This morning I was reading in John and came across these verses that really stuck out to me.  It was early in Jesus’ ministry when these verses occurred:

23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men.25 He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. John 2: 23-25

Placing your trust in someone else is a scary proposition.  It leaves you vulnerable when you do trust in someone.

It reminds me of a conversation that I had with one of my mentors early on in ministry.  To this day I can’t remember what exactly we were discussing, but I do remember it had something to do with talking to other people about your life, struggles and what all is going on on the inside.  I’m pretty easy to read as far as what’s going on in the inside so maybe that was it 🙂  What he said to me took me back: “Alan, don’t cast your pearls before swine.”  “What?!  Are you calling my friends pigs?”, I thought.  Now, of course he was quoting Matthew 7:6.  I had just never heard it in that context before.  The point he was making was a very good one and one that I’ve taken to heart to this day: Be careful who you trust the things that are deep inside and important to.

Personally, I really value when people are honest, real and authentic.  And being transparent has its time and place, too.  That said, it doesn’t mean that we should entrust ourselves to everyone.  Being “real” doesn’t mean being careless with what’s going on in our lives.  I think that’s what Jesus was saying here.  He understood that the same crowd that was believing in Him now would one day be the same crowd chanting “Crucify, Crucify!”  My take on it is if you have 2 or 3 people in your life that you can be transparent with, real and even accountable to about the good and the bad, you’re blessed.