Genesis 27:32 His father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" He answered, "I am your firstborn son, Esau."
Exodus 3:13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?"
Luke 9:18 Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" 19 They answered, "John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen." 20 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Messiah of God."
During our recent travels we encountered numerous different languages and a dialect of our own language different from our own. We heard U.K. English, French and German spoken several different times. Somehow it only took our speaking a word or two for people speaking to us to realize we were speaking English. During our trip and since our return, I have been thinking about how much of our self-identity is language-dependent.
When asked, Jacob falsely told Isaac that he was Esau, his older brother. Jacob’s motive was obvious. Theirs was an inheritance system based on primogenitor: “Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit all of most of their parent’s estate, as well as succeed their parent as the ruler of a state.” (en.wikipedia.org)
When asked, how do you identify yourself? For many of us, our first response is probably to offer our name, e.g., “I am Ray Henderson.” We offer our given name and our patronym. How much does your name reveal about who you are? Does knowing my name provide you any insight into who I am? Does it tell you about my interests, talents or abilities?
Sometimes, when asked, we provide additional information, e.g., where we were born or our profession. My telling anyone that I am from Texas probably does offer some insight. Texans are very proud of our heritage. One of my favorite Texanisms is, “It’s impolite to ask anyone where they are from. If they’re from Texas, they’ll let you know. If they are not, you don’t want to embarrass them.” My offering the detail that I was initially trained as an engineer also offers further information about who and what I am. But, does knowing my name, my point of origin and my previous profession offer a complete picture of the person I am now?
Even hearing the language I speak only offers a few clues as to who and what I am. For what it’s worth (FWIW), the English we heard in the U.K. is different from the English we hear in New England; and the English we hear in New England is different from the English spoken in Texas. English is spoken in different countries all around the world; but, English is spoken differently in all of those countries.
Why am I, a Texas engineer now serving a New England congregation as a minister, thinking about all of this today? At least in part, because of those scriptures above. Who we are is important. Jacob falsely identified himself to his father. Read in your Bible about all the travails Jacob endured because of his perfidy.
Rather than attempting to self-identify, Moses sought legitimacy in terms of the One who sent him, "Exodus 3:14Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" As he progressed in his ministry, Jesus sought to determine its success by asking, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
We do not know what language Jesus spoke. Many scholars believe Aramaic was the most commonly spoken language among the populations of the Levant. “The Levant is a subregion of West Asia along the Eastern Mediterranean that forms part of the Middle East.“ (en.wikipedia.org) However, Latin, Greek and various local dialects were also prevalent.
Jesus did not ask whether people knew his name. He did not ask whether folks knew he was from Galilee. He asked, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" Then he asked the question he asks each of us today, "But who do you say that I am?" When he asks that of you, can you respond as did Peter, "The Messiah of God."?
What might our world be like if each of us self-identified as a child of God, as a follower of Christ? Might we achieve that for which we so often pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”?
Think about your self-identity, trust God,
Pastor Ray