Image Bearers
We hear a lot of talk about being like Jesus. But what does that mean? Jesus went toe to toe with the teachers of his day, revealing truths about the scriptures that they had never noticed or understood. Jesus healed the sick - the blind, the deaf, the paralyzed, the lepers, the demon-possessed, even the dead. Jesus turned culture upside down every day. When Jesus was put on the spot, he knew exactly what to say and how to say it. He was aware of what others were thinking and knew how to avoid a trap. He showed compassion and kindness, and he boldly proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven.
Does this feel daunting to you?
Jesus lived a life behind the scenes that kept him prepared for these interactions. Throughout the gospels, we see that Jesus made time to be with his Father. His ministry began with 40 days of fasting - alone with God in the wilderness. We continue to see him slip away to pray, to find solitude, to have moments of stillness and renewal. Jesus shows us what it looks like to be empowered by God’s Spirit.
John 14, starting in verse 12, “I’m telling you the solemn truth, Jesus continued. Anyone who trusts in me will also do the works that I’m doing. In fact, they will do greater works than these, because I’m going to the Father! And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, he went on, you will keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper, to be with you forever. This other helper is the Spirit of truth.”
Jesus is letting his disciples know he will soon be leaving them, and once he is gone, they will carry on the work he has been doing. But he is also letting them know that he will be sending them a helper, the Holy Spirit, who will be with them always. And not just with them, but also with us.
From the beginning, we were formed in God’s image, called to be his ambassadors, and set apart to be his image-bearers. An ambassador must know who and what they represent, and they must understand the fullness of the authority that they carry. Jesus fully understood his authority and who he represented. His understanding of these things allowed him to be full of love and compassion, while also speaking truth and correction.
To live like Jesus means we also have work to do behind the scenes. We can’t expect to show up with grace, love, and compassion if we haven’t been with the Father. We can’t expect to know which conversations to engage in and which ones to walk away from if we aren’t in communion with the Spirit. We can’t expect to see lives changed if our life isn’t being transformed day by day.
Dallas Willard says “So, those who say we cannot truly follow Christ turn out to be correct in a sense. We cannot behave “on the spot” as he did and taught if in the rest of our time we live as everybody else does. The “on the spot” episodes are not the place where we can, even by the grace of God, redirect unchristlike but ingrained tendencies of action toward sudden Christlikeness.”
It is important to remember that for 30 years Jesus was living his day-to-day life, building discipline, working hard, studying, embracing his family and his Jewish heritage, and more. Those years were foundational and formative. Our becoming more like Jesus is a day-by-day, step-by-step journey. It is a lifetime of learning and growing. It is ongoing moments of surrender that shape and form our lives for our good and his glory.
None of our stories will be identical, but all of us need the transformation that comes from being with Jesus. That transformation is what sustains us in every season.
~ Melissa