13When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-17.
Every product has a unique identity. You cannot confuse a bottle of blue jeans fruit juice to a bottle of coca cola because they are clearly distinguished by their brandings. In Career Starter Pack, bestselling authors Albert & Comfort Ocran said who you are can be captured as your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). USP is a statement of words put together to communicate who you are and what you stand for or your identity. Jesus, Paul, John the Baptist were people who knew their personal identity. In the scripture above, we can deduce four ways to attempt at knowing yourself.
What Others Say. The first question Jesus asked His disciples with regards to His identity was “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” He was referring to what the multitudes of popular opinion say about Him. Today, you can talk of popular systemic opinions such as education, religion, and media. They orient us to become who we are. Just the other day, I met a Senior High School fellow who told me he has switched from science to business. Why? He did badly in science. The reason why he chose science in the first place was because he got good grades to qualify him for that. Science wasn’t his passion but the system rated it above others. Similar ministry does not tell true identity. People and systems are too far away to tell who you really are. They will always have an opinion about you based on what they see and know. Don’t fall for the identity others tag you!
What Associates Say. Jesus’ closest associates were His disciples. They lived with Him throughout His earthly ministry. The second question He asked was “Who do you say that I am?” People close to you have a bit of understanding of who you are than the multitudes but they are still not reliable. They are limited about you. Your close associates may be your parents, mentors, siblings, friends, pastors or even books you read. There were many occasions when Jesus’ disciples marveled at the works He did. This is because they did not fully understand Him. You can’t find who you are through what other people tell you or what you read in motivational books.
What You Say. Who do you personally say you are? What we think of ourselves creates self identity. Jesus Christ never created an identity for Himself except the one said of Him before he was born. Whenever He used “I am…” it was to affirm what was already said of Him. Motivational speakers advise that we look inside ourselves to find who we are. It cannot lead to a true identity. No product made by human has ever determined its own identity. The iPad cannot say it will be a table. The identity of a product is determined by the manufacturer. You cannot truly tell who you are! There is more to you than you know about yourself.
What God Say. Peter was only able to tell who Jesus was due to revelation from God. Your true identity can only be through revelation. Revelation is simply a disclosure from an original source. If God does not reveal your identity to you, you may live in identity crisis. When you know your identity, it helps shape your purpose in life. God knows you more than other people, associates and even yourself. Your personal identity is not yours to be created but yours to be discovered. The manufacturer of a product is best to tell its identity. Mark the same way, only God can tell your true identity.
What God told Jeremiah is what He is telling all of us. God said in Jeremiah 1:5 that, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet of the nation.” In a nutshell, it is logical that if Jesus Christ, the Son of God, depended on the Father to know His identity, you cannot be an exception. I believe the only true way to know yourself is to get connected with God.
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