The life of Jesus is so commonly discussed in the Christian life, we easily become deaf to the rich, transformative lessons under the surface. When we slow down, study the text of Scripture inductively, ask honest questions, and lay down our assumptions, we can uncover foundational and liberating life lessons from Jesus.
The quantity and quality of lessons we can glean from the life of Jesus are limitless. There is no corner of our existence that His life will remain silent on. That being said, I have chosen to discuss just 4 of the life lessons I am personally learning from Jesus lately.
Jesus knew Himself. He demonstrated breathtaking awareness regarding His value, His human limitations, His divine power, His purpose, and His capacity. As a follower of Jesus, I am invited to know myself openly and honestly, to discover all the unique and intricate details my Maker instilled in my being…to know Who’s image I am made in. In the same way a child can quickly be attached to their parents based on the same nose or hair, I am unmistakably linked to my God because I bear His likeness. I am His child. That is my identity. And everything in my life is meant to flow from a place of unshakeable belonging, inheritance, promise, and intimate intentionality. When we know who we are, and continue to allow God to determine our very being, we are able to abide in peace, power, confidence, humility, and grace.
Jesus invites us into the rhythms of Sabbath. Though He was a counter cultural Rabbi and worked miracles on a sacred day of rest, His actions were not meant to undo the importance of rest. Rather, He worked on the Sabbath to reveal the heart of it. Letting God’s values and ways be supreme. Letting Him have the final say. Letting the Kingdom of Heaven invade our man made systems and strategies. In the Gospels, we see Jesus embracing rest in many ways. Reclining with friends around a meal, napping in the middle of a storm, retreating for solitude and meditation, cooking breakfast by the sea. This God Man shows us that to embrace and
enjoying life’s inherent rhythms is a holy thing. The sun rises and sets. The tide comes and goes. Our body wakes and sleeps. So must the work of our hands, the plans of our mind, and the intentions of our hearts. In our decision to let tomorrow worry for itself, let the day’s work yield to heavenly patterns of pause, we are praising God as the provider and sustainer of our future.
Studying the way Jesus interacts with other people is one of my favorite ways to read the Gospels. The intentionality and precision He speaks and acts with…what a mysterious yet welcoming presence this Man must have been to those around Him! We see Jesus defending the outcasts of society while simultaneously nurturing the lives of great men of power. His disciples, friends, and followers were incredibly diverse, as they continue to be to this day. Every social class, age, gender, culture, and personality type are at His table. He welcomed everyone.
When Peter betrayed Jesus, He held no grudge. Instead, He uses the damage to bring beauty and depth into the relationship. Jesus prayed blessing upon His accusers and murderers. He spoke life into dead bodies. He spoke purity into situations of compromise. He spoke value over the rejected. He spoke love over legalism. Jesus challenges me to approach relationships with a heart ready to serve, forgive, bless, and nurture – in ways and in places that others might not.