What Will Jimmy Wear?
In the 90s sitcom, Seinfeld, there is a bit where a man named Jimmy is attracted to the show’s female lead, Elaine. He expresses his interest in her, but the conversation quickly goes awry because he awkwardly refers to himself in the third person. Alluding to himself, his first words to Elaine are, “Jimmy is pretty sweet on you,” leading her to believe Jimmy is someone entirely different.
Believe it or not, there is a term for referring to oneself in the third person. It’s “illeism,” and it’s applied to much more than comedy sketches. Parents use it to instruct their children, such as a mother saying, “Mommy needs you to brush your teeth.” It’s a rhetorical device employed by politicians to create a sense of objectivity, like Julius Caesar, who said, “Caesar avenged the public.” It’s also a technique to create distance, like, “It seems a mistake was made,” spoken by the person who made the mistake.
The Bible also uses illeism to instruct, create a sense of objectivity and to express distance. The technique is seen in Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae.
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Col. 3:8-10)
Notice how the instruction begins with the standard form of communication. “You must put them all away.” And it continues by telling you not to lie to one another. However, halfway through the sentence, it shifts to the third person, saying, “seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self.” It does not use “your old self” and “your new self” because it’s conveying a sense of detachment.
Referring to the old and new selves in a disconnected way signifies that you have a choice. Like selecting between two articles of clothing, you can choose to put on this or put on that. Would you go to work wearing a shirt with offensive words or hate symbols? Of course not! Besides being generally inappropriate, it would communicate something specific about your character. Without knowing you or ever talking to you, a negative reputation would be instantly established, based exclusively on what you chose to “put on.”
If you are committed to Christ, then “putting them all away” is not a matter of tucking them into the far reaches of your closet or even donating them to a thrift store. They go in the garbage! 2 Thessalonians 3:14 tells Christians to “take note” of those who put on that kind of self and to “have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.” If you are going to act that way, then, as the saying goes, you’re going to have to “wear it.”
Instead, Christians must choose to “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Notice that the third-person technique continues to the end of the verse. The new self is the product of “its” creator. Again, by presenting the new self in an objective manner, believers are taught that they can choose to live in accordance with their identity as children of God.
You have the option of exhibiting the ugliness of the old self that includes anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk and lying to others, or you can opt for the new self that is constantly being reshaped into the image of God. Both are there for the taking. What will you put off and what will you put on? What will Jimmy wear today?
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Col. 3:12–14)