September 27th, 2022

Jesus knew who he was throughout his ministry. That is, he was the son of God, who came from the father and would return to the father, when his life on earth comes to an end. Furthermore, he knew the father had given him authority over everything on earth and in eternity. Therefore, when Jesus knew he was about to die, his understanding of who he was, motivated him to keep on doing the things God called him to do. To the point where, he lived a God-centred life till the very end of his earthly ministry. The Bible says in the book of John 13:1-5 that,

‘Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. (John 13:1-5, NLT)

Meaning that Jesus rolled up his sleeves so to speak and went to work as usual, despite the heavy weight of death looming over him. Something the average human being may struggle to do. It is easy for someone to say, “Well, I’m not Jesus! Why should I keep on going knowing that I am about to die?” If you are of this mindset, you have missed the valuable point that Jesus was trying to make.

Think about it: Ever wondered why the Bible highlighted what Jesus did before he died? It was to help us understand what it means to be a child of God. In otherwords, what it means to have your identity in God. The Bible says in John 3:13 that,

‘Jesus knew that…he had come from God and would return to God.’ (John 3:13, NLT)

From this Bible verse, it was evident that Jesus had no doubt about who he was. Which is to say, Jesus knew that he was God’s own child. Want to know what it means to be a child of the most high God? This is what the Bible says about it in the book of Romans 8:31-39,

‘What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honour at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?… No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 8:31-39, NLT)

Let these words give you assurance of who you are to God. Simply put, according to Psalm 139:14, you are his magnificent craftsmanship! You were the reason why Jesus died on that cross, the reason he carried out his ministry to the very end and the reason why he would come back again. Are you getting the picture of how priceless you are and how valuable you are to God? So, whenever you need reminding of whose you are, think on these words.