Faith
By Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr., 8-12-25
What was Jesus really like? What was His main message to the world? Many people today are confused about Jesus and have tried to make him into their image to agree with their social or political agenda. We have also heard many sermons about the importance of “being like Jesus.” So, it is very important to know what Jesus was really like, and His great attributes, so we can model ourselves after Him, and be like him!
First of all, Jesus personified the love of God and preached the Gospel of good news of salvation wherever He went. He was filled with the love of God and compassion for the people and wanted them to get saved, so they could spend eternity in Heaven with God. The most famous Bible verse is this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (Jesus), that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. The Bible says that Jesus “did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world though Him might be saved. John 3: 17. Jesus loved to heal sick people, and feed them, have fellowship with them and even raise them from the dead! But most of all, Jesus wanted to bring them salvation and eternal life. The first words spoken by Jesus in his ministry in the Bible were “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17. And he said He was the only way to salvation: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.” John 14:6. Jesus also said: “You must be born again to see the Kingdom of Heaven.” John 3:3. He said that anyone who believed in Him would have eternal life, and those who did not believe were “condemned already”. John 3:17. Jesus actually spoke more about Hell than Heaven, and warned the people about the judgment of God on unbelievers. Jesus described Hell as a place of eternal judgment and punishment, using terms like “fiery hell” and “furnace of fire.” Matthew 25:4. He warned of “eternal fire and “eternal punishment” for the wicked in Matthew 25:46. He used vivid imagery to depict the torment of Hell, as “weeping and gnashing of teeth”, “outer darkness”, “unquenchable fire,” and a place where ”the worm does not die.” Mark 9: 47-49. Revelation 21:8 speaks of “the fiery lake of burning sulphur”. Revelation 20:15 says that the unsaved will be cast into the Lake of Fire and will be tormented forever. And Revelation 20:10 says that “If anyone’s name was not found in the book of life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire”. Many people today water down the Gospel. But that was the main message of Jesus: repent of your sins, have faith in me as the only way to salvation, get “born again” spiritually, and you will be saved from Hell and the Lake of Fire, and have everlasting life in Heaven with God. John 14:6. So, if we want to be like Jesus, we will love people enough to tell them the truth: repent of your sin, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, make Him the Lord of your life and be “born again” spiritually in order to be saved from Hell and the Lake of Fire, and spend eternity with God in Heaven.
Number two, Jesus showed great compassion for the sick, lost, hurting and brokenhearted. The Bible says that “Jesus went about Galilee healing all their diseases.” Matthew 4:23. He healed a leper, a blind man, a deaf man, and a man with a withered hand. When Jesus saw people mourning for his friend Lazarus who died, the Bible says “Jesus wept,” and he proceeded to raise him from the dead. John 11:35. When Jesus saw a large crowd he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14. He quoted Isaiah 61:1: “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives, and to open prison doors for those who are bound.” Luke 4:18-19. Jesus also said: “A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34.
So, if we want to be like Jesus, we will show great love and compassion for the lost, the sick, the brokenhearted, and those in prison. We will “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ”, which means to love one another. Galatians 6:2; John 3:34.
Number three, Jesus was holy, or set apart for the Kingdom of God, and lived a life without sin. Jesus said: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” John 14:9. He also said “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48. He demonstrated all of the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 (wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues). So, if we want to be like Jesus we will seek holiness in our life, and spiritual maturity, which is the Biblical definition of perfection. We will seek to show the love and grace of God and have all of the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit working and manifested in our daily life.
Number four, Jesus was very humble, and came to serve and not to be served. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, and said go and do likewise. John 13:14-15. He said “I came not to be served, but to serve.” Matthew 20:28. He said that true leadership involved serving others, not seeking power or fame. So, if we want to be like Jesus, we will be humble, and seek to serve our fellow man in every way.
Number five, Jesus was not afraid to be confrontational, and spoke the truth in love. Jesus said “I did not come to bring peace to the world but rather a sword.” Matthew 10:34. Jesus was very controversial and even divisive in his day and culture. He said that the world hated Him because He stood for holiness, and they will also hate us for our faith in Him. John 15:18-19. Jesus said that a believer’s enemies will be members of our own family, because some family members will believe in Him and others will not. Matthew 10:34-36. Jesus will one day be the “Prince of Peace”, but that is after the Tribulation when He comes again to judge the world and bring peace to the world during His thousand year reign. Isaiah 2:4,and 11: 6-9. So, if we want to be like Jesus we will speak the truth in love, and have the courage to be confrontational and even divisive, regardless of what people may say and do.
Number six, Jesus always used “tough love” when he spoke to people and not “sloppy agape.” He knew what people really needed regardless of their outward appearance and problem. He looked on their heart. He railed against hypocrites – Scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish leaders that made an outward show of their religion but were actually far from God in their heart, on the inside of their soul. Jesus said that they strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel, spiritually. He called them pejorative names: “Sons of the Devil”, “Brood of vipers”, and “Whitewashed tombs, full of dead men’s bone on the inside.” Matthew 23:27. He said they placed great importance on rules, but failed to see the spirit and reason behind the rules of God and the love of God. They had a religious spirit, not the Spirit of God. They actually led people away from God due to their hypocrisy. He did not coddle or enable sin, but spoke the truth in love. So, if we want to be like Jesus, we will always use “tough love”, and not “sloppy agape” and be unafraid to call out sin and hypocrisy in the church and in the culture.
Number seven, Jesus was merciful and forgiving of sin; he forgave the lady caught in adultery, but told her to go and sin no more. As he was dying on the cross, Jesus actually asked God to forgive those who had crucified him for as He said “Father forgive them as they know not what they do.” Luke 23:27. Jesus said “Judge not that you be not judged.” Matthew 7:1 So, if we want to be like Jesus, we will not be judgmental of others, but we will be merciful and forgive others who sin against us “seventy times seven”. Matthew 18:22.
Number eight, Jesus showed righteous indignation and anger toward sin. When he came into Jerusalem for the last time Jesus saw money changers in the temple and became very angry. He said “My house shall be called a House of Prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves” and he formed a whip and overturned the tables in the temple and told them to leave. Matthew 21:13. This was a major reason for His crucifixion. If we want to be like Jesus, we will not be afraid to show righteous indignation at sin, and take action against it in the church and in the culture.
Number nine, Jesus respected the government of His day, and spoke with supernatural wisdom. The crowd was always amazed and marveled at his words. The Bible says the people said “No one ever spoke like this.” John 7:46. The Jewish leaders tried to trap him by asking if they should pay taxes. Jesus said “bring me a coin – who is on this coin, Caesar? Then render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto God that which is God’s.” Matthew 22:21. This was an incredible answer that left the people stunned and speechless. His sermon on the Mount was, without doubt, the greatest sermon and speech of all time. Matthew, Chapters 5-7. If we want to be like Jesus, we will honor and respect the government of our day, and we will seek to make our speech filled with supernatural wisdom.
Number ten, Jesus placed great emphasis on daily prayer to God the Father. Even being the Son of God, Jesus knew it was important to daily commune with His Father in Heaven in prayer. The Bible says that Jesus arose early while it was still dark and went out to a lonely place to pray. Mark 1:35. He taught us how to pray by giving us the Lord’s prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 6:9-13. So, if we want to be like Jesus, we will arise early, and pray, so that we will start each day in communion with the Lord, to bring us peace and vision for the day ahead, and so we will know the will of the Lord.
Number eleven, Jesus did many miracles and signs and wonders in order to increase the faith of the people and show them that He truly was the Son of God. Jesus turned water into wine, He fed 5,000 people by multiplication of the 2 loves and fishes. He walked on the water on the sea of Galilee to save his disciples from drowning. He opened blind eyes and deaf ears. He raised Lazarus and a little girl from the dead. He raised another dead man from his coffin. He healed the Centurion’s son. He healed lepers and a man with a withered hand. He cast demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs. And Jesus rose from the dead himself on the third day after his crucifixion; this was the “sign of Jonah” which he gave to the Jews. Jesus also said that if He went to the Father, that we would do greater things than He did, because of the power of the Holy Spirit. So, if we want to be like Jesus, we will use the power of the Holy Spirit to heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead!
Number twelve, Jesus greatly honored and constantly quoted the Holy Scriptures, which, during His day were contained in the Old Testament. Jesus IS and WAS the Word of God. He actually wrote the Old Testament, which contained many prophesies of His coming as the Messiah, which He fulfilled. He said he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets but rather to fulfill them, or to show the Spirit and the heart of God behind the law. Matthew 5:17. So, if we want to be like Jesus, we will honor, read and study the Bible daily (Old and New Testament), and we will use the power of the Word of God in our daily life, as we confront every situation.
Number thirteen, Jesus had constant fellowship with those who believed in Him. Jesus chose 12 men to follow Him, and met in homes of believers and in the temple on a daily basis, for fellowship, to encourage them all in their faith, and to encourage Himself. If Jesus, the Son of God needed daily fellowship, so do we! If we want to be like Jesus, we will have daily fellowship with other believers and not give up assembling together, so we can truly be part of the family of God. Hebrews 10:25.
Number fourteen, Jesus ate and associated with sinners in order to share the Gospel. When He was criticized for this, He said that those who are sick need a physician. Matthew 9:10-17. So if we want to be like Jesus, we will not be too proud or sanctimonious to eat and associate with sinners so we can bring them the good news of salvation. We will not be“holier than thou”. Rather, we will always be quick to share the good news and be a witness to the world.
Finally, Jesus showed great passion, zeal, boldness and courage for the Kingdom of God, and always did the will of God the Father. On the Mount of Olives, Jesus actually sweated blood on the night before He was crucified. But he did not shrink from that great mission, and said to God, “Nevertheless, Your will be done!” Luke 22:42. He persevered with courage and boldness. He was nearly beaten to death, and then was required to carry a heavy cross to Golgotha, outside the walls of Jerusalem. He endured the terrible pain of crucifixion, in order to pay the price for our sins and give us the great gift of salvation and eternal life to all who believe in Him. If we want to be like Jesus, we will be zealous and passionate about our faith, will take up our cross daily and follow Him, have the courage and boldness to share the Gospel, and do the will of God the Father, no matter what comes our way!
Jesus was by far the greatest man who ever lived, and He walked daily in the love of God, calling sinners to repentance and salvation. He said that those who believe in me will have everlasting life and “I will raise him up on the last day!” John 6:40. If we want to be like Jesus, we will seek all of His great attributes. We will show people the love of God in every way. We will pray for their healing, both physical and spiritual. We will love people enough to call them to repentance from sin, and preach and share the Gospel of salvation wherever we go. We will not be afraid to be confrontational, and even divisive. We will fear God, not man. We will love what is good and holy and hate what is evil and sinful. We will use “tough love” and not “sloppy agape”. We will not be judgmental and will show mercy and forgiveness of sin and forgive others. We will show righteous indignation about sin, and take action against it. We will seek to speak with supernatural wisdom. We will place great emphasis on prayer, and pray daily. We will use the power of the Holy Spirit to heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. We will honor, study and speak the Word of God daily. We will have fellowship daily with other believers. We will show great love and compassion for the lost, sick and brokenhearted and those in prison. We will associate with sinners and bring them the good news of salvation. And we will show great boldness and courage, persevere in our faith, and always do the will of God to advance the Kingdom of God! Amen!
John Marshall Meisburg, Jr. is a retired judge and practicing attorney in Nassau County
