2026 01 18 Epiphany 2
Isaiah
49.1-7 Psalm 40.1-14 1 Corinthians 1.1-9 John 1.29-42
Who am I? Is
this something you’ve ever pondered? As
I look at the modern trends where absolutely everything is encouraged to be
questioned, especially among our young people, I’m not in any way surprised by
the rise of mental health issues and depression.
Research confirms that the issue of identity is at the
core of the rise in depression, and certainly, a lack of a sense of identity is
linked to an increased risk and severity of depression.
I strongly believe the solution is here in understanding
who God is and what is our identity in Christ.
We plan to study this more, this year in our Bible study, but this week’s
readings also have something to say about identity. Sometimes it might appear somewhat
mysterious, but let’s look at it and discover what God says about us.
Before we do; my little aside is that; we can develop a
sense of identity apart from God, but I believe that all apart from God is arbitrary
and fallible. When we lose our health,
for example, or financial status etc… we can lose our sense of identity. However, when we know who we are in God –
nothing can sway or change that identity.
Therefore, here is some really great news, and it
starts right from our first reading where the prophet Isaiah makes it clear
that God knows us and has a call on our lives from before we were born. There is identity 101!
Isaiah’s prophecy is a typical prophecy in that there
are numerous levels of meaning. The word
of God is sometimes described as being like a multi-faceted diamond, with
multiple facets of fulfilment. Isaiah’s
prophecy is talking about the Messiah, but at some points it is also talking about
Isaiah himself. Then we notice that the
prophecy is speaking of the nation of Israel.
As we learn about how God is so involved in the lives of his nation and His
people, Israel, we glimpse that God also personally knew each of us and calls
us each to his purpose as well.
What do you want?
What do you want from God? John
the Baptist had testified that Jesus was the Lamb of God – a somewhat
mysterious statement indicating a lot from a Jewish perspective. They knew that it was a lamb – a perfect lamb
that was used to sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. The lamb of God indicated the sacrifice that
Jesus would make to take away sin. Some
of those who followed John turned to follow Jesus. Why?
What did they want? Jesus asked
them this question and they answered with another question, “Where are you staying?” By asking this they were saying that they
wanted to be his students. These men
were so committed to the Kingdom of God that they were willing to go and stay
with Jesus so that they could learn about God.
To be a disciple means to be a learner. This is what was happening here. We are also disciples of Jesus, we are
learners. The learners stayed where
Jesus stayed because that was the way to learn from a Rabbi. They didn’t just learn from what he said, but
they learnt from all that he did. They
learnt or aimed to learn to do all that he did.
This is how we are meant to be as followers of Christ also.
What’s in a name?
This week we are introduced to Saint Peter, but he wasn’t always known
by that name. He was simply, Simon.
Jesus looks at Simon and then does something that we, English
speaking readers miss. In our English version
the text says, “you are Simon, son of John.”
In the Hebrew Jesus addresses him as, “Simon, bar- Jonah. As I
was reading the text it struck me as an odd way to address Simon, therefore I
did a little research. Do you recall
anyone else named Jonah? Jonah was
called to preach to the Ninevites and he tried to run away. In doing so he boarded a ship and a great storm
arose, which immediately stopped when Jonah was thrown into the sea. Jonah was then swallowed by a whale and then
spat up on the beach. The incident is a
prophecy of Jesus’ three days in the belly of the earth. In the Gospel of Matthew, 12:39 Jesus says, “An
evil and adulterous generation craves a sign. Yet no sign will be given to it
except the sign of the prophet Jonah,”.
When Jesus refers to Peter with his full name, he is prophetically
connecting him to the sign of Jonah, indicating that Peter will see this
sign.
But what about this change from Simon to Peter? What is in a name?
“Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will
never hurt me….” Well, I might suggest, we all know that names and labels can
hurt – but they can hurt a whole lot less when we have a name that is sure and
connected with our destiny…. Our destiny,
which is a hope and a future, such as a future that God secures for us. Evidence of this we see in all of those in the
early church. In reflection, I suspect,
we in the present day church have lost this edge… this courage and conviction….
Perhaps we also need a name change… we
are simon-ish.
The name, Simon, is often theologically connected with
being a reed and swayed in the breeze according to which ever way it
blows. However, the name Simon is more
accurately defined as being heard or listening. Perhaps too much is made of what Simon does
or does not mean. The important aspect
of our reading today is that, from an encounter with Jesus, Simon is given a
new name, and his destiny becomes connected with the call of God on his life.
In the book of Revelation there is a mysterious verse
about names. Revelation 2:17says this ; “… To the one who is victorious, I will give
some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new
name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.”
When we are born and named by our family, it shows us
and all who witness it that we belong.
We have a history and a future associated with our name. At our Baptism, especially if we were baptised
as an infant, the name our family have given us is stated and we are named and
claimed as also belonging to God. This
is a prophetic sign of what God does…. He names us and claims us.
Last week we heard that God the father said to Jesus, “This
is my beloved, in whom I’m well pleased”.
Jesus was claimed as the Son of God.
We noted that the baptism of Jesus wasn’t for the forgiveness of sins,
but a commitment to the kingdom of God. However,
we are baptised into Jesus, through whom we do have our sins forgiven. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin
of the world. Through our baptism we
identify with Jesus. It is in our
baptism that we die with Christ and rise with Christ. When God the father looks at us he sees his
perfect son. A new name that we all
receive from God is the name “Jesus”.
The name of “Jesus” for each of us, means that we are
clothed in Christ. The sacrifice of
Jesus atones for sin and cleanses us.
St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians addresses a people who are
described as being sanctified in Christ.
By Christ we are cleansed and made holy.
This is what sanctified means.
This is what it means to call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and
to receive his name.
An important difference in the Baptism of John and the
Baptism of Jesus is that John testifies that he, John, baptises with water so
that Jesus, the Messiah might be revealed.
He goes on to explain that Jesus will baptise with the Holy Spirit. The baptism that Jesus gives, baptising into or
with the Holy Spirit is far superior. It
is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that sanctifies us. It is through the Holy Spirit ever with us,
that we even now have eternal life.
Jesus gives us his name and all who believe in him
become the children of God. We are
forever connected to God and we are grafted into the family of faith – grafted into
the family of Abraham – grafted into Israel – saved by the Lion of Judah. Being part of this family gives us a deep,
deep connection with the past. Our story
is connection with the creation of the universe. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, the good news
of salvation, we are assured of a glorious future. We are called and chosen right now. God knew us and called us from the time we
were in our mother’s womb. We have a
purpose in the present. This is a place
of identity that is rock solid. I guess,
to some extent, we are all called from being Simon to grow into the future and become
Peter – Rock solid in the certainty of who we are in God.
We all need a Simon/ Peter encounter with God. In this name change, Peter is connected with
all the great people of the Bible who God called and altered their name. None of them were without fault or even became
perfect, but their lives would never be the same, as they were forever committed
to walking with God, connected to the call and love of God.
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