A question of identity

‘As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.’ – Matthew 9.9

From Sam Lomas:

“Who are you?”

When you meet someone for the first time and they are trying to get to know you a little bit better, a question along the lines of, “who are you?” is probably quite common.

Chances are you would respond to this question by telling the person about your job, or your family, or what you like to do at the weekend.   That’s fine.  But it is only a glimpse of who you really are.  Recently I heard someone say that, “if what you do is who you are, who will you be when you stop doing it?!”

“Who are you?” is actually a question of identity.

Who you are is found in your relationship with Jesus.  It’s not found in your job title, the closeness of your family, your school grades, your reputation at church, etc.  Your identity is who you are in relation to Jesus.

Take Matthew, for example.  As a tax collector during the Roman Empire, his life would have been driven by greed.  If someone asked Matthew, “who are you?”, chances are he’d have told you about his job, his position within the empire and what he got up to on a Friday night.  But everything changed the day Jesus showed up and invited Matthew to follow Him. 

Suddenly Matthew had a whole new identity as one of Jesus’ followers.  Jesus is amazing.  When we follow Him, our identity, our core, the things that define us are instantly transformed into something greater.  Following Jesus gives your life a new purpose, but also a new identity.  This doesn’t mean you stop doing your job, school work or hobbies, but it does mean that those things are put into the perspective of your primary identity, that is, being a follower of Jesus.

So the next time you meet someone for the first time and begin to tell them about yourself, remember who you are.  Your identity is found in Jesus.  Why not tell them who you are?