Jesus’ Life Revealed in Our Works

Jesus’ Life Revealed in Our Works

In His high-priestly prayer, Jesus says that He glorified His heavenly Father here on earth, and that He finished the work God had given Him to do. He had also revealed the Father’s name to men. John 17:4-6.

This was a tremendous testimony Jesus could give close to the end of His life here on earth. By His life, He had both glorified the Father, and revealed His name to men. Those who were together with Him had truly come to know that He came from the Father. He spoke and did everything He had heard from His Father; therefore the people could also learn to know the Father by observing Jesus’ life. He revealed God’s perfect and noble love, mercy, longsuffering, and patience to us. He was the Word made manifest in flesh. You could touch and know the true Word in Jesus’ life and works.

Now the intention is that we shall glorify and reveal Jesus’ name to our fellow men, by our life and our words. They shall truly know that we have come forth from the Father. They should be able to touch and recognize God’s Word in our life. Just as Jesus did everything He heard from His Father, so we also shall now be obedient to the Holy Spirit whom He has sent to us. His noble attitude, love, patience, longsuffering, etc., will gradually become visible in our life. By this the Father is also glorified: that we bear much fruit.

May “Christ manifested in the flesh” not be just a figure of speech to us, but may this profound truth be realized in our life. May our body truly be a temple of the Holy Spirit, a dwelling in which Christ is the only ruler, so that His life can indeed be revealed in our mortal flesh and His noble love and sacrificial attitude of mind can become visible in us. With this attitude of mind, He never made any demands, but only gave. He let Himself be born into this world as a sacrifice to save mankind. He did not think a single thought in order to please Himself. He thought only about how He could help the others. He did not even have a place where He could lay His head. He did not expect to receive a single word of praise for His goodness or to be met with a loving look for all His tenderness and love. He did not come into the world to be served but to serve. He loved those who were most hateful and blasphemous. He knew that love was the only thing that could melt their hard hearts. People had hated and reviled each other for several centuries, and nothing had improved because of it. No one could love his enemies and pray for them or bless those who cursed them, as He did. By doing this He could also transform the hardest heart. When the soldiers hit Him and spat in His face, when they scourged Him and mockingly cast a cloak over Him saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ,” He sincerely prayed for them, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

May we also have this attitude even as Jesus did, because then all strife and division will cease. Those who bear a grudge against a brother, or who break fellowship in the brotherhood for the sake of a mere trifle, are many miles removed from the mind of Christ. Christ gave His life for us while we were yet sinners; therefore we should also lay down our life for the brethren. Thus, we will also be able to fill up in our flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His body, which is the Church.