We are all marked people. First, genetics imprints us and then the world marks us through relationships, circumstances and experiences. As believers, there is another factor. Jesus also marks our identity.
We are new creations in Christ, old things come to an end and all things become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
We are those whom God predestines to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Romans 8:29
Lord Jesus, there are many qualities that mark Your identity: forgiveness, courage, humility, truthfulness, kindness, selflessness, stability, compassion, gentleness, stalwartness, patience, mercy, resilience… It would take a lifetime to acquire and practice all of them, but this is not a reason not to begin.
Our identity is going to be marked by something, let it be You.
Holy Spirit, give us discernment to receive the marks of Jesus identity to an extent which we have not previously known.
Lord Jesus, forgive us for the shallowness of our approach to the qualities that marked Your identity. Let us understand and acquire them with the depth that You practiced them.
Lord Jesus You spoke hard words. You are aware that they are difficult. You know that we are tempted to ignore or pretend You never said such. First, give us discernment to grasp all Your words as You intended, understanding them within the fullness of Your identity and then show us how we can live them in our own lives.
Thank You that You never spoke in condemnation, but when we encounter difficult words from You, we may find ourselves falling into reproach and accusation for ourselves or others. Let us be willing to admit wrong, but may we know that everything You spoke must be understood within the truth that You came to save, not condemn.
Finally, Lord Jesus, thank You for predestining us to be conformed to Your image, not as clones, but within our own uniqueness. How You do this is a mystery, but that’s Your part. Our share is to seek to know Your image and let You reshape us into that image.
MARKING OUR IDENTITY
How does Jesus mark our identity? As promised, the Holy Spirit indwells us, infusing new life that changes our identity. Some alterations are quite apparent while others happen gradually and less conspicuously. It is a life-long process with the Holy Spirit drawing us closer and closer to Jesus, marking our identity with His.
Could a deeper apprehension of Jesus’ character play a part in marking our identity with His? This question initiated my exploration of compassion as one of many possible qualities found in Jesus’ identity. It is not a new thing to think of Jesus in terms of compassion; however, I wanted to find out if considering this quality through specific events in His life could yield a deeper understanding.
COMPASSION
As I began, it quickly became evident that almost every event in Jesus’ life could witness to His compassionate nature. Thus, the few I discuss leave many others untapped.
COSTLY CHARITY
As Jesus set His face to go Jerusalem, He sent James, John and others to prepare the way for him. Given that Jesus was headed to Jerusalem, the site of dispute between the Samaritans and Jews as to the proper location of the temple, a Samaritan village refused to receive the disciples. Incensed at the affront, James and John asked Jesus if He wished for them to command fire to come down from heaven and consume the Samaritans. Jesus rebuked them for their suggestion saying, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.” He continued, “For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them (John 9: 51-56).” Jesus’ compassion clearly exceeds ours, displaying a willingness to forego personal offenses for the sake of others. Repeatedly, we find that Jesus’ compassionate nature consistently thrust Him into the position of denying Himself to benefit others. Would that this attitude would show up in our relationships with others.
UNEXPECTED CHARITY
On another occasion, we witness the deep compassion of Jesus as the Pharisees and scribes thrust a woman caught in adultery in front of him as He was teaching a crowd gathered around him. Expecting to set a trap for Jesus, the hostile Pharisees and scribes had the tables turned the tables them as Jesus simply asked for the one without sin to step forward and throw the first stone at the accused woman. And the humiliated woman? The convicted accusers dropped their stones and left while Jesus asked, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more (John 8:7-11).” Such unexpected charity! Jesus truly was not interested in condemning anyone. He did not condone her sin, but neither did He bind it to her. He came to save. Does this describe our approach before someone who is obviously wrong?
UNDESERVED CHARITY
During the critical moments in the Garden of Gethsemane before being arrested, Jesus asked James, John and Peter to watch with Him as His soul was exceedingly sorrowful unto death. He went a short distance from them, falling on His face to pray. Returning, He found them sleeping. Astonished that they could not watch with Him even one hour, He nevertheless, generously remarked, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (John 26:40).” Jesus’ kindness and compassion prevailed even in a time of tremendous distress. Can this be said of us? Can we stretch beyond our own immediate pain to extend kindness? And how often do we relinquish personal wounds rather than soothing our own hurt feelings with a rebuke or at least a complaint to others about our wounds?
HARD WORDS
As we study Jesus’ life, we encounter times when He spoke gently, imploring us to seek His rest and peace, but if we are honest, there are also occasions when He spoke hard words.
Surprisingly, I found many articles, sermons, devotionals and even books that take up His difficult sayings, a much broader topic than I imagined. Many of these writings admit that we do not often hear a lot about Jesus’ demanding sayings but there are many of them and we can’t have a complete understanding of His character without considering them.
Author Ian Paul helpfully sorts Jesus’ intimidating words into four groups:
1) Words which are tied to the cultural context of the times, a distance makes them confusing for us,
2) Words which are “genuinely obscure,”
3) Words which are not hard to understand but are “awkward and unexpected and we just wish Jesus hadn’t said them,”
4) Words which are also “easy to grasp but difficult to live out.”[i]
[i] Paul, I. 8.24.2020, Why does Jesus say so many hard things?, https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/why-does-jesus-say-so-many-hard-things/, accessed 4.3,2023.
My concern in this space is with the latter two categories, the easy to understand but hard to accept or practice categories. I don’t delve deeply into this subject as it is worthy of more space than this devotional affords, but in the context of considering compassion as an essential mark of Jesus’ character, how do we explain the daunting nature of some of His remarks?
“Not everyone who says to Me,‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (Matthew 7:21)!’
“Whoever denies me, I will deny You before my Father (Matthew 10:33).”
“Another of his disciples said unto him, Lord suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury the dead” (Matthew 8:21).
These are remarks of compassion?
I believe the Holy Spirit revealed to me that Jesus’ hard words were conceived with just as much compassion as His more tender invitations. That is, withholding the truth from people is not a mark of love. Jesus knew that judgment will confront every one of us and, unless we know Him, we will face the consequence of eternal separation from God. He spoke more about hell than heaven, not because He was morbid or sensational, but because He knew its reality. His compassion was authentic and unfaltering. Are we capable of knowing when truth is actually more compassionate than silence? On the other hand, do we know when compassion requires silence? The answer is “NO”. We need the Holy Spirit to give us such discernment.
THE PAINTING
Each of the twelve panels carries the same mark. The forms are different, but the accompanying mark repeats. In this context, if the mark was missing from any one of the forms, the form would appear unfinished. Without Jesus’ mark on our life, we are unfinished. Interestingly, the mark does not obliterate or obscure the forms. Similarly, Jesus does not wish to erase our identity, but to change us by marking us with Himself.
Sydney Walker, April 7, 2023
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3 responses to “MARKED”
Thank you, Sydney, for your thoughts and words. Much to ponder, especially that He has made each of us unique and given us different circumstances, etc., but that it is His same mark that completes us. Therein is much freedom for ourselves and for others. I join you in your specific prayers…yes, Lord!
Hi Carol,
I did finally figure out how to make the comments show up on the blog and not just on my blog site. As I said in my email, I have rearranged this post to move the prayers closer to the front so they don’t get lost at the end. I think writing the prayers is my favorite part of doing the blog—more informal and as though we are having a conversation with the Lord.
Thank you again for your thoughts on “Marked”. I’m pleased that everyone can now benefit from them (a tech whiz I’m not😁).
Sydney
Sydney, thank you for this powerful reflection of where Jesus wants our lives to be. And yes, the process certainly is life-long. I am amazed at the way in which He “denied Himself to benefit others”, but am grateful that He continues to “mark me with Himself”. Lord, make we worthy, in Jesus name, Amen.