Jn. 2:23-25; Mic. 7:5-7; Matt. 10:35-36, How did Jesus know?

Jesus knew from the beginning of His ministry that the faith expressed by those who heard Him was not to be trusted.  He knew what was in their hearts according to John’s account.  How did He know this?  Furthermore, should I know this?

Some answer the question by immediately appealing to Jesus’ omniscience.  But Jesus laid aside the use of His attributes of deity, submitting Himself to the Father in their use (i.e. only using them when it was in the Father’s will).  Did the Father enable Him to know the truth about every person who claimed to follow Him?  That seems unfair in the sense that I am supposed to follow Christ and live my life in the power of the Spirit and the Word as He did.  I don’t have that ability to know people’s hearts?

Others answer the question by simply saying that Jesus was wise, He used common sense.  In other words He could see what anyone ought to be able to see: that some who make professions of faith will not last.  Some will let Satan take the word away immediately; others will stray away because of the cares of this world or the troubles of life.  Maybe Jesus sensed this in Judas.  There is truth to that.

Well, it’s an interesting discussion I suppose.  But what I actually want to say is that in this case, I believe, Jesus just knew His Bible!  John says He knew what was in man.  How did He know?  Because Scripture said so.

·        Micah 7:5-7 commands Israel, as they confess their sins and return to the Lord, not to trust those around them, even family members.  In other words, don’t you base your faith or obedience on what others are saying or doing.  People are fickle.  And what is interesting is that Jesus quotes from this in Matthew 10:35-36.  In other words, He applies Micah’s words to His own ministry.  But that is not all.

·        Jeremiah 9:1-6: Jesus was a prophet, The Prophet.  He knew that the LORD had warned Jeremiah of the same thing.  You think people are crying out to the Me?  But in fact, they do not know Me, says the LORD (v3).  They have taught their tongue to speak lies (v5).  Through deceit they refuse to know Me (v6).  Later the Lord would tell Jeremiah those words that we often quote but that we need to truly believe: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it (Jer. 17:9-10)?  God alone knows the heart of men.

·        Read Deut. 28:54-57 as well.  You will see the same problem in a passage that describes the times in which both Jeremiah and Jesus ministered.  It was a time when Israel was deep in sin and expulsion from the land was imminent.

What does this mean to us?  Just what it says.  Jesus did not get depressed over this fact.  God was working to get Jeremiah over the shock of people’s lying hearts.  For us we need to understand and accept this truth, and trust the Lord by continuing to love people and minister to people and not be dependent on the shape of their heart.