Mistaken Identity

A woman saw a star from her favorite soap opera on a New York City street. Grabbing the celebrity’s arm, the fan shouted at her, “How could you treat your husband the way you do? He loves you and you’re so mean to him!”

The star looked at the woman with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment and said, “Excuse me but I’m just an actor!”

Sadly the fan mistook the actor for the character in the program. The result is that she was embarrassed and humiliated.

The same thing happens with Jesus. Some people mistake Jesus for someone else.

Hold it just a minute. How could you mistake Jesus for someone else?

Well, some think he’s just a baby in the manger scene at the Sunday School Christmas program. Or they think he’s just the man on the cross in the Easter play, a great teacher or a martyr for a good cause. But Jesus is more than just an infant in a manger, an actor in a play, a great teacher or a martyr. He’s the real deal. He’s the Son of God.

Now some people think Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God. They believe he was just a rabbi, a great teacher whom other people called “the Son of God.” But when the Jewish High Priest asked him, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God,” Jesus answered, “Yes, it is as you say. But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Now that’s not something a “great teacher” would claim to be. Others did call him the Son of God but, if Jesus was just a good teacher, he should have straightened them out.

To claim you’re the Son of God if you’re not would make you either a liar or a lunatic. And neither of those would make a good model for people’s lives. But what some of the people of Jesus’ day didn’t reckon with was that he was telling the truth. His miracles, his messages and his resurrection from the dead demonstrated and confirmed his deity.

People today make the same mistake. They fail to see who Jesus really is.

The fact that Jesus is who he claimed to be changes everything. It confronts everyone who hears this about him and forces them to make a decision. They must decide whether or not to believe and trust in him.

Someone once asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” He answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

It is not enough to just understand. It is not enough to just agree. Jesus said we must believe in him--to trust and rely on him to save us and forgive our sin. To voluntarily and personally choose him to be our Lord, our Savior and our God. To obey him and live for him.

If you mistake Jesus for somebody else, you will lose a shepherd for your soul, a provider for your life and a protector for your family. You will also miss out on his church, a place where you can be loved and accepted for who you are. And where you will be encouraged to be all that God made you to be. You will pass up the purpose for your life.

If you confuse Jesus for someone he is not, the result will be more than brief embarrassment. It will cost you eternity.

But to find Jesus--to discover who he really is--and put your trust in him is no mistake.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!