This is an amazing journey marker I wanted to share with you all that my leadership team sent the squad to work through.I hope you learn something from this as I have.
That set everyone in the meeting place seething with anger. They threw him out, banishing him from the village, then took him to a mountain cliff at the edge of the village to throw him to his doom, but he gave them the slip and was on his way.”
? Luke 4:24-30
He left the next day for open country. But the crowds went looking and, when they found him, clung to him so he couldn’t go on. He told them, “Don’t you realize that there are yet other villages where I have to tell the Message of God’s kingdom, that this is the work God sent me to do?” Meanwhile he continued preaching in the meeting places of Galilee.
? Luke 4:43-44
After arriving in his hometown, Jesus heads to the synagogue where he sits down and reads scripture to all in attendance. And as he concludes, he proclaims himself to be the fulfillment to the words he reads (Luke 4:21). Those around him respond with a mixture of amazement and bewilderment. They speak well of him, but then mention his lineage. How could this, the son of Joseph, be the promised one of God?
Jesus tells them that just like God’s messengers in the Old Testament, he will also be rejected. He knows that he’s not welcome in his hometown, but this doesn’t stop him from speaking the truth he was sent to proclaim. Jesus’ calling and identity are not hindered by his circumstances.
Jesus then hands out a warning by referencing a dark period in Israel’s history. A time when idolatry and unfaithfulness were the standard practice and thus God showed his mercy outside of the nation of Israel. The crowd does not respond well to his words. In fact, the warning infuriates them and they counter by seeking to kill him! Jesus manages to walk away and continues publically proclaiming the message of God’s kingdom.
In all of this, Jesus knew who he was. In fact, it was exactly who he was that the people were rejecting. But this didn’t stop Jesus from living authentically before them. He didn’t hide, but continued entering the synagogues and sharing the kingdom message. Jesus’ secure identity and genuine actions allowed him to stay on mission even when it was extremely difficult. We see this all the way through his death ? when those closest had abandoned him and he found himself nailed to a cross, he stayed the course.
Do we live with this same certainty? Is our identity so ingrained in us that we do not waver when things get difficult? Have we abandoned our old self? Are we walking in the full awareness of our true, God-given self? Are we authentically living out our identity regardless of who is in the room?
Are you a victim of a bad case of mistaken identity? I sure was. I mostly felt inadequate growing up. I wasn’t the smartest kid, or the most popular, or the best athlete. What I was didn’t stand up to scrutiny. I wanted to hide, but every day, there I was in school again, not measuring up.
Yet the truth stands: God made us. He fashioned every cell in our body, down to the mitochondria, down to the chromosomes, down to the proteins that he used to build the genes in the chromosomes. Whether he gave us artistic skills, athleticism, or a passion for something entirely different, he purposefully crafted each aspect of our identity. He knows us and wants us to function according to his design.
Sometimes the people we meet tell us a different story, but the truth is that we are valued and loved. We are sons and daughters of the most high King. We have a calling and a purpose. And everything that tells us differently is like yesterday’s trash – it needs to be thrown out.
Although I would never have admitted it, I was a human version of a chameleon. I altered myself to fit in wherever I was. My family saw one side of me, my church another and my friends something entirely different. I didn’t lie, per say, but I was a master at exaggerating the parts of myself that best fit in the moment. I had always been that way from as far back as I could remember.
Even when I shared about going on the “World Race” I focused on different aspects depending on who was listening. Somedays it was all about the spiritual growth and ministry while other days it was adventure and volunteering. The problem was, I didn’t know who I should be when my different worlds were in the same room. Or, when I was alone in the room.
We can start living out our true identity today, but it will take time and it will require a great deal of vulnerability and honesty. To get comfortable in our own skin, we need to come out from hiding. Masks may be rigid and phony, but they protect what’s behind them and the process of unmasking is risky. But, we will only encounter change if we’re willing to step into the freedom God has for us.
Jesus does not allow his circumstances ? even public rejection ? to thwart his calling or alter his identity. An attempt on his life doesn’t deter him from openly proclaiming the message of God’s kingdom. Jesus clings to the reality of his identity and authentically stays true to himself, even when the difficulties engulf him. We too are called to find our true selves and live our lives accordingly.
