“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)” (John 1:42; all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version).

When Andrew met Jesus, the first thing he did was tell his brother Simon. He introduced Simon to Jesus, who looked him over and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas.”

Jesus saw who Simon was. He discerned what kind of man he was. Then, He gave him a new identity. Simon may not have looked impressive. He was a fisherman, and there were plenty like him living near the Sea of Galilee. Whenever the Bible describes his fishing exploits, it seems like he could not catch anything without divine intervention (Luke 5:1-7; John 21:1-11). You probably would not build a fish company with Simon as its foundation.

However, Jesus saw what He could make him. Simon would grow into his new identity as Cephas, which means Peter (from the Greek word “petros,” meaning “rock”). Simon would become a rock of faith, a leader of the church. An unsuccessful fisherman would help spread the Gospel beyond the villages of Galilee and Judea to the ends of the earth.

When Jesus calls us to Himself, He gives us a new identity. Do not live in the past. You have a new name and identity in Christ. “To the one who conquers … I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17).

Be the new person God is transforming you into.

Can you list one or more ways that Christ has changed your identity?

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