a word on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether...
Such knowledge is too wonderful to me...
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me...
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together to my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made...
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in secret,
Intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
And the passage goes on. I love this picture of the intimate, complete knowledge that God has of us. That's why what he says about us and what we need is trustworthy. But this Psalm ends with a prayer. I would encourage you to pray this prayer.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
Would you pray that?
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. In what ways do you find yourself valuing the signs (miracles) more than what the signs point to as you read about the works of Jesus? When it comes to the miraculous ways Christ has personally worked in your life, how have the signs of Jesus pointed you to him? Why do you think the signs are less important than the one performing the signs (as you see in both Scripture and your own life)? How have the miracles of Jesus personally preached the gospel to you?
2. Why might it be difficult for you to believe that Jesus knows you better than you know yourself? What is potentially frightening to you about the fact that Jesus knows you intimately, specifically, and completely? What is potentially liberating about the fact that Jesus knows you, even to the particular thoughts and motives of your heart?
3. Why is what God says about us trustworthy? Why is it important to rest in the trustworthiness of God when it comes to your specific needs in life?
4. Take a moment to reread Psalm 139:23-24. Why is inviting God into your heart, thoughts, and ways an important posture to take before the Lord? What does that invitation given to God on your part reflect about how God's Spirit is already working in your life? Take a moment and pray verses 23-24 of Psalm 139 back to God with a heart of sincerity, and ask him to work powerfully within you as you submit to his guidance, direction, and lordship.
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Who do you think knows you better than anyone else in the world? Do you think you know yourself better than anyone else could know you? Why?
• Do you think God might know you better than you know yourself? Why does that matter?
• Why is what God says about us more true than what we think we know about ourselves?
For Older Children:
• Why do you think it's hard to believe that Jesus knows you better than you know yourself? Even though we might say that God knows us better than anyone else, why do you think people often struggle to live that way?
• Why is it scary to think that God knows every detail about you? Why is God's love for you and me so amazing in light of the fact that he knows every single detail about our lives? How does his knowledge of you help you to appreciate his grace more deeply?
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