Who are you? John 1.6-8,19-28

John 1.6-8, 19-28

Who are you?

Today we are looking at the question of identity.

A number of years ago I did a thesis on the work of John Zizioulas, the Orthodox theologian. He wrote a book, 'Being as Communion', which says that we truly are who we are in relationship with (including relationship with God)

Today we look at how John the apostle speaks of his namesake, John the Baptist, who answers the question, 'Who are you?'

1. Our identity is tied to our origin

You may well know the TV programme, 'Who do you think you are?' The subject is shown who their human ancestors are. 

But John does not tell us his John the Baptist's human ancestors. 

The first thing that we are told about John is that, 'There was a man sent from God' (v6). We are told about his origin in God. 

It is in very marked contrast to how John introduces the people who come to John to ask him who he is?

We are told three times that they were sent by the Jewish leaders  (vv19,22,24). And because they had been sent by the Jewish leaders they were answerable to the Jewish leaders.

Who are you?

Of course your identity is tied with your human origins. 

But our true identity does not begin in this world, but in that world. 

It begins with our rootedness in God, and therefore our accountability to God and our destiny in God

2. Our identity is tied in with our name

John writes, 'There was a man sent from God. His name was John'.

Our names are really important. They are often what are given to us by the world and they are how the world relates to us. 

John's name, we are told by Luke, was given by divine direction. They were going to call him according to their tradition, after his father Zechariah, but Zechariah had been told to call him John (which meant 'The Lord is gracious').

Who are you?

The answer we usually give is by telling people our name. 'I am Malcolm'

It is how people relate to us. 

Sometimes we change names, because of tradition or by choice: in marriage, or - in some traditions - when people are baptised or take religious, monastic, vows. Or sometimes we change our name as an act of rebellion: we refuse to be called by the name that our parents have given us.

And sometimes we do not feel that our name 'fits' us. 

In a sense that is right. Our human name does not fit us. We are told that in heaven we will be given a new name, known only to God and to us - and that new name will 'fit'. It will be our true name that truly expresses our identity. 

3. Our identity is tied up with our specific calling. 

John the Baptist has a unique, specific calling.

They come to him and they as him, 'Who are you? Are you the Messiah (the one who will come as God's ruler in God's kingdom), Elijah (the prophet who will come before the arrival of the Messiah) or the Prophet (God told Moses that another prophet would come who would be like him: Deuteronomy 18:15)?

The answer that he gives is a clear NO!

And they ask him again (v22), 'Who are you?'
and this time he says, 'I am the voice - pointing to Jesus'.

He defines himself in terms of Scripture. He says that he is the voice in the wilderness foretold in Isaiah 40. 

So John defines himself in terms of the history of salvation - the story of how God has come to save his people. 

Our identity is part of what we do. 

When they ask us, 'Who are you?', we often respond by saying what it is that we do. I am a mother, a farmer, a teacher, a vicar, a student. 

That is why it can be quite difficult when we are retired - unless we turn being retired into something that we do. 

But as Christians we do have a role, a part to play in the body of Christ.

Perhaps we too can be a voice pointing people to Jesus.

And John, in chapter 3, tells us that John the Baptist is 'the friend of the bridegroom', where the bridegroom is Jesus. He delights in hearing the voice of Jesus. He delights in the fact that Jesus is with his bride - and the bride of Jesus is the people of God, the Church 

So our role is to be both the voice, the bridegroom, pointing people to Jesus and also, and also to be the bride herself - to be with Jesus. 

And John has told us that whoever receives Jesus, is given the right to become a child of God. (John 1:12)

4. Our identity is tied with our vision of God.

We are told that John has come 'to testify to the light'.

John testified to the light and John saw the light

He saw the glory of Jesus

That is why he says, when he is asked, 'Who are you', 

- I am a voice calling people to prepare for Jesus
- I am the servant, the envoy, the forerunner: Jesus is coming after him
- I am nothing in comparison to Jesus. Not even worthy to kneel down and untie his shoelaces.

Catherine of Siena (C14th Italian mystic) wrote of an encounter she had with the risen Lord Jesus. He said to her,
“Do you know who you are and who I am? If you know these two things, you will be blessed and the Enemy will never deceive you. I am He who is; and you are she who is not.”

That is not crushing - it is incredibly liberating. 

When we see true glory, and recognise true glory, we begin to share in that glory. 

And as we go through life, as we grow in our faith, as we long for the glory of Jesus and wait for the glory of Jesus, so that vision of the glory of God will grow - and we will grow. 

And one day we will see Him as He is, in his beauty and holiness and radiance. We will see him face to face. And we will finally be who we were truly called to be.