“I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1b
What’s your reaction when you sit down for a conversation and the first words spoken by the other person are, “Look, it’s nothing personal…”?
I don’t know about you, but my immediate response is a physical cringe followed by the thought, “Oh yeah, this is going to be personal! And it’s not going to be good.” Then I steel myself knowing that a harsh critique, a disappointing review, a cutting comment, or bad news is on the way.
Oh yes. It is going to be personal.
This is like those times when you’ve been hurt or feel like you’ve gotten the raw end of a deal and then you share your experience with a close confidante. The last words you want to hear are, “You just can’t take it personally.”
Because let’s face it, it is personal. It is personal when you’re on the receiving end, good or bad.
And that is one of the many things that I love about Jesus. With Jesus, you are never a nameless, faceless body in a mass of humanity – you’re never lost in the crowd. He knows exactly who you are, and He knows exactly what you need.
With Jesus, it was and always is personal.
Here are some familiar reminders of Jesus’ personal approach with those He encountered.
The short tax collector could not see over the heads of the people pressing in to see Jesus, so he ran to a sycamore tree where he quickly found a perch above the crowd. Imagine his surprise when Jesus looked up and called him by name. “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:1-10)
Not only did Jesus notice Zacchaeus, but He also called him by name.
It was personal.
Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside near the entrance to Jericho as Jesus and His disciples passed by. As soon as Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus on the road, he began calling out to Him. Ignoring those who rebuked and tried to silence him, Bartimaeus continued to cry out to Jesus joining the loud noise of the crowds who were all clamoring for Jesus’ attention.
Among the many voices crying out, Jesus focused on one – the voice of the blind beggar. He singled out the beggar and called him to come to Him. That day Bartimaeus received his sight and became a follower of the Messiah. (Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43)
It was personal.
In Capernaum, a ruler of the city begged Jesus to lay His hand on his daughter who had just died. The man believed that Jesus had the power to raise his daughter from dead.
The walk to the rulers’ home was interrupted when a woman who had suffered with an issue of blood for twelve years reached out to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and was immediately healed. Jesus paused for a one-on-one, personal conversation with the woman.
It was personal.
When Jesus and His disciples reached the home of the ruler, Jesus restored life to the man’s daughter. (Matthew 9:18-26)
It was personal.
There are many examples of Jesus’ private conversations with: His disciples, the rich young man, Nicodemus under the cover of darkness, the woman at the well, Martha, and many more. Jesus spoke to the crowds, but He demonstrated His love for the individual in the many private and personal conversations that are recorded in Scripture.
With Jesus, you are never just a face in the crowd. He sees the crowd, but His focus is on the individual.
On the cross, Jesus died for all who choose to believe in Him, repent, and accept Him as Lord. He died for everyone by name – not just nameless faces or unnamed masses. He died for me, and He died for you by name.
It is personal.
Just as God told the prophet Jeremiah that before he was even conceived, God knew him and chose him, God knew you before you were born.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5
Not only did God know you, God chose you before you ever took your first breath.
“Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.”
Ephesians 1:4-6
With God our Father and Jesus Christ, it has always been personal.
Never think that you are simply a face in the crowd, a meaningless cog in the wheel of life, or that you and your life do not matter.
These beautiful words are a promise that God made to Israel and by extension it is a promise that belongs to us as adopted children of the LORD God Almighty:
But now thus says the LORD, He who created you…He who formed you…: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God…. Because you are precious in My eyes, and honored, and I love you…. Fear not, for I am with you.
Isaiah 43:1-5
Clearly, your relationship to God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son is personal. God loves and cares for you deeply and personally.
Trust Him.
It is personal.