Everyone doesn’t like it when we grow. Some people like us more when we stay in the same place. To some, acceptance is contingent upon if all parties are at the same level. When one party decides to grow and embrace even more of their identity in Christ, a separation due to competition is often produced. This is what Jesus dealt with in John 5. He was stopped by the religious people who confronted Jesus due to him healing a man on the Sabbath day. Let’s look at how Jesus held fast to his identity when others were offended by it.
We can be bold in who we are as long as we depend on the Lord
Jesus Christ did not fall back from his identity one bit. As a matter of fact, when he was confronted by the religious people; he gave them a greater lesson on who he was. He said, yes, both I and my father work on the Sabbath. This was Jesus’ way of letting them know that he was equal with God, and because he is equal with God he is not going to back down. He was bold in who he was because his identity came from his heavenly father.
We should be well acquainted with our purpose and walk in it boldly
Jesus was well aware of his purpose. He laid out that he had some specific tasks given to him by the Father. Some of these tasks included judgment, raising the dead, and healing on the Sabbath day and any day he otherwise pleased. Jesus was making a bold statement that his identity did not come from acceptance with men, but from the Father himself. Just as Jesus, our head and example, our identity also doesn’t come from acceptance with men, but from the Father.
