He Knows the Real You
Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
—John 1:42
John’s Gospel tells us that when Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus, He looked at Simon. I find it interesting that the word looked used here could be translated “He saw right through him.”
Have you ever had someone look at you that way? Mothers seem to have this special ability. But Jesus did not have this ability in only a figurative way. He literally could look into a person’s soul, see what was going on, and know everything about him or her.
So Jesus looked at Simon and said, “Your name is Simon. But I am going to give you a new name. It’s Peter.” I wonder what Andrew and John were thinking when Jesus said this. They knew Simon. And if there was one thing Simon was not, it was a rock. The name “Simon” means “listener or hearer.” So Jesus was saying, “You are no longer going to be a listener or a hearer. You are going to become a rock.” Jesus had looked right through him and not only saw Simon for what he was, but saw him for what he could be.
In the same way, Jesus knows the real you—not the you that you have created for yourself, the persona or mask that you hide behind. Jesus knows the real you. He knows what you think about late at night. He knows what you dream about. He knows what troubles you. He knows what you hope for and what you wish for. And He knows what needs to happen in your life to make you the person He wants you to be.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Host of the television program Knowing God with Greg Laurie and nationally syndicated radio program A New Beginning, Laurie is also the founder and featured speaker for Harvest Crusade — a contemporary, large-scale evangelistic outreach which local churches organize nationally and internationally. Laurie has appeared on ABC World News Tonight, Fox News, and MSNBC. He is also a guest commentator at Worldnetdaily.com.
He currently resides in Newport Beach, California with his wife, Cathe.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.