John 1:42b

"Jesus looked at him and said, 'So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter)."

Jesus' rhetorical question required no rhetoric at all. After all, the King of Kings knows all, therefore there's greater purpose behind his query of Simon. He asks him his name and references his heritage as if He already knows or has heard of him. Of course He knows, but Simon couldn't have known that He knew. This was their first encounter together (or at least Simon's of Jesus). I wonder what Simon thought at that moment. "You know my name? You know my father? And you have the boldness, the audacity to re-name me? Cephas? Who do you think you are?" (Nathanael had similar thoughts, we know because he verbally expressed them, found later in this Chapter of John's Gospel account). I don't know what Simon was thinking, but if I project myself onto him at that moment over 2,000 years ago, that's probably what I would have thought. And yet at the same time I, like Simon, would have been attracted to Him, just like the others.

But why did Jesus ask the question in the first place? He never does (did) anything without a purpose, and never without the goal of directing attention to His Father. I think the reason He asked the question (among others) was to immediately begin to show these men that the impossible was now possible with Him. (cf. Mark 10:27) The whole way these men (and me) thought of life was about to be transformed from the impossible to the possible. Jesus knows all, sees all, experiences all, is all and can accomplish all through Himself in the Father. He also has the right to do all, even the most radical and intimately intrusive of things, like change one's name.

I have a new name written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I don't know what it is, but I know that Jesus has the right to name me whatever He wishes because I am of Him, owned by Him and belong to Him. Regardless of what my name is, I know that's probably something I would never think to name myself. In fact, it may be completely opposite what I might consider. That's the impossible made possible, and that's Jesus turning my world upside down.

May I think of myself (while always thinking of others) through Jesus' lens today. May I live in such a way that I see God doing possible things with the seemingly impossible around me.