2) Identity and Jesus

Identity and Jesus ((click the arrow to listen)

In the first part of this series, we looked at Identity and God. This included a consideration of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In this part I will be focusing on the identity of Jesus; and in particular, His identity during His earthly ministry. It is not that His identity is radically different now that He reigns at the right hand of God; but that His time on earth will help us understand identity and our human situation.

Christ

Jesus is one of the few people who were not named by their parents. His name was given by an angel of the Lord:

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)

Jesus means ‘Saviour’. As he lived in Nazareth, and as Jesus was a common name, He was known as Jesus of Nazareth. But we know him as Jesus Christ. Christ means ‘Anointed’ and refers to the expected Jewish Messiah who would deliver God’s people. It took some time for those with Him to appreciate that He was indeed the Messiah of God:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?, he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16)

‘Messiah’ is written as ‘Christ’ in New Testament Greek. We use the Greek form of His name – Jesus Christ. This was an astounding moment for them then, which we can easily not appreciate, as we are so used to referring to Jesus as ‘Christ’.

status

We noted in the last study that God had a number of biblical titles. This is true of Jesus too [see footnote]. I am hoping to distinguish between titles which relate to His ministry and those which define His identity. One of the earliest, when He began to declare the message of repentance, was ‘The Lamb of God’. John the Baptist said Jesus would take away the sin of the world: the title refers to His atoning death as a sacrifice on the cross. Jesus preferred to use the title, ‘Son of Man’, as we read above (it was not His general practice to declare Himself as ‘Son of God’, a title particularly used by the New Testament writers). We’ll come back to that. Jesus was also addressed sometimes by others as ‘Son of David’ alluding to His kingship as the descendant of King David.

However, there was a special title which Jesus used to describe Himself and His ministry. If you have read the first study [Identity and God], you will immediately recognise the significance of this:

Then Jesus declared, ‘I AM the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

Jesus had just fed the five thousand, spent a night in prayer, and come to the disciples in the boat walking on water. This was a significant point in His ministry. There are seven of these ‘I AM’ statements in John’s Gospel; look out for them the next time you read it.

However, there is a greater significance to these titles: He was revealing His divine credentials by using the holy name of God revealed to Moses in the burning bush – which was, ‘I AM’. In fact, Jesus confidently declared this to the Jews during His Jerusalem ministry:

‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I AM!’ (John 8:58)

They were outraged by this statement and sought to stone Him for blasphemy as they knew the implications of what He was saying. As we established in the previous study, Jesus shares the full identity of divinity.

humanity

Let’s return to Jesus’s self-descriptor, 'Son of Man'. This is where He probably first used it:

But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ (Mark 2:10-11)

This was a title which the Jews watching on would have recognised from the Book of Daniel. It is used twice there: firstly, it is used regarding a divine person being received into God’s presence and authority. The second time it is spoken as applying to Daniel who heard the words of these visions (see Daniel 7:13 & 8:17). So, Jesus, as He often did, was being cryptic in His choice of words. Was He using the title with the first or the second meaning? In fact, He was using it in both forms at once: the Divine Man!

We can now dig into this title to see its richer meaning. Now that we have the New Testament, we understand the divine aspect of that title. But in His day, Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man to show that He was identifying completely with our humanity. It is a title which tells us everything about why He was born in human likeness: Jesus came to redeem and restore our humanity. For Jesus, this title was a badge of honour. Jesus was proud to share our humanity. And since He was always filled with the Holy Spirit, He demonstrated that the Holy Spirit now comes to restore the full qualities of true humanity in us.

servant

As we now come to consider the human identity of Jesus, we start in Philippians:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

In this wonderful passage we can see the fulfilment of the double meaning of 'Son of Man'. Jesus takes on our human likeness; then after being obedient to death on the cross takes His place of divine rulership in Heaven.

But at the heart of this passage is the identity of Jesus: He was a servant. This is key when we come to consider our identity as Christians. His whole life was one of servanthood. It was so important that He even took on the servant mindset. It required Him to relegate His status (equality with God) so that He might identify completely with the humanity He came to serve. Then in that service He made the greatest sacrifice possible by subjecting Himself to death on a cross.

Being servant-hearted is a continual mindset:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

This is not to degrade oneself or adopt some kind of false humility. It is looking out for others as a priority. It is praying for others as those who are really important to you. But it also requires us to care for ourselves in order to make our service better. It means that even as servants, we still have the authority of faith and ministry vested in us, and use these in serving and not in self-importance.

Word

So, Jesus has the identity of a servant in His human likeness. However, unlike us He also had the divine dimension. This is why we need to consider His identity in overarching terms as the Son of Man ruling the universe. In John’s Gospel we see this identity revealed:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (John 1:1-4)

The Word is the divine identity of Jesus. As you see here, the Word was God and the Word was there in the beginning before the universe was created. In fact, Jesus, as the Word, was the conduit for creation: creation reflects the likeness of Jesus; Jesus is the source of life and meaning (light) for the creation.

'The Word' is a fascinating title. It is the Greek word, ‘logos’. It goes back to Greek philosophy around 600 BC in the times of Plato, Aristotle and Socrates. Logos was used to mean the soul of the universe; the ground of all being; the reason for life; the key to life. That is why John choses ‘logos’ to introduce Jesus in his Gospel. Paul also writes of the significance of His identity revealed in creation:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

This is why the teaching of Jesus about being a servant to others is so remarkable. He stepped down from His role as designer of the universe, adopted human form in bodily likeness so as to identify with humanity, and serve us in the greatest way possible through death on a cross:

Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Mark 10:42-45)

The Greek word here for servant is ‘doulos’. Jesus is His name; but His dual identity is as ‘logos’ and ‘doulos’ – the divine servant who brings life, meaning and redemption through His blood. To the heart filled with the Holy Spirit, this is almost too wonderful for words!

footnote: these are biblical titles of Jesus:
Alpha and Omega, Beloved Son, Branch, Cornerstone, Wonderful Counsellor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Forerunner, Great High Priest, Holy One, Horn of Salvation, Emmanuel, King of kings, Lord of lords, Lamb of God, Light of the World, Man of Sorrows, Mediator, Morning Star, Son of David, Sun of Righteousness, Word of God.