We will never walk as Jesus walked unless we know who Jesus is. But how will we know him? The apostle John, in his epistle, said, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4). To know Jesus is not only to recognize him, but to be intimately acquainted with him. Our knowledge of Jesus is not superficial so that we hesitate to obey him. Rather, we know him so much that we fully trust in his words—and obedience to it is a normal course.
To encourage us to walk just like him, Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). Jesus exemplified obedience when he submitted to the will of the Father, even to the point of death. The apostle Paul described Jesus’ obedience this way: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:6-8). The key to complete obedience is humility. No one who is self-centered and full of pride will willingly submit to someone else. His tendency is to elevate himself up, putting others down in the process.
Similarly, the apostle Peter highlighted the need to follow Jesus’ example when he said, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:21-23). This is completely the reverse of our human nature. We often find ourselves in trouble because our natural reaction to insults is to fight back and to hit hard. We do not allow ourselves to be trampled on by anyone. Because of this, it is hard for us to grasp Jesus’ command to feed our enemies when they are hungry, or to pray for those who persecute us. It is even harder not to resist an evil person, so that when he strikes our right cheek, we also let him strike the other. Only Christ-like humility will allow us to do this.
The proof of our Christianity is the way we live our lives. The apostle John said, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). We should be walking epistles of the Lord. When people see and interact with us, they should feel the presence of the Lord, as if we ourselves are Jesus to them. Therefore, any misbehaviour on our part will tarnish not only our reputation, but that of the Lord’s. Certainly, the Lord will not allow his name to be tarnished. He will come with his discipline and if we harden our hearts, nobody else will suffer but us. The Book of Proverbs says, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Prov. 29:1). God can use anyone to discipline us when his word is not enough to rebuke us. Let us not harden our hearts, but let us learn our lesson well. Let us not allow evil to influence us; rather, we should influence the wicked to do good.
Our obedience will bring us closer to God. In fact, it is only then that we can safely say that we love God. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:21). Our faith in God has to be coupled with action. It is not enough that we confess that Jesus is Lord. We need to prove that he is the Lord of our lives by our obedience to his commands. As we obey his commands, we will be trained to walk like Jesus walked. We will be able to internalize his teachings and by the time we know it, we shall be like him. Friends, it is time for us to reconsider our ways. We cannot claim to be believers unless we walk in obedience. It is only then that we come to know him—or, rather, are known by God (Gal. 4:9). Therefore, walking like Jesus walked is walking in obedience. Hallelujah!