If you accept, as I do, that the Bible presents a true
record of Jesus, then you have not only a testament to His teaching but a
portrait of His nature. I came to love Christ because of His words, but if you
spend any time reading His words, you discover His character.
Many people have noble qualities when they’re operating at
their best, under optimum conditions. But none of us could stand up to the
scrutiny the Scriptures give Jesus. We are allowed to witness His temptations,
when He was all alone except for Satan. We see how He responds under stress,
when people interrupt Him or try to bully Him or twist His words or attempt to
make Him back down.
We watch how He treats little children, an immoral woman, desperately
ill outcasts, frantic parents, and a conflicted religious leader. We see His
heart at His loneliest moments when His closest friends were either asleep or
in the very act of betraying Him.
What you have is a consistent portrayal of the finest Man
who will ever live. He is a Man of perfect integrity – integrated and whole. Even
though He is both God and Man, He is undivided within Himself, balanced and
harmonious.
All of us know that stress, pain, change, and fear bring our
worst faults to the surface. All these assault Jesus, and worse, but nothing immature
or ungodly emerges. He has no rough edges. He never needs to go back and ask
for forgiveness because He acted rashly or unkindly or thoughtlessly under
pressure.
Here are just a few of the perfections that are obvious as
we follow Jesus in the Gospels: assertiveness, bravery, compassion,
decisiveness, endurance, friendliness, generosity, honesty, innocence, joy,
kindness, love, mercy, obedience, patience, responsibility, selflessness,
trustworthiness, understanding, vigilance, wisdom, zeal. And a whole lot more.
This love of Christ is exceedingly sweet and satisfying; it is better than life because it is the love of a person of such dignity and excellency (Jonathan Edwards, Altogether Lovely, p. 100).
