An Unrecognizable Face

Matthew 7:21-22 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Have you ever been at a social gathering and saw someone that you knew their face, but for some reason, you could not recall their name? It can make for an awkward situation when you come into contact with that person. During the whole conversation, your brain is being scrolled to find the name so that you can find comfort and put the other person at ease. Sometimes, it never comes until you humble yourself and ask for their name. It would be nice to have a memory that could recall every face and every name that you have ever come into contact with, but vitamins and memory games only work for a very few.

Throughout life, there will be many unrecognizable faces that we come into contact with. Some of the people you see you may actually know while others may only be a look alike. With the masses of people around today, it is easy to get lost in the crowd and overlooked especially in the city. However, have you ever visited your family, neighborhood or maybe your hometown and didn’t receive the attention that you thought you would? I can remember how sad my heart was when I went to the grocery store that I worked in for five years through high school and college and was barely recognized. I walked in expecting everyone to know who I was and wanted them to remember my name. This was not the case, because so much had changed…

Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt when He came to this earth? John 1:11 says, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” The One who created all, sustains all and gives life to all was rejected and despised. Our Creator had an unrecognizable face, because people had grown so distant and cold toward His heart and honestly didn’t want to see Him. The face and name that everyone should have known and been able to relate to was mistreated and abused though innocent of any sin and guilty of pure love. Isaiah 52:14 says, “Just as many were astonished at you, My people, so His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men (NASB).”

Even though, many did not and still do not recognize Jesus as the Son of God, He promised, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12). ” Although you may have forgotten the name of your Creator, please save yourself the shame and embarrassment by being humble and asking for His name on this side of eternity.

The Proverb writer asked, “Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know” (30:4)! There are many today who are familiar with the name of Jesus Christ and use it to make a profit, but they have never been formally introduced and born again. He is the only way to Heaven and wants to give you peace before you wake up in eternity and realize you had forgotten His name on earth. Acts 4:12 explains, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heav en given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Let’s be like the Apostle Paul who became friends with Christ and told young Timothy, “nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12b).