Jesus walked as the perfect Image of the Father, now it’s your Turn

I was reading in the book of John in chapter fourteen for my daily reading today and I was looking at a passage where Jesus is correcting and teaching His disciples. And while I was reading, I felt like the Lord was bringing to my attention the idea of how Jesus was the exact image of the Father and how it ties into our lives as Christians.

If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”  Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 14:7‭-‬9 NASB1995

Philip, in his lack of understanding, asked Jesus to show them the Father. This was of course right after Jesus had just got done telling them that they already know and have seen the Father.

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.  Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

John 14:10‭-‬12 NASB1995

Jesus then explains how the disciples have already seen and know the Father, by telling them that the Father abiding in Jesus is telling Jesus what to say. And earlier in the book, Jesus also says that the works that He does are from the Father also.

Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.

John 5:19‭-‬20 NASB1995

Jesus is saying here that He literally can do nothing without first seeing His Father do it. This means that Jesus got His marching orders from the Father. He went to God, asked what He was supposed to do and did it. This is what Jesus’ life looked like. He didn’t speak His own word and He only did what the Father did. He was perfect in His obedience to the Father. That is why He could tell people that if they knew Him, they knew the Father. Because essentially the Father was able to fully operate in Jesus because of His obedience. Jesus became an extension of the Father. And not only was Jesus the perfect image of the Father because of His complete obedience to every command, but Jesus also was conformed to the Image of the Father in how He acted. And we too are called to live like Jesus by having Jesus live inside of us. We are to be extensions of Jesus, by becoming completely obedient to Him and by being conformed to His image.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 2:20 NASB1995

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

Romans 8:29 NASB1995

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