Entrusting Yourself to Jesus

There’s something interesting going on in a passage in John’s gospel. 

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. John 2:23–25 

 

John writes that ‘many believed in his [Jesus’] name’. Then, he also writes, ‘Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them’. What’s interesting is that the word translated ‘believed’ is the same word that is translated ‘entrust’. The very same word. And that helps us to understand something that is actually very important. 

It is a sad fact that far too many people, Christians and not, think of belief merely as some intellectual act. So, believing in Jesus is a matter of understanding that He is the Savior and asking Him to save you. So, according to this way of thinking, once someone has made that request, that person has believed in Jesus. But that is not at all what ‘believing in Jesus’ is about. To believe in Jesus is to entrust yourself – body and soul, big things and little things, now and forever – to Him. 

What does that mean? It means that, whatever the circumstance, a Christian can - and will! – depend on Jesus to do whatever is necessary so that he will be graciously enabled to handle whatever aspect of life that he meets up with. Believing in Jesus is a 24 hour a day proposition, and it covers all of life. 

So, there will be an ongoing communion between Jesus and the believer, every day and all the day. This communion will express itself in all sorts of conversations between the believer and Jesus. Some conversations will be about how this Christian is to respond to some situation. Other conversations will be his expressions of gratitude to Jesus for some benefit. Some conversations will be a cry to Jesus for help. Other conversations will be filled with words of love and affection in both directions. Where there is real believing, honest entrusting, there will be communion. 

This is what entrusting yourself to – what believing in – Jesus is about. Anything less isn’t real believing. It isn’t real faith. So, it needs to be said that maybe – just maybe - someone who doesn’t pursue the practice of entrusting himself to Jesus – this ongoing communion with Him and what that includes - isn’t actually a Christian. How could he be a Christian if he has not entrusted himself to Jesus? He isn’t believing in Jesus, not really.