Later this month I will be older than Jesus ever was when he walked the earth. That’s right, I’ll be turning 34. It hit me a year ago (anticipating my 33rd birthday) that I would soon be as old as Jesus was when he died and was resurrected. Now I’m recognizing that from here on out, I’ll always be older than Jesus ever was while he ministered to his followers (now, now, don’t get all theological on me – I know Jesus is eternal, but I’m talking about his earthly ministry in the flesh!). There are a few things about this that have caused me to reflect, so I thought I’d share with you.
I realize I’m getting old. Now I don’t mean to offend any of you who are older than I am, but chances are, you’ve felt this way too. I will be older than Jesus, but certainly not wiser. That leads me to my second reflection…
What is holding me back from being more like Christ? Since I’ll soon be older than Jesus, why is it that I’m not more like him? True, he was surrendered to his father’s will from birth, and I didn’t surrender my heart to Him until I was 13, so he’s got me there. Furthermore, He lived his life completely surrendered to his Father, and at times I’ve been half-hearted at best. So what is it that keeps me from being more like Christ? The answer is simple. Sin. I see myself in Paul’s self-description in Romans 7:14-24 – that even though I love God and want to follow Him wholeheartedly, I recognize another law at work within me: the law of sin and death. But Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25) As I “get older” I want to be more intentional about becoming like Christ by living by his Spirit and not by my sinful nature (Romans 8:5-11). Still, I have further reflections, like…
How is it that Jesus has so much impact in his full-time ministry even though it only lasted 3 years? The corollary to that is, Why haven’t I been able to have nearly as much impact even though I’ve been in full-time ministry for almost three times as long? Well, I could get defensive and say things like, “Well, He was God,” or “His focus was different because He wasn’t married and didn’t have kids,” or “it was just different back then,” but then I’d miss out on learning from Jesus. And in my reflections, I’ve come to realize that Jesus, more than anything else, followed his own summary of the Law – He loved God with everything he had, and he loved people (see Matthew 22:36-40). As I prepare for another year of ministry, I want to cling to Jesus’ example and strive first and foremost to deepen my love for God, and secondly, to love people the way Jesus did. Our relationships with God and people are the only things that last for eternity – it’s no wonder Jesus focused there.
As you may guess, I have more reflections as I get older, but I’ll leave you with that. I pray that you would take time to stop and reflect – ask, “What is holding me back from being more like Christ,” and follow Jesus’ example of investing in his relationships with God and people.
Pastor Andy Adams 
🙂 LIKE! I was just pondering the same thing during a discussion with my Sunday school kids. I was telling them that Jesus was my age when he died! I find as I teach them and strive for ways to reach them, the message really hits home for me and can reach me in ways it hadn’t before. 🙂
Hey Emily! Ya, we’re at that age, aren’t we? Great to hear from you. 🙂