Winter 1985
Identification
Wade E. Taylor

“That I may now Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, BEING MADE CONFORMABLE unto His death” Phil 3:10.

We are called to be identified with our Lord, both in knowledge and in our life experience. Knowing facts about Him, in itself, it not enough. Unless we come to the place of being identified, experientially, with Him in the “fellowship of His sufferings,” we will not be able to be identified with Him in the Glory to come. For this to be worked out in our lives, we must, in some measure, experience “His mind.” “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5).

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not” (John 1:11). This lack of spiritual understanding and perception in mankind was heartbreaking to Jesus. He intensely desired to be known and understood.

But, He had purposely allowed a reproach to be upon Himself, so that only those who had a “spiritual eye” could understand who He really was. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may now . . .” (Eph 1:18).

It had been prophesied in Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. But Jesus had allowed the knowledge of His birth in Bethlehem to become obscure. Thus, Jesus of Bethlehem became Jesus of Nazareth. Note John 1:46 along with John 7:41 and 52. “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? . . . Shall Christ come out of Galilee? . . . Search and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.” To the natural eye, it could not be known that He was the Christ. A true understanding of His identity could only come by revelation. The Church leaders along with the multitudes of that day failed to see the Messiah, “Jesus of Bethlehem,” through the garb of “Jesus of Nazareth.”

It was only after two years of ministry that Jesus dared to ask a most crucial question of His disciples: “Who am I?” He asked this question knowing that His true identity could not be known by outward observation, but only by their hearing from His Father who had sent Him. The sorrow, grief, and rejection as foretold in Isaiah 53 was intensely felt by Jesus at this moment, as He awaited their answer to His question.

“And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus was overjoyed, Peter had seen beyond “Jesus of Nazareth.” “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood (outward observation) hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father (revelation) which is in heaven.” In other words, “Simon, now you have an ear to hear, you have come into the experience of hearing from the Father, even as I hear.” (See Matt 16:15-17)

Finally, the disciples had come to the place of spiritual perception. They could see beyond the surface manifestation. Now Jesus could say, “Thou art Peter (of the same substance and quality that I am of), and upon this rock (quality of spiritual perception) I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18). All of the future hung on their giving the right answer to the question Jesus had asked concerning His identity. Matthew 16:21 then begins: “From that time forth began Jesus to show . . .” They had to see beyond “Jesus of Nazareth before He could lead them on.

In the early days of the Pentecostal movement, “Tongues” were a reproach. To be “Full Gospel” meant to be a “Holy Roller.” Today, that reproach is gone; it is popular to be Charismatic. However, there is yet a reproach. For those who have a discerning eye to see beyond the present movement, and who seek to come into full maturity or sonship, the reproach remains.

God always wraps His best in a package for which few are willing to pay the price. “Jesus of Nazareth” had no apparent value. It was said: “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” The same question is yet being asked by those who are not going on in God: “I see no value or purpose in all of this; let’s stay with the past; it is safe, and popular.”

In Hebrews 13:12, 13 we are exhorted to “go forth therefore unto Him without the camp bearing His reproach.” Today, many are pressing onward, seeking all that He has for them. These are willing to pay the price of identity with “Jesus of Nazareth.”

Are you listening to the multitude, or do you have an ear to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying?