A NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSV)

Jesus invited Peter and his brother, Andrew, to forsake their business in order to string along with Him, and “immediately they left their nets and followed Him“ (Matthew 4:18-20). Soon Jesus called two other brothers to follow Him. “Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him” (Matthew 4:22). The Gospel writers reveal a sense of immediacy accompanying Jesus’ call. They recognize a sense of timing. Jesus’ call in our lives is both immediate and timely.

Not only does Jesus call us to join ranks with Him; He also names us. In recruiting Peter, Jesus said to him, “You are Simon… you are to be called… Peter” (John 1:42). Gospel vignettes remind us that we must name Jesus for ourselves. Nathaniel named Jesus “the Son of God… the King of Israel” (John 1:49). In the early chapter of the Gospels, so many people are naming and being named. We too might allow Jesus to name us, to tell us who we really are. Naming someone defines the person, allows the person to take on an entirely new identity. When Jesus lays claim upon our lives, we are given a new name…

When John’s disciples broke ranks to follow after Jesus, He asked them, “Who are you looking for?” They responded, “Where do you live?” Jesus asked who, they responded where. Their spirituality was uninformed. They looked for grace in “things and places.” Jesus offered them grace in a living, loving relationship. Jesus still asks the “who” questions – not merely “what.” “What are you doing?” is a doing question with a doing reply: I am a teacher, a machinist, a physician, and so forth. But “who” you are invites a being response. “Who” inquires into the soul of us. Who are you? What name has Jesus given you? What name have you given Jesus? 

-- Norman Shawchuck in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

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