Seeking Ones Identity

Scripture: When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent a message by his disciples and asked Him, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Matthew 11:2-3

Observation: What was John really asking? The text is clear - he was asking if Jesus was the Messiah. However, he didn't ask that question, but instead asked Jesus to classify his identity through two possible alternatives. John asked Jesus if he was either a) the Messiah, or b) the prophet coming before the Messiah.

In other words, John was really asking ... whether he himself had been a fraud. If Jesus was the new Elijah predicted to come before the Messiah, then very clearly John was NOT that person as had been his understanding. If Jesus was the Messiah, then absolutely John was that prophet. John isn't really asking Jesus who Jesus is ... he is asking Jesus who he himself is.

And Jesus sees this immediately and responds in a manner that is exactly in line with the truth of this question. He first responds about his identity not by saying "I am the Messiah", but rather by quoting prophesy. In so doing, he reinforces John's understanding of prophesy and thus confidence that he himself was the one predicted to prepare the way. Jesus goes further, immediately declaring to the crowd who John was: A prophet (v9), the one written about (v10), the Elijah (v14). In fact, in this response Jesus more directly declares who John is than whom he himself is.

Application: Before Jesus arrived on the scene, John had an identity ... raised in the home of a priest, and dedicated to God at birth, he was a man and prophet of God set to become the one who prepared Israel for the Messiah. However, when he realized the Messiah was here - and especially when his own ministry and life hit hardship - he started to lose his identity and needed it confirmed within a new context ... that being the context of faith in the Messiah.

I should daily seek my identity not through any preexisting concept about myself, but through the lens of Jesus. Once when I declared I wasn't even sure what my 'title' was at work, my wife reminded me that my title was "child of the king". In all things, that is the only title that matters - the title that comes as a result of faith in Jesus. "Director" or "CIO" or "boss" or "cabinet member" or "committee chair" ... NONE of that matters compared to "child" or "son" or "believer" or "beloved". Since I know Jesus is Messiah, I can know who I really am.

Prayer: Lord, as we head into the holiday season, with Thanksgiving tomorrow and Advent upon us, may I know every day my true worth not by any earthly measure, but by my identity through you alone. You are my Lord, my savior, my God, my friend, my master, my father, and I am your child. Amen.