Claiming Jesus as my "icon" feels deeply personal. It goes beyond acknowledging His place in history or His role in theology. It is about recognizing Him as the defining figure of my existence.
He is the person whose character I want to mirror in every mundane moment of my daily life.
But why Him? In a world full of influencers and historical giants, why does Jesus stand uniquely qualified for this role?
The Practical Beauty of a Dual Nature
We often treat the idea of Jesus being fully God and fully human as a complex puzzle for scholars. In reality, it is beautifully practical.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14, NKJV)
As the Son of God, Jesus holds divine wisdom and perfection. He knows what a perfect life looks like because He is the source of it. Yet, as the Son of Man, He felt the grit of our reality. He experienced fatigue and joy. He knew physical pain and emotional stress. He is not a distant deity watching from a safe height. He walked in our shoes.
This makes His empathy perfect. When I struggle with doubt, I remember Gethsemane. When I feel the sting of rejection, I remember that His own people turned their backs on Him.
"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15, NKJV).
He felt hunger in the wilderness. He wept at a friend’s tomb. He knows what it means to be human. He showed us that a human life can be lived in total dependence on God.
Active Obedience, Not Passive Perfection
The idea of a sinless life can feel intimidating. How do I emulate someone who never made a mistake? However, His example is powerful because it shows us what a life looks like when it aligns perfectly with the Father’s will.
Jesus was not immune to temptation. He faced every pull we feel. He simply chose obedience at every turn. When He was hungry, He chose to trust God’s provision rather than performing a miracle for His own comfort. When offered the shortcut of earthly power, He chose the long road of the cross.
His sinlessness was active. It was a conscious and costly choice. He shows us that "better" is possible when we stop taking the path of least resistance.
Love That Costs Everything
The love of Jesus leaves me speechless. Our culture often celebrates a sentimental, feelings-based love. Jesus offers something sturdier. His love is sacrificial and persistent. It is a love that serves enemies and forgives those who betray it.
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13, NKJV).
Jesus did not just talk about love: He demonstrated it. He washed the feet of His disciples, taking the role of a servant. He touched the lepers others avoided. He forgave the men who drove nails through His hands while they were still doing it.
Emulating this love requires a death to self. It demands that I forgive when I want revenge. It asks me to serve when I feel I deserve to be served. It is a love that changes how I see every person I meet.
A Compassion That Truly Sees
Jesus had a way of seeing through the noise.
"And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things" (Mark 6:34, NKJV).
He did not see crowds as interruptions. He saw them as humans in need. In our disconnected world, we have learned to protect ourselves by becoming numb. We scroll past pain and walk past suffering. Jesus shows us a revolutionary way. He enters into the pain rather than avoiding it. He acts on compassion rather than just feeling it.
Wisdom with Purpose
Every conversation Jesus had was a masterpiece of wisdom. He knew exactly what each person needed to hear. He exposed idols, spoke comfort to the grieving, and cut through hypocrisy with surgical precision.
"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52, NKJV).
He never wasted words. He never spoke just to hear Himself talk. Every question had depth. Every parable had power. As someone who often fumbles for the right thing to say, I find His communication style worth a lifetime of study.
Power as a Tool for Service
Jesus never used His power for personal gain. He could have turned stones to bread or called down angels for His own rescue. Instead, He used His abilities to heal the sick and feed the hungry.
His miracles always pointed back to the Father. He used His power to lift others up and restore what was broken. This is the model of power I need: power that exists to serve rather than to grasp for recognition.
The Only Way Forward
Jesus is not just one icon among many options. He is the icon for anyone who believes.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'" (John 14:6, NKJV).
This is a bold, exclusive claim. It challenges our pluralistic age. Yet, it is the truth He declared. Choosing Jesus as my icon means choosing the only person who perfectly embodies everything I want to become.
"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21, NKJV).
When Jesus becomes your icon, He becomes your life. His mission becomes yours. His heart becomes yours. We do not just admire Him from a distance: we pattern our existence after His.
"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV).
As we fix our eyes on Him, we are transformed. This is the promise. We become like what we behold.
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