Who Knows My Name
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15
Have you ever had someone come say hi to you and you just cannot remember who they are or how you know them? It’s pretty awkward, right? Have you ever been on the other side of it? Where someone forgets your name? No one ever says anything, but you can just feel it. You know that this person you’re talking to has no idea who you are.
This happened to me with a girl here at school. She is THE girl on campus. She is involved in everything imaginable, all positions that are coveted here at Vanderbilt, and I decided early in my college career that I was going to be her friend. We had been introduced on many occasions, and I thought I was known.
When we got back to school in the fall, though, I felt it. The awkward waves, the uncomfortable smiles, and trailing off “he-eyy…” every day. She definitely knew that she should know me, but she could not remember my name. In realizing this, I felt so uncomfortable, unknown, lost, and unimportant.
You know forgetting names though is not a new phenomenon. I bet thousands of years ago, it was even harder to remember names. People didn’t even know how to spell their own names, so imagine how hard it was to remember other people’s names.
There was this one guy though who just seemed to know everyone. Jesus would come into towns and know people without ever meeting them before. He knew how to make people feel known, to feel loved. He didn’t just know their name, He knew who they were.
Jesus works this way with us too. He loves you and removes that fear of being lost, the fear of being unknown. You are known. You are loved. Jesus goes the extra mile. He doesn’t just know who you are, He knows everything that makes you who you are.
He thinks your whole self is beautiful and worthy. He thinks it is so worthy that He laid down His life for you, so that He can know you for the rest of eternity!