We spend much of our lives trying to emulate the life of Christ, but perhaps we should be more concerned with emulating his death. God’s Word commands us to walk just as Jesus walked so long as we are on this earth. (1 John 2:6; Ephesians 5:1-2) That is how we should spend every day of our lives. But our life is but a mist, a blip on the timeline of history, and over before we know it.
What will we leave behind for the generations to come? J. C. Ryle wrote, “Christ’s vicarious death (not his life or miracles or teaching but his death) was to bring forth fruit to the praise of God and to provide redemption for a lost world.” Thus, He accomplished more in His death than He ever did in His days on earth.
Don’t miss the tension here. The reason that the death of Jesus was so momentous was because of the way He lived. Had He given in to temptation, been disobedient to the Father, or sinned in any way, His death would not have meant much more than any other person’s. (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21) If we want our death to result in fruit beyond our years and in people praising the Lord, then we must lay the groundwork for that while we are still alive.
Jesus stressed that He came to earth to die. (Mark 10:45; John 12:27) That was His purpose from the moment Mary gave birth to Him. All His life His focus was being obedient to the cross. (Philippians 2:8; Luke 22:42) That’s how much we mean to Him. His life was not once about Himself, and always about everyone who had ever and would ever bow to Him as Savior and Lord. Imagine living such a selfless life. A life like that would do nothing but point people to God and bring Him glory. Isn’t that the point? If we live life like this, we can be confident of emulating His death when we die and leaving behind a legacy of praise.
To follow Jesus, we must take up our cross every day. That means the first thing we do upon waking is to die. We must die to our plans, die to our dreams, and die to our selfishness. Every day is about Jesus and Him alone. If we will hate our life in this world, we will find it in eternity. (John 12:25). We follow Jesus wherever He leads and, in this way, bring glory to God. (John 12:26)
Emulating Jesus’s life is difficult, and emulating His death is even more painful. Not once did Jesus promise an easy life for His followers. What He promised us was a life of trouble, being hated, and perhaps being killed for the sake of His name. (John 16:33; Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:9) But that is all temporary. He also promised an eternity of peace, rest, and spending time in the very presence of the Holy God. (Revelation 21:3-4; Hebrews 4:9-10) Life with Jesus for eternity. That is our reward for a life spent honoring Him and disregarding any selfish gain. (2 Timothy 4:7-8; Matthew 6:19-21) Christ is our treasure in life and even more so in death. I can’t wait to see Him. (Philippians 1:21-23; Psalm 73:25-26)