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Identity: What Are You Seeking? (Part 3)
- Dr Alfonse Javed
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Come to Him— not polished, not perfected, but present. Don’t just come into His presence but be present when you come into His presence.
John 1:35-42 - 35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
Would you agree that all of us are seeking something in our lives? Whatever that something is, is the main thing, and that main thing defines our identity and determines who we become.
The Problem
Most of the time, the main thing, that something is health, wealth, or worth— a human attempt to self-construct identity. People need to know if identity is self-constructed, failure destroys it. However, if identity is Christ-assigned, failure refines it. Peter is a good example of that.
We return to John 1: 37-42 for the third and final time to see how Jesus assigned Peter an identity despite his failures.
In John 1:37-39, we learned that the displaced identity is what we all have before we meet Jesus. Our identity is displaced because the original identity that we were created with was lost, rather stolen, at the fall of humanity in Genesis 3.
In John 1:40-41, we learned that the disclosed identity is what we experience when we meet Jesus. Our identity is disclosed because in Genesis 3:15, God promised a Messiah who would redeem us and restore what was lost in Eden.
Today, in John 1:42, we will learn that the designated identity is what we receive when we stay in the presence of Jesus. What began with Jesus asking the disciples, “What are you seeking?” ended with designated identity because the disciples wanted to stay with Jesus. His presence is the key. In His presence, we find what our souls long for.
The Big Idea
When it comes to our identity, if we answer the question, “What are you seeking?” truthfully, it exposes that our soul ultimately seeks the presence of God, not commandments of God, but communion with God, not religion, but relationship with God.
The question is, how do you access the presence of God? The Bible teaches through God’s only Son, Jesus. This is why the stated objective of the Gospel of John in John 20:31 is this: “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Only Christ can assign identity and change our destiny.
The Designated Identity
John 1:42 reads, “…Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).” Peter means ‘rock,’ which symbolizes steadfastness and strength. It signifies reliability, but Peter was anything but reliable then, so why rock? To get that,
First, notice that the focus shifted from Andrew to Simon.
Second, notice that the human and divine collaboration: Andrew introduces, but Jesus transforms.
Third, notice that Jesus does what Andrew cannot: Andrew brings Simon in the presence of Jesus, but Jesus designates his identity.
Here, we learn three truths about the presence of Jesus that before you even say a single word: He sees you, He speaks over you, and He shapes you.
He Sees You
The first thing that the text says is, “Jesus looked at him.” This is not casual eye contact. In Greek it implies fixed, discerning, penetrating sight. It goes beneath the surface. Before Simon ever speaks, Christ sees him through and through. He sees his past, present, and future. The piercing gaze and the prophetic grace of Christ declared Simon’s destiny before he could utter even a single word of confession. It shows God sovereignly elects us irrespective of our sins or righteous deeds. Therefore, while modern identity says, “curate yourself,” and traditional identity says, “conform yourself,” Jesus looks at us and simply says: I know you. He knows us before the fall, and He knows us who we become after we meet Him because He chose us before the foundation of the earth, Ephesians 1:4 says. Jesus chose Peter.
Spiritual Principle
Gospel identity begins not with what you present to Christ, but with what He perceives in you when you come or bring someone into His presence. Our sins do not surprise Him; what surprises Him is the fact that even though He tells us, we think we can hide our sins from Him. Hebrews 4 says we are exposed before Him. In the Old Testament, the man after God’s heart, David, tried to hide his sin, but God exposed it. What if Adam and Eve, rather than hiding from the presence of God, came out and stood in His presence?
Application
Stop managing perception and start being present before Him. Let Him see you with everything you are. Some of us, when we come into His presence, try to hide our emotions, feelings, doubts, questions, fears, and insecurities, but like Simon, before we say a word, He sees it all. Sometimes we hide behind a religious façade, Bible verses, and theological concepts; other times behind sin and stubbornness, but He sees it all. He sees everything, every dark thought, every lustful desire, every moment of weakness. The gospel identity begins where pretending ends.
He Speaks Over You
John 1:42 continues, “and said, “You are Simon the son of John.” Notice, Jesus didn’t deny his present reality, the identity Simon had before He met Jesus. We cannot skip the present to meet the future. It is after recognizing Simon’s present reality that Jesus declares his future destiny. God knows we are sinners, we are weak, and we will continue to struggle with sin, yet when we meet Jesus, He speaks over us the promises of the future.
Spiritual Principle
Jesus doesn’t deny our present reality that we are weak and frail but that does stop Jesus from assigning our destiny. Jesus saw Simon and He spoke over his new identity: Peter. Peter will indeed fail, but his failures will bring glory to Jesus. Peter will indeed deny Christ, yet Christ’s word will outlast his weakness.
When it comes to identity, Christ does not merely describe our identity; He determines and designates it. In Simon’s case, Jesus is not suggesting a name change; He is declaring a destiny change.
It's like when a judge declares someone “Not guilty,” it instantly changes the status of the person. It’s like a father who adopts and signs his name on the paperwork, and instantly, legally, and relationally, it changes the identity of a child. For Simon, the incarnated God, Jesus, spoke a new identity and it came into existence instantly.
Romans 4 says God calls into existence what does not exist. Peter didn’t realize then and there, but he will realize in due time why His identity was Peter and not Simon. This is why in Matthew 16:18 Jesus told him plainly, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” In doing so, Jesus was not flattering him, He was forming the rock, upon whose witness Jesus will build His church in Jerusalem and beyond.
Application
Don’t let the voices of the past or the present or the culture define your identity. If Jesus can call a rock out of rubble and make him Peter, He can turn you and me into vessels of glory and honor. When your past comes to haunt you and your insecurities come to take hold of you, seek His presence. He speaks over you all the blessings and declares you to be redeemed, adopted, justified, and sanctified. Let His voice outrank every other narrative.
He Shapes You
John 1:42 concludes, “You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).” What we do not see in this verse is how Christ is going to transform Simon, a fisherman, into a fisher of men. It is not about who you are now but who you are becoming in Christ.
In the designated identity, we receive a new name and a new nature. The renaming of Simon into Peter may seem symbolic, but when God does it, He indicates what is to come as He establishes His covenants. In the Old Testament, God did that when He changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Jacob’s name to Israel. Simon may not have felt like Peter which means rock, yet Christ committed Himself to shaping him into what He names him.
Spiritual Principle
Jesus does not retreat when He transforms us into what He names us. However, that often needs pruning. Think of a blacksmith who uses fire and a hammer, not to destroy, but to strengthen. Peter’s shaping will include denial, restoration, preaching, and persecution.
Application
If identity is self-constructed, failure destroys it. However, if identity is Christ-assigned, failure refines it.
Philippians 1:6 says, “…that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” The authority that assigns identity ensures transformation. So, do not despise the chiseling seasons. Endure the hardship. Receive the correction. All of that is not contradictions of His Word are instruments of it. Submit to His shaping hand, and He will form you into what you were created for.
Closing Thought
Think of a master craftsman examining warped wood and envisioning a finished instrument. The value lies not in the raw material but in the maker’s intention. Let the maker see you. Let Him speak over you. Let Him shape you. You can spend your life constructing an identity that trembles under pressure or you can stand before Jesus and receive one that cannot be shaken.
Come to Him— not polished, not perfected, but present. Don’t just come into His presence but be present when you come into His presence. The One who looked at Simon looks at you, too. And the same Christ who turned sand into stone, still assigns identity, still speaks destiny, and still shapes souls for His glory
Action Step
Be like Andrew, who was a bringer. In John 1:42, he brought his brother to Jesus; in John 6:8, he brought the boy with the loaves and fish to Jesus; in John 12:22, he brought the gentiles to Jesus. If we struggle to bring ourselves to Jesus in prayer, worship, fellowship, and service, how could we bring someone else to Jesus?
Appeal
Don’t be a passive Christian. Consider a farmer planting seed. He cannot manufacture growth. He prepares soil and sows faithfully, trusting forces beyond his power. Andrew could not have predicted Peter’s future sermons or leadership. He simply trusted Christ with the outcome. Andrew planted, Christ produced. So, trust God and be a witness for Christ.
Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, Application
Observation: What Does the Text Say?
In John 1:42, who brings Simon to Jesus?
What is the first thing Jesus does when Simon stands before Him?
What does Jesus say about Simon’s present identity?
What future identity does Jesus declare?
Does Simon say anything in this verse?
Discuss:
The order: look → declare present → declare future
The silence of Simon
The authority of Jesus
Interpretation: What Does the Text Mean?
A. He Sees You
1. What might be implied by the phrase “Jesus looked at him?”
2. How is Christ’s gaze different from human judgment?
3. What does this reveal about Christ’s knowledge— is it informational or penetrating?
Discuss: Jesus sees Simon completely— temperament, impulsiveness, future denial, future boldness. Nothing is hidden. This is not casual eye contact. This is sovereign recognition.
B. He Speaks Over You
1. Why does Jesus begin with “You are Simon the son of John?”
2. What does the renaming signify biblically?
3. What authority must someone possess to redefine another person?
Discuss: In Scripture, renaming signals authority and covenant purpose. Jesus does not merely predict; He proclaims. Identity is not self-constructed but Christ-assigned.
C. He Shapes You
1. Was Simon already “rock-like” at this moment?
2. What does this tell us about the relationship between declaration and transformation?
3. How does this speak to sanctification?
Discuss: Jesus names Simon not based on present ability but on future purpose. The declaration becomes the direction of transformation. Christ’s word creates what it commands.
Application: What Does the Text Require of us?
What labels have you accepted that did not come from Christ?
Where do you struggle to believe what Christ declares about you?
Are you living more out of your past (“You are Simon”) or Christ’s promise (“You shall be called Peter”)?
Do you live aware that Christ sees you fully?
Do you submit to what He speaks over you in Scripture?
Are you resisting the shaping process that turns “Simon” into “Peter?”
Are Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Who has God placed in your life that you need to bring?
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