Living Stones – Thursday, November 2, 2017
Identity Theft
Mark 8:27
“Who do men say that I am?”
People have been messing with others’ identity for as long as there has been society. Identity is fundamental to our sense of self and our self-esteem, and our identity locks into our purpose and destiny.
A significant challenge for many is that false identities get forced on them, and for others their identity gets stolen from them. False identities often get forced on us on the basis of the circumstances of our birth, or bodies, our school performance and the like. People call children many names that affect their self-concept – black sheep, blow-child, good-for-nothing, etc. And people also, as a result, “prophesy on them” – you will amount to nothing, no one would want you, etc.
False identities, and false values that go along with them, cause the most damaging results including self-consciousness, low self-esteem, and no self-worth. It also triggers bad attitudes, negative mindsets, and strongholds that accompany rejection, fear, shame, guilt, condemnation and so on.
In this age of electronic records and transactions, identity theft is very prevalent and is focused on our electronic property and identity. The consequences of identity theft are widening every day.
In the context of today’s meditation, we are interested, not in the theft of our Facebook Profile or ATM Card PIN, we are concerned with the theft of the identity that’s at the core of who we are, our sense of self.
This matter of our identity is very important and so the formation of identity is critical. Generally, identity tends to be formed on the basis of some combination of the following: Family, Ethnicity (Race, nationality, geography), Education, Occupation, Skills, Ability, Talents, Relationships, Experience, Victimization, our Possessions, and our Perceptions.
Who am I? is, therefore, a critical question because it settles the issues of belonging and relationship, and feeds into our self-concept, self-worth, self-esteem. Once we settle on who we are, we can then go to the next critical question of why am I here – what’s my purpose or what’s my destiny?
In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus himself now asks this crucial question as He gets some private time with the disciples. He asks the question about His identity twice, in verse 13, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” and in verse 15, He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
The first answer to the question produced answers that exposed some of the identities that people wanted to force on Him. They couldn’t accept His claims of who He is, nor could they accept the logical conclusions of the signs that He performed. They preferred to give Him a different identity “So they answered, “John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
These were some respectable answers because many of the people were also giving Him some other, less charitable identities, Matthew 11:19 – a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! They even said that He cast out demons by Beelzebub (Mark 3:22)
We should note that Jesus wasn’t asking this question because He was unsure of His identity. Jesus was always very clear about His identity from very early. There is a story in Luke 2:41-52, when Jesus, as a child, abandoned His family and stayed in the temple with the scholars. When He was found by the family He made a clear statement about His identity and purpose.
Jesus refused to accept the false identities that others were presenting for him, and He rejected out of hand the mistaken identity (Mark 3:20-27).
In the passage we are meditating on today Jesus affirms His true identity, as declared by Peter, and then established His identity as the basis and foundation of His future activities
We are all challenged every day by others who seek to control our identity, and often, to impose another identity on us. However, you must control your identity. You have to know who you are in Christ and do not let parents, siblings, relatives, spouse, or any other person, force an identity on you.
Your true identity must be the foundation of everything that you will build and become. Drop the false and forged identities. Take back your identity if you were the victim of identity theft. Know your true identity in Christ and pursue your purpose.
Think on these things:
- Have you ever been body-shamed or called names based on things like your looks or performance?
- Has your self-esteem or self-worth ever been damaged by what others called you or declared about you?
- Do you need to work on establishing your true identify?
- Do you have an appreciation of your identity in Christ?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would know who we are in Christ and on this basis pursue our purpose and destiny.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex
