What was Jesus Like?
He was totally sinlessThe person God has appointed to judge the thoughts, words, and actions of men must be sinless. Everything we know about Jesus points to His perfection. His life was as straight as a builder’s plumb line and a measure of how upright (how good) we should be.
In this study we shall see how Jesus lived up to the impossibly high standards of His own teaching. This makes His claim to be the world’s Judge a valid one (Study 2). But it also means that Jesus is infinitely kind and compassionate, not only to the sick but also to the sinful!
John the Baptist knew Jesus was sinlessJohn came to prepare people for Jesus, and to baptise those who turned from their sin. He said he was unworthy to even undo the shoelaces of Jesus. This was not because John was such a bad person, but because Jesus was such a good one.
Mark 1 v7And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
What is significant in this passage?
John did not want to baptise Jesus, as he knew He had no sin to turn from.
God declared Jesus to be sinlessJesus is the only person to have entirely pleased God. No one else was publicly declared from Heaven to be pleasing to Him. When Jesus was baptised, God openly announced that He was very pleased with Jesus.
Mark 1 v11And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
God later made a similar declaration concerning His Son. A person must be very pure to please an all-holy God!
New Testament writers say Jesus was sinlessJesus knew the power of temptation but He never gave way to it. If He had, He would have been a sinner like us.
Hebrews 4 v15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
The perfection of Jesus, showed up the imperfection of others. Even Peter (His disciple) felt an overpowering sense of his own sinfulness in the presence of Jesus. Jesus “knew no sin”. Consider the evidence for this in the record of His life that follows.
He lived up to His own teachingDo you remember how Jesus said we should love God and love each other? He said we should love others like we love ourselves. He also said we should love our enemies – the hardest thing of all to do! Though this standard is impossible for us, Jesus achieved it!
Jesus loved God with all His beingWhen the thought of suffering overwhelmed Jesus, He submitted His own will to that of His Father in Heaven.
Luke 22 v42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Jesus loved others as He loved HimselfJesus was totally selfless. When He was dying on the cross, Jesus thought of others not Himself. Though in terrible pain He thinks of His mother, and asks a disciple to look after her.
John 19 v26-27When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Jesus loved His enemiesWhen they were doing their worst to hurt Him on the cross, Jesus asked God to forgive them – something He was ready to do Himself.
Luke 23 v34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
He was full of compassionMost of the miracles Jesus did were motivated by compassion, as we have seen (Study 1). His sympathetic heart felt for others in their need, and He healed them.
Consider His compassion for the manyJesus came to preach the Gospel. But the sight of so many sick people moved Him deeply, so He healed all who were brought to Him.
Matthew 14 v14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Consider His compassion for just twoBlind people were often forced to beg for a living. Their plight touched the heart of Jesus and moved Him to pity.
Matthew 20 v34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
There are many other examples of Jesus’ compassion for the sick. He also had compassion on the hungry and distressed.
He was full of compassion for sinnersThink of a wind so powerful that it is difficult to remain upright. This is a picture of temptation. Temptation is like a forceful wind. Jesus knew the power of temptation, and the misery into which sin could drag a person. Though Jesus Himself had never sinned, He had compassion on those who had.
Jesus ate with some of the worst people of His day. Some despised Him for being so friendly to sinners, but they failed to realise they were sinners themselves.
Jesus went to sinnersIt was because Jesus was perfect that He loved sinners more than we would, or could. Jesus was criticised for welcoming sinners.
Luke 15 v2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
It was because Jesus knew sin could wreck lives and ruin people that He loved sinners so much. He also knew it would exclude them from Heaven. He was full of love for sinners or as the Bible says, “full of grace”.
John 1 v14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Sinners felt drawn to JesusThose who recognised their sin were attracted to Him because they felt His love for them.
Luke 7 v37-38When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
We saw earlier that Jesus came to save those who were “lost” (Study 2). The footnote below gives more examples of lost sinners that were savedby Jesus.
FinallyWe cannot end this study of the character of Jesus without mentioning His courage. In the face of strong opposition, He was totally fearless. This is just another side of His perfection. A timid and frightened man is not a perfect one.
Jesus showed great courage when He rebuked the leaders of His day, drove out those who abused God’s Temple, and calmly stood before the Roman governor at His condemnation.
Jesus’ clash with the authorities was one of the reasons, humanly speaking, for His death (next study).
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