In the first 12 meditations we saw a little of what the Bible tells us about Jesus. After our short exploration of his life and ministry, we might wonder what the Bible wants us to do with this knowledge.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in the Greek town of Philippi: “Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.” – Philippians 2:5 (*). In other words, they should think and act like Jesus.
Paul encourages the church in Ephesus with the following words: “Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins.” – Ephesians 5:2 (*)
For the Christian community in Rome the apostle Paul desires: “May God ... help you live in complete harmony with each other-- each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other.” – Romans 15:5 (*)
The apostle Peter writes to Christians who suffer persecution: “This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps.” – 1 Peter 2:21 (*)
The apostle Paul encourages Christians to live the way he lives: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 11:1 (**)
Jesus himself invites us to learn from him how to live: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:29 (**). In Jesus’ days, “taking someone’s yoke upon you”, meant accepting someone being your teacher.
In his story of Jesus’ life and ministry, the apostle John takes us to the Passover celebration in Jerusalem on the evening before Jesus’ death. At the start of the meal, Jesus voluntarily does the work which a slave in those days would have done: he humbly washes away the dirt from his friends’ feet. Afterwards he encourages them by saying: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.” – John 13:14 (**)
Years later, the same John declares in his first letter: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.” – 1 John 2:6 (*).
All these biblical texts leave us with questions such as:
- If I should live and act like Jesus, how did Jesus live?
- Is there any chance whatever that I could live and act like Jesus?
- If yes, then how could I learn to live like him?
- How could our church or Christian community learn to live and act like Jesus?
Let’s look into these and other questions in the forthcoming meditations.
Biblical quotations: (*) New Living Translation, (**) New International Version.
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