Matthew 12:48-50: He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
I am amazed at how authentically consistent Jesus is. He never misses an opportunity to teach truth, even in the most basic of instances. Here, Jesus' mother and brothers await outside as he teaches to the crowd. When someone points out the fact that his family is waiting on him, Jesus jumps on the seemingly innocent statement and dives into a teachable moment.
I think this would've annoyed me about Jesus. To be so good, so right, so holy, so intentional, all the time? Even with little moments with his family, Jesus was who he was, every where he was.
True authenticity. Transparency. And a calling like no other for us as believers, to be who we are in Christ every where we are. Fortunately, the idea isn't as exhausting as it seems.
Why? I believe that Christ transforms us to the state of transparency the moment we become new creations. Christ in us means the spirit indwelling inside, meaning the fruits of said spirit are produced as a result of our personal growth in our identities. So, to be authentically who I am everywhere I am simply means to allow Christ and his qualities to reign in my life. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says "but we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us". A great reminder of our fragility and lack of holiness apart from Christ, and the depth of truth in the statement "not I but Christ".
A rabbit trail coinciding with this line of thinking would be the question of sin and how our flesh hinders the fruit and love of Christ from shining through. Both of which are possible, and while works do not lead to salvation, there is certainly a responsibility amongst the believers' heart to actively pursue the application of scripture in one's life. But again, even those things are of Christ and not of us: Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do".
Authenticity: being who I am In Christ, everywhere I am.
Father, thank you for transforming me to be something so far from empty. Thank you for the picture of authenticity, what it truly means to abide in the identity that you've given me. I pray for the Spirit's fruit to reign in my life, and for supernatural energy to fuel my interactions.
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