Look at How He Lived

The Life of Jesus Christ | Part Three

Introduction

When we read the Gospels, it is easy to focus on the extraordinary things Jesus did. He healed the sick, cast out demons, calmed storms, multiplied food, and raised the dead. But before we get to His miracles, we should pay attention to the way He lived.

01 | He Lived in Obedience to the Father

Jesus lived in complete obedience to the Father. John 5:19 (NLT) tells us, “the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” Jesus had authority unlike anyone who had ever walked the earth, yet He didn’t live independently of the Father. He sought the Father’s Will, spent time in prayer, and did what pleased Him.

02 | His Life Was Rooted in Prayer

We see that dependence in the rhythm of His life. His prayer life shows us how deeply He valued His fellowship with the Father. Jesus could be surrounded by people who needed Him and still withdraw to spend time alone with God. Luke 5:16 tells us that He often did exactly that. Before choosing the twelve apostles, He spent the night in prayer. Before the Cross, He sought the Father in Gethsemane. Prayer was not something Jesus turned to only when circumstances became difficult. Fellowship with the Father was part of how He lived.

03 | He Saw the People Others Overlooked

Jesus also showed us who He is by the way He treated people. He noticed those others ignored. He touched people others would not touch. He welcomed people others had already judged as unworthy, and He showed compassion to people who came to Him hurting, ashamed, sick, grieving, or rejected.

We see this in Mark 1 when a man with leprosy came to Jesus. Mark 1:40–42 (NLT) tells us: “A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. ‘If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,’ he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.”

In biblical times, leprosy could affect far more than a person’s physical health. Leviticus 13:45–46 describes the isolation that could become part of that person’s life. Under the Law given to Israel, a person declared ceremonially unclean because of a serious skin disease had to live outside the camp and warn others that he was unclean.

Imagine what that meant. Depending on his condition, a man could lose the ordinary closeness most of us take for granted—being welcomed into the community and experiencing the simple human touch of another person.

Now think about that moment in light of what this man’s life had probably become. He came to Jesus believing that Jesus had the power to heal him. His question wasn’t whether Jesus could do it. He said, “If you are willing.”

Jesus was willing.

So when this man knelt before Jesus, He did something especially meaningful. Jesus could have healed the man without ever touching him. Instead, Mark 1:41 tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion, reached out His hand, and touched him. Before the man’s body was restored, Jesus touched the man whose condition had forced distance between him and other people.

Jesus saw more than his disease. He saw him.

04 | His Compassion Was Personal

We see that same compassion when Jesus encountered the widow of Nain walking behind the body of her only son. Luke 7:13 tells us that when the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. Before she asked Him for anything, Jesus saw her grief. He approached the coffin, raised her son back to life, and gave him back to his mother.

This is part of the Jesus we need to know. His power was extraordinary, but so was His compassion. He didn’t encounter hurting people as interruptions to His ministry. They were among the people He had come to reach.

05 | His Mercy Never Compromised the Truth

But the compassion of Jesus should never be mistaken for a willingness to overlook sin. Jesus welcomed people others rejected, but He also told people the truth. He confronted hypocrisy. He called people to repent. He corrected His own disciples when they were wrong. He never changed the truth to make it easier for people to receive.

We see both His mercy and His truth when a woman caught in adultery was brought before Him in John 8. Her accusers wanted to use her sin as a way to trap Jesus, but He refused to participate in their condemnation of her. After they walked away, Jesus asked whether anyone remained to condemn her. When she answered no, John 8:11 (NLT) records His response: “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Jesus didn’t condemn her, but neither did He tell her that her sin didn’t matter. He extended mercy to her and called her away from the life she had been living. We don’t have to choose between a Jesus who is compassionate and a Jesus who tells the truth. He is both.

Conclusion | Knowing Jesus as Scripture Reveals Him

This is important when we are learning who Jesus really is. We cannot build our understanding of Him around only the parts of His character that make us comfortable. The Jesus who welcomed sinners is also the Jesus who called them to repentance. The Jesus who showed mercy also spoke truth. The Jesus who was gentle with the broken also confronted religious hypocrisy directly. To know Jesus more deeply, we have to be willing to see Him as Scripture reveals Him.

IN THIS TEACHING

• Introduction

01 He Lived in Obedience to the Father

02 His Life Was Rooted in Prayer

03 He Saw the People Others Overlooked

04 His Compassion Was Personal

05 His Mercy Never Compromised the Truth

Conclusion | Knowing Jesus as Scripture Reveals Him

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THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST

A Journey Through His Life, Teachings, and Eternal Purpose

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PREVIOUS TEACHING

02 — He Came Near — God With

CURRENT TEACHING

03 — Look at How He Lived

COMING NEXT

04 — Look at What He Did

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SCRIPTURES IN THIS TEACHING

John 5:19

Luke 5:16

Mark 1:40–42

Leviticus 13:45–46

Luke 7:13

John 8:11

Scripture references from the New Living Translation (NLT).