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John 13: 23 One of them, the
disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. (NIV)
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Stop and ask Jesus to remind you how He sees you.* |
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In
the sensitivity training required by my job, we were taught to refer to a
handicapped individual as “a person with a disability” rather than as “a
disabled person.” Not being so very sensitive myself, I failed to see the
distinction at first. Then I thought of it terms of myself being referred to as
“the lady with blonde hair” as opposed to “The Blonde.” How much of our
self-worth is tangled up with how we identify ourselves?
Is
John being just a little bit arrogant, claiming a special relationship with the
Lord? I have heard that this may have
been a literary device employed in the Jewish culture at this time. Also, I
sense humility in John’s refusal to include his own name in the story - though
there might be a hint of pride – or gratitude, perhaps – in knowing that he is
loved by Jesus.
Philip
Yancey, in his book, What’s so Amazing
about Grace? poses these questions: “What would it mean, I ask myself, if I
too came to the place where I saw my primary identity in life as ‘the one Jesus
loves’? How differently would I view myself at the end of a day?”* I think that someone who can define himself as “the one whom Jesus loves” has a
clear idea of his value. This person knows the price that Jesus paid for him;
and knowing that price, longs to be more worthy of the honor and the sacrifice.
What
do you see as your primary identity in life? Are you a mom? A loyal employee? A
good person? Is this your most valuable
quality? Or is your worth-factor determined by the blood of the Lamb?
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What a value hath God set upon the soul! He made it after his image, he redeemed it with Christ's blood.* |
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