At the heart of our discipleship is the need to develop Christlikeness. Jesus declared in Luke 6:40, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” If Jesus is our Master and Teacher, in what ways are we becoming like Him? How do we even start becoming like Him?
We may notice Jesus’ deep commitment to Scripture even at twelve years of age. He said then in Lk 2:49, “I must be in my Father’s house.” This would become the pattern of His life. We see him constraining himself to fulfil the Scripture throughout His life. In Luke 4:43, He said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom . . . for I was sent for this purpose.” In Luke 19:10, he must stay at Zacchaeus’ house. Then in Luke 9:22, 17:25, the Son of Man must suffer and die. Finally, in Luke 24:26, 37, and 44, He must suffer to enter glory to fulfil all Scriptures.
It was not just during His wilderness temptation, but throughout His life, Jesus lived by every word that came from His Father (Luke 4:4, Matthew 4:4). Consequently, Satan had no hold on Him. His security rested not on His circumstances but solely on the promises of the Father.
As He taught us to pray for deliverance from temptation (Luke 11:4), He also showed us how to trust God, especially in the Garden of Gethsemane, that God is the loving Father who listens to our prayers in our most trying circumstances. Like Him, through prayer and surrender, we can turn to God to find strength during our moments of crisis and need. We can be confident and rely on God by trusting in His wise and perfect will for us.
In truth, Jesus’ entire life from his incarnation to his death was a demonstration of this willing and trusting submission to God. Instead of taking an easier path, He became a human to take on our guilt. He chose to endure betrayals, beatings, humiliation, and death. The extent of his condescension shows how deeply He loves the Father while trusting in His perfect plan.
2 Cor 5:15 reminds us that Jesus did this to deliver us from our sinful self-centered lives. By looking to Jesus and investing ourselves in prayer and the word, may God grant us an ever-increasing love for Him. May we learn to live for His glory and become more like Him as we await His return.