Jesus Identifies With Me!

As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” [Acts 9.3-6]

I am going to point out something here today that few have ever considered. In fact, it only came to my own mind today, and I believe it is a revelation from the Holy Spirit.

Most anyone who has any knowledge of the Bible knows what Jesus said to Saul on the road to Damascus when He confronted him. “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

Likewise, most people acknowledge that Saul's persecution of the Church was indeed persecution of Jesus as the Church's identity is found in Christ. But, let's develop this idea just a bit further... (and this is good!)

Saul had never met Jesus before this time. Saul had only furiously persecuted Jesus' followers. As the Church's identity is found in Christ, it is obvious from Jesus' address to Saul here that His identity is found in the Church! “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

The significance of the paragraph above is that as Christ identified (and identifies) with us, we might now comprehend a passage completely misunderstood by Christendom before now:

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” [Matthew 26.39]

Most people only see this as a weak moment in Jesus as the human Son of Man: a time when He might have been having second thoughts about the suffering He was about to bear. But that idea is shortsighted and emotional at best. Jesus' suffering did not stop at His Cross! The Cross was just the beginning of Jesus' suffering! Remember what He said to Saul? “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

If we can just think eternally for just a moment, we can see that when Jesus asked God if it was possible to let the cup of suffering be taken away, HIS REQUEST WAS ON BEHALF OF EVERY BELIEVER IN HIM FROM THAT TIME FORWARD! Jesus was interceding for all who would ever believe in Him! Why? Because:

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. [John 3.17]

Think! Jesus told the disciples over and again that they too would suffer persecution! So, the loving Son of God, in identifying with those who chose to identify with Him, indeed carried a burden into the Garden of Gethsemane that went much farther than His own Cross! He was only praying for Himself in that moment in that He found His identity in every believer going forward after the resurrection! To think Jesus was in a weak moment and had become self-focused is completely and entirely out of character with His being God and Messiah!

If anyone is considering the in Christ - Christ in me teaching of Paul's letter to the Colossians, Paul says something most of us overlook (usually on purpose):

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. [Colossians 1.24]

Is it ironic that Paul wrote this? Is it ironic that Jesus said what follows of Saul (soon to be called Paul) to Ananias?

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” [Acts 9.15-16]

In light of the suffering of the Church from its birth until now, is it any wonder Jesus' sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane was like great drops of blood? 

He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. [Luke 22.44]

Stop and think about that. Jesus wasn't praying for Himself - He was praying for every believer who would take up their cross and follow Him! Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane was not about the few hours He would spend on His Cross, but instead for centuries of suffering His Church would experience until He returns to earth! Oh wow!

Mmm, Mmm, Mmm. Just stop and think about that. And be thankful.

Father, thank You for the revelation of Jesus' identity in me!