Identify yourself!

The original article can be read on the daily blog Bybel Legkaart.

If someone were to ask you who you were, what would you answer? Last night, when speaking to a friend, she made the comment that these types of questions would be answered differently at different times, given different settings and different groups of people. At first glance, we balk at the idea of being so duplicitous, but it holds some truth. Imagine yourself in a work interview, answering that question. Now see yourself gazing into the eyes of a romantic love interest, answering the same question. How about if we place ourselves in the presence of God, who would we be then?

When reading Luke 9 this morning, I was struck by people’s confusion over Jesus’ identity. Verse 7 says that this question had Herod, the ruler at the time, ‘perplexed’. He had heard about the things Jesus had done and was asking about Him. He got varying answers, though. Some said that Jesus was John the Baptist, come back to life (after Herod had had him beheaded!). Others figured it was Elijah come back from the dead. Yet others offered up suggestions of various other prophets as possibilities. No one seemed able to grasp that Jesus truly was Who He claimed to be; the Son of God! Well, not exactly no one.

You see, Jesus asked His disciples the same question: Who do people say that I am? They had heard the same suggestions offered up to Herod and gave Jesus these same answers. It was obvious that even those who had miraculously been fed by Jesus a couple of verses earlier, was greatly confused as to Who it was that had fed them. How strange their stories must have sounded as they returned home. I imagine something like this:

“So, what did you have to eat out there in that forsaken place?”

“You will not believe it, but the Teacher took a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread, prayed over it and distributed it among us. Everyone took and ate, but we never seemed to run out. Every time the food was passed from hand to hand, there seemed to still be plenty left. It was incredible!”

“Are you sure you’re not suffering from sunstroke?”

“No! There are more than 5000 of us all telling the same story. We can’t all be suffering from the same delirium!”

“Well, that is truly incredible! Who did you say this Teacher was again?”

“He goes by the name of Jesus, but I figure it must be John who has come back to life. You know, that guy who was preaching in the dessert a while ago, telling people to repent, and baptizing them in water?”

“John?! Are you insane? If your Teacher had a head, I have a serious problem with your assumption.”

“Okay, well then perhaps not John, but certainly one of the prophets. Maybe even Elijah himself!”

I will leave the reaction to that statement up to your own imagination. As for me, I could suppose that it was much as incredulous as Herod’s had been upon hearing the suggestions: 

“John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?”

Back to the conversation Jesus was having with His disciples. After questioning them about the opinions of the crowd, He asks: 

“But who do you say I am?”

Peter is yet again the first to answer. He always seemed to be the first. 

“The Christ of God.” 

This means the One that the prophets had prophesied about, the Son of God, the Messiah, the blessed One. It did not matter who you asked or spoke to, whether they got it right or wrong, everyone knew they were dealing with more than just another human being!

Jesus then tells his disciples NOT to tell anyone who He was! These are the same people who He has sent out to tell about God’s kingdom being at hand! Why should they not tell? Because Jesus had a mission to complete. He HAD to die and be resurrected to fulfill God’s will. He understood the importance of this act of obedience for reconciling man to God. He did not want fame, awe, wonder, or anything else to get in the way of what He had to do. That was His identity. He was the chosen One of God, who would die to save the world.

But then Jesus takes this idea one step further. Directly after telling the disciples this about Himself, He tells them that they too should deny themselves and die on a cross. Daily! They should follow Him! Jesus denied Himself when He died an excruciating and humiliating death on the cross. He denied Himself to be called God. He denied Himself to be called Teacher, Master, Ruler, Rabbi, Savior, Provider, Miracle-worker, or any other term that you can think of that befits Him, that He could be identified by, that He could be known as. And He is the One who tells us that we should do the same.

Now, let’s get back to my original question. Who are you? How would you identify yourself? The more important question is this one: are you willing to deny every part of every answer you could give to that question? Could you do it daily, as often as God requires it of you? When telling His disciples to do just this, Jesus said to them that only when they did this, would they truly find themselves. Let me show you what happened to Jesus directly after declaring Himself willing to physically do what God wanted Him to do. The very next couple of verses hold the key.

We see Jesus on the mountain praying. He has become transfigured and had a brilliant glow about Him. With Him are the two dead representatives, the great figures of the Old Testament, Elijah (representing the prophets) and Moses (representing the law). And then, after Jesus declared Himself willing to deny Himself, God acknowledges Him, saying: 

“This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”

Don’t tell the world who you are. Deny yourself. Allow God to testify on your behalf. Your true identity can only be found in God.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:

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