JESUS IDENTIFIES WITH US
Acts 22:6-8 NKJV
6 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8 So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
Paul is reciting, for the Jews, the story of his conversion. He is not talking with a friendly crowd. These were the people who were beating Paul until the Roman centurions came in with a large group of soldiers. The crowd was so violent that the soldiers had to carry Paul into the barracks. But in typical Paul fashion, instead of retreating away from the bloodthirsty crowd, Paul asked to speak with them.
Paul tells of his background growing up as a strict Jewish Pharisee and how he once persecuted all those who call on the name of Jesus. He reminds the crowd that when Stephen was martyred, Paul was standing by as a witness. Paul told how he used to put men and women into prison for their belief in Jesus. And it was this desire to wipe out the name of Jesus that had him on the way to Damascus to punish more of the Church.
But on the road to Damascus, everything changed. Paul fell to the ground, blinded by a bright light that was shining on him. And then, a voice spoke asking Paul why the persecution. But the voice said why are you persecuting Me? When Paul had the good sense to ask who are You Lord? The next words were insightful then but are still impactful today. “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.”
Jesus did not say that Paul was persecuting the Church. Or that he was persecuting believers. Jesus said that Paul was persecuting Him. Paul makes a quick heart adjustment and so begins the story of the world’s first and greatest worldwide missionary. But the fact that Jesus so identifies with His followers is important. Jesus took Paul’s attack against the Church personally. And now, as we look at His words, we realize the relationship is far deeper than we have thought.
Jesus told his disciples in John 15 that He was the vine, and the disciples were the branches. Now, we see that same relationship applies to us today. We don’t just believe in Him; we are connected to Him. The Church is called His body, and that is a very close connection. Jesus is the Head of the body, and we represent Him in the earth. In 1 Corinthians 6:17, the Scripture says that we who are joined to the Lord are one spirit with Him. Please don’t ask me to explain all of that, but it is clearly evident that our connection to the Lord is more than mere words or a theological metaphor. We are closer than we think.
APPLICATION
Knowing the closeness of our connection to the Lord should serve to boost our confidence. He identifies very strongly with us, and we can identify very strongly with Him. This close connection has the ability to impact us mentally and impact our attitude. As we think about, confess, and believe our connection and identity with the Lord, we are energizing our faith. We are doing what Paul said in Philemon 6. We are acknowledging the good things in us in Christ: strong identity, strong connection, strong faith.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You that You identify with me, and I can identify with You. You are the vine, and I am a branch. We have a strong spiritual connection, and for that, I am very grateful.