John 2:23

Ver. 23. “ As he was in Jerusalem, at the Passover, at the feast, many believed on his name, seeing the miracles which he did. ”

The first clause of the verse contains three designations. One is that of place: in Jerusalem, at the centre of the theocracy, the normal theatre of His work. The second is that of time: at the Passover, in those days when the whole people were assembled in the capital, in greater numbers than on any other occasion in the year. The third designation is that of the mode: at the feast, in the midst of the solemn impressions which the daily ceremonies of that Paschal week awakened. The pronoun πολλοί, many, denotes nothing more than individuals; they form a contrast with the nation which should have collectively believed. Comp. the contrast between οἱ ἴδιοι, His own, and ὅσοι, all those who, John 1:11-12. But a still more sorrowful contrast is pointed out by the evangelist; it is that which existed between the faith of these believers and true faith. Their faith, to the view of Jesus, was not faith. No doubt, it had for its object His revelation as Christ and Son of God (His name); but it rested only upon the external fact of His miracles. The logical relation between this aorist believed and the present participle seeing, is expressed by the conjunction because. This faith had nothing inward and moral; it resulted solely from the impression of astonishment produced upon them by these wonders. Signs may, indeed, strengthen and develop true faith, where it is already formed, by displaying to it fully the riches of its object (John 2:11). They may even, sometimes, excite attention; but not produce real faith. Faith is a moral act which attaches itself to the moral being in Jesus. The last words: which He did, depict, indeed, the nature of this faith; it was the material operation which impressed these persons. These miracles were, undoubtedly, numerous; allusion is made to them in John 4:45. John relates, however, only one of them; so far different is His aim from that of the Synoptics. He wishes only to describe here a spiritual situation.