What It Means to Be Like Jesus

“It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!” (Matthew 10:25).

Jesus’ statement implies that His disciples will be like Him. To His first-century followers, that included the prospect of persecution and martyrdom. Eight portraits in Matthew’s eyewitness account give us some clues about what else it means to be like Jesus:

1. To be like Jesus means to accept our roots (Matthew 1:1–17).
2. To be like Jesus means to engage the world’s pain and struggle (Matthew 1:18–2:23).
3. To be like Jesus means to commit ourselves to other believers, no matter how “weird” they appear to be (Matthew 3:1–17).
4. To be like Jesus means to admit our vulnerability to temptation (Matthew 4:1–11).
5. To be like Jesus means to openly proclaim the message of Christ (Matthew 4:12–25).
6. To be like Jesus means to commit ourselves to changed thinking and behavior (Matthew 5:1–7:27).
7. To be like Jesus means to serve others, especially those who are oppressed or without Christ (Matthew 8:1–9:38).
8. To be like Jesus means to affirm others in leadership (Matthew 10:1–42).

Courtesy of Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.