Last week I suggested that all we are told to do in scripture is an imitation of Jesus. I gave two examples, confession and repentance, to demonstrate how that which may not at first seem like emulating him, in its essence is still following him. Similarly, this way of looking at how we imitate Jesus in all things can also help us see what cannot be a way of following him, even if at first it sounds spiritual and good.
“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” . . . These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. Colossians 2:21-23
In this passage, Paul says that strict abstinence, though seeming to benefit us spiritually, is of no true value. We could note that Jesus teaches the futility of such practices in a passage such as Mark 7:18–19, but let’s also think about how viewing everything as the imitation of Jesus could lead us to the same conclusion.
When we look at these practices from the perspective I am suggesting, we ask ourselves, can such abstinence be an imitation of Jesus? Would he follow a dictate like “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch”?
If Jesus were to categorically reject things in this manner, then the Creator would be rejecting his own creation. He would be denying the original goodness of creation, as if he were admitting he created what corrupts us. We cannot really imagine Jesus doing this!
While we recognize that we must reject the misuse of good things, and perhaps, for reason of our own weakness, adopt a partial and situational abstinence for some greater good, this is not an absolute and categorical abstinence. We cannot imagine Jesus creating what he, and we too, must reject.
Here is my point: even if we did not have any specific saying of Jesus telling us that created things are not the cause of our corruption, and therefore abstinence will not keep us pure, we still could conclude that such prohibitions could not be the imitation of Jesus. To have created something which in itself corrupts would make Jesus the author of evil. Jesus is not saving us from what he has done!
Additionally, even when we do have teaching from scripture, either from Jesus or another writer, thinking about how that which we are told is some way of following and imitating Jesus can deepen our participation in Christ rather than simply “obeying” the command. It is easy to fall into “doing” simply because we were instructed, which might be a good for beginners, but the mature need to move beyond bare obedience. We will have trouble saying with Paul, “My life has become the life of Christ in me” (Galatians 2:20) without a fuller appreciation of how everything is imitation of Jesus, without exception.
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. 1 Corinthians 14:14–15
When discussing spiritual gifts, Paul emphasizes how doing something with understanding is better than simply doing that same thing without knowledge. While it is always good to do good, doing good with understanding is better.
If we are able to perceive how we are imitating Jesus in everything, it enriches our sense of participation in the life of God, the divine experience which Jesus called eternal life.