John 2:23

Jesus did many signs (significant miracles) while He was in Jerusalem this time. These were probably healings and perhaps exorcisms. The Synoptics record that Jesus ministered this way virtually everywhere He went. Consequently many people believed on Him. As we have seen in the Synoptics, this does not mean that they placed saving faith in Him as the Son of God, however. Often the people who observed His miracles concluded that He was a prophet, but they were not always willing to acknowledge Him as God.

John usually used the dative case when he described faith in a thing (e.g., "they believed the Scripture," John 2:22; cf. John 4:50; John 5:47; John 10:38). When he described faith in a person, he did the same or used the verb "believe" (Gr. pisteuo) plus the preposition "into" or "in" (Gr. eis) and the accusative (e.g., "believed in His name," John 2:23; cf. John 8:30-31). These are synonymous expressions in John. Some interpreters have incorrectly argued that the former case indicates spurious faith and the latter genuine faith. The context must determine this in every instance. [Note: Carson, p. 183.]