A few weeks ago, I was asked to join a panel with a childhood friend. When I saw him, I greeted him by the name I’d always known him by, unaware he no longer used it. I knew his real name, but back then, we never used it. The old name perhaps represented a former identity, a version of himself he’d outgrown. When the host corrected me, I noticed my friend looked uncomfortable, as if reminded of that old self. In much the same way, when Jesus called Peter by his old name “Simon”, it wasn’t casual; it was intentional. Jesus wasn’t just addressing Peter’s name; He was addressing his mindset, confronting traces of the old man still influencing his thoughts.
“Simon, what do you think?”
~Matt 17:25aSons don’t think like strangers, they think from belonging, not from burden.
The publican came for Peter asking whether Jesus paid the “temple tax” or tribute. Peter, acting brand new to who Jesus was, answered with a sporadic yes. But when he returned, Jesus was waiting with a question that would make him question his thought process. Jesus is drawing attention to how Peter responded without consulting kingdom identity. The tribute was for the “upkeep of God’s house”, yet Peter had the Son of God standing before him. Jesus knew that sons don’t pay taxes in their Father’s house, only the strangers do. The goal wasn’t correction but elevation, Jesus was lifting Peter’s perspective from duty to identity!”
The Simon mindset represented the carnal lens, thinking governed by fear, law, and performance. It is a mindset defined by bondage to law, fear of offense, and carnal thoughts. Simon had received a new name, which was Peter, meaning Rock, a symbol of stability and revelation. Jesus was calling Peter, and He’s also calling us to a new lens, not just religious duty, but relational identity. Sons operate from inheritance, not insecurity, from revelation, not reaction. The new man in Christ thinks from heaven down, not from earth up.
Our world today isn’t much different; it constantly defines people by their past. In interviews, they’ll ask behavioral questions because the assumption is that how you responded before, you’re likely to respond again. In Christ, however, old failures, familiar habits, nicknames born of pain, and even public personas no longer define us. The transformation may be invisible to others, but heaven recognizes it instantly. As believers, we are not just workers in the church or servers in the system; we are sons and daughters of God. Too often, when pressure comes, we resort to fear, performance, and natural reasoning. In those moments, Jesus is still asking, “What do you think?” He’s not seeking information, but revelation.
When we change status, we also change perception. This passage hit home for me. Even though I know I’m a daughter of God, there are moments when I respond like the old version of me who used just to survive. Rushing to answer, explain, or prove, without first remembering who I am and whose I am. Today, when I went to return my equipment to what will be my “former employer” tomorrow.. I felt the old self stirring in those quiet moments; Jesus whispered, not to shame me, but to realign me… “You’re not the person you were anymore.” In that moment, peace returned, and I remembered, daughters don’t owe; their father owns it all.
Time of Reflection:
** Jesus called Peter Simon because the old mindset was still speaking
** Sonship isn’t about position, it’s about perception
Heart probe:
** Where have I been responding from Simon- thinking, instead of Peter-identity?
References:
Matt 17:24-27
Gal 4:6-7
Rom 8:15
2 Cor 5:17
Col 3:10
Closing Prayer:
Father, Thank You for making me more than a servant. I’m not just a member of Your household, I’m a daughter, called to partner with You as Your very own inheritance. Forgive me for all the times I’ve answered in fear, allowing doubt to rise up when you were calling me to a greater level of faith. Help me remember I’m no longer who I was. Train my mind to reason from heaven and not earth from this day forward. Let me walk as one who has been with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen
