Bloom
“...and behold, a voice from heaven
said, ’This is my beloved Son, with
whom I am well pleased.’” Matthew
3:17 (ESV)
W
We knew who Jesus was from the
onset of the New Testament. Luke
1:35 says, “The angel answered her,
‘The Holy Spirit will come to you,
and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you. Therefore,
the holy child developing inside
you will be called the Son of God.’”
Despite this confirmation, at Jesus’
baptism His Father sought again to
establish His identity as Son of God.
In Matthew 16:13-20 (NIV), we see
Jesus asking His disciples a redundant
question as if seeking confirmation
about His identity, “Who do people say
the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some
say John the Baptist; others say Elijah;
and still others, Jeremiah or one of the
prophets.” “But what about you?” He
asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon
6
|
SHARE | MAGAZINE
April - June 2018
walked, the leper cleansed, the deaf
heard, the dead raised and the good
news was proclaimed to the poor.
Where
You are
Planted
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God.”
Jesus did not waver when His own
cousin questioned His identity… “Are
you the one who is to come, or should
we expect someone else?” Matt 11:3.
Jesus continued to bloom where He was
planted, the blind receive sight, the lame
So where does our identity come
from? Is it from our parents, our
friends, society or God? These
questions may be answered
differently based on where you are
in life, your beliefs or your culture.
As a believer, I would address the
above by defining identity. It is
important to know what a thing is
but it is also good to know what it
is NOT. Identity is not individuality,
your identity is a part of your
DNA, it is also your personal and
social attributes, beliefs, desires, or
principles of action which distinguishes
you from another.
Most people in search of their identity
may ask “Who am I?” Much like what
Jesus asked the disciples, however, Jesus
knew who He was, this was a testing
of the disciples. If you have ever asked