We talk an awful lot about faith being about us trusting Jesus. Which it is. How much I truly find Jesus trustworthy and responsible enough to be entrusted with my life matters a lot.
But maybe we also ought to talk about Jesus trusting us. How much Jesus us finds me trustworthy and responsible also matters.
Christianity is all about relationship. I really do believe that. It’s much more than some church catch-phrase to me. And if it’s true, then trust must be a two-way street, just like in any other intimate relationship. Any married person can testify.
In John 2, Jesus performs a lot of miracles that cause people to believe in him. To trust him. But then there’s this odd little commentary:
“But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.”
John 2:24-25
He loved these crowds of people enough to perform miracles among them, but he didn’t trust them. He wanted to be powerfully present to them, but he didn’t see them as being very trustworthy. His confidence wasn’t super high. His divinity somehow supernaturally empowered him to see into people’s hearts and minds, so he knew to keep his cards close.
Jesus didn’t trust these people, but it’s not because he didn’t want to. “He would not” doesn’t mean “he could not.” If you keep reading, Jesus does end up entrusting himself to some people, a few of which majorly let him down. Oh well. That, as they say, is the price of doing business.
There’s always an element of risk involved with trusting someone. Nevertheless, all risks considered, Jesus wants to trust you.