So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.
John 5:19-20
Thomas a Kempis, in the years 1418-1427, wrote a book called The Imitation of Christ. It had a profound effect on the church up until the Reformation. I don’t want to endorse the contents of the book, but I do like the title. At least, if you understand it the way I mean it. I believe Jesus showed us a pattern for living, and if we follow it, we will have a very fruitful life.
The pattern of life Jesus lived is illustrated in our text. Jesus was clear, The Son does nothing on his own but only what he sees the Father doing. That is the working paradigm for how to live like Jesus. Living like Jesus isn’t just doing the “things” that Jesus did, like healing the sick, feeding the 5,000, and other signs and acts of compassion which he performed. The key to living like Jesus is to live as he did in fellowship with his Father. Intimacy with God is the key. Intimacy is hearing from God and seeing what God is doing.
Our love for God and from God allows us to have the intimacy we need to live like Jesus. “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing.” Paul prays for us that we will receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of our hearts enlightened that we may know…what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…” Ephesians 1:17-18. This truth escaped me for many years. God has a rich and glorious inheritance in us. We are loved and valuable to him. This truth is not something we, with our natural minds, can comprehend. That is why Paul prays that we will have a “spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” This exalted position requires Holy Spirit revelation to our hearts before we see it or believe it. We do not expect to be loved by the Father like this.
Jesus did nothing on his own initiative. He wasn’t a “self-starter.” Jesus lived a life of obedience from his intimacy with the Father. We, too, are to aspire to a life of obedience to the voice of the Father, which comes through his word and the Spirit.
We have been commanded to make disciples. However, Jesus instructed his earliest followers not to pursue this mission until after receiving the Holy Spirit, which came at Pentecost.
The paradigm of living like Jesus is referred to by Paul as “walking in the Spirit” or being “filled with the Spirit.” Jesus’ earthly task before his death, burial, and resurrection was essentially to make disciples. He modeled for us how to do it since his mission from the Father and for us (he sends us as the Father sent him) was to make disciples that would multiply and make more multiplying disciples. We need to pay attention to how Jesus did it. He modeled how to walk with God in perfect fellowship. We must learn from his modeling for us how to walk with God. Granted, we have difficulty having perfect fellowship with the Father because of our inherited sin nature. That cannot, however, be an excuse for an anemic fellowship with God. We have been made to be saints, holy ones, new creations in Christ, Ambassadors of Christ, and God’s glorious inheritance. When we see what Jesus is telling us and modeling for us, we must be inspired to a more intimate walk with Jesus.
Pray daily for the Lord to show you what he is doing and to allow you to hear what he is saying so you can do the same in his name. This is what we should expect and strive for as a life of intimacy with Jesus.
