Ego Eimi

Image. It’s how we define ourselves. It’s how others see us. The outsider’s perspective of the image we portray allows them to maintain or alter their opinion of us. It’s why we do what we do. We hang out with certain people because of their image. We join fraternities and sororities because of the image we will attain. We deny Christ because of the image we’re afraid we’ll assume. Image is what prevents us from desiring to know someone. What will people think if I am seen with those who don’t fit the mainstream image? Image is what prevents us from desiring to know God. What will people think if they knew I was a Christian?

One of the many ways the word “image” can be defined is ‘a mental representation of something previously perceived, in the absence of the original stimulus.’ In other words, we tend to consider people, places and things as a representation of what we observed about them previously, failing to take into account circumstances or events that may have created a change in conditions.

“So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.” (Genesis 1:27, HCSB) God created us in His image. In His form. As a reflection of His glory. The problem is many of us have trouble fully understanding this glory, making it nearly impossible for us to behave in a way that reflects God.

In what may have been the most provocative of the “I Am” statements, Jesus very clearly informed us who He is, discounting the images of Him we have fashioned in an attempt to put Him neatly in a box. “Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58, NIV). Based on translations from original Greek texts, we know that in this verse Jesus was declaring that as the Son of God he was God himself. For those who have trouble wrapping your mind around the idea of the Trinity, know that this is a difficult concept for anyone to understand, but for the Jews Jesus was speaking to it was  much more than a concept. This claim, in their eyes, was absolute blasphemy. So much so that the very next verse describes how they grabbed stones in preparation to stone Jesus for His outrageous claim.

So what does all that mean? Jesus claimed to be God? Well, yes. 

What's the big deal with that? This means walking the Earth as God in the human form allows Him to identify with our pain and struggles much more than we realize. It means that He is always here for us. Sometimes we forget that God is not absent. We operate as if He created us and then left the scene, like all that we’re given is a picture to remember Him by but we lack the real thing. The truth of the matter is the original stimulus is never absent, just often overlooked.

You’ll never be able to control how people see you, but you can always control the image you give them to look at.

Jesus clearly tells us who He is, regardless of the images others may have of Him.

Who are you?

Resources

James Emery White, Jesus: the Untold Story. Sermon series available at Mecklenburg Community Church