"If I Could Be Like..."

Why we chose Jesus Was, instead of Jesus Is

Jul 02, 2025

I can still picture the commercial and hear the jingle in my head. “If I could be like Mike.” And did we ever try. Not only was Michael Jordan the greatest basketball player on the face of the planet, but every kid on every schoolyard court was trying to play the game the way Mike did. We always tried to mimic the greatest players of our favorite sports. I also remember my friends practicing Ken Griffey Jr.’s batting stance and swing. It was such a smooth and effortless swing that if you could get close to it you would be unstoppable. Really, it is no different than watching kids launch deep three-point shots today and calling “Caitlin Clark.”

It is easy for us to know how our favorite athletes play the game because they are everywhere. We can now watch every game “on demand.” We get instant and continuous highlight reels. We scrutinize every detail of every step our heroes take. Thus, when a new superstar emerges it does not take long before others start imitating their style of play. The problem is that we often overlook the greatness that came before. Not many kids today understand the beauty of a Larry Bird jump shot. (I’m from Indiana. You’ll have to excuse all the basketball talk.) When we only focus on the here and now we miss out on the foundational elements which shaped how the game is played. Yet superstar athletes understand the history of the game and whose steps they are following.

I have been thinking about this a lot as people are asking me why we went with the title Jesus Was, instead of Jesus Is.

I have been thinking about this a lot as people are asking me why we went with the title Jesus Was instead of Jesus Is. There is nothing wrong with their question. It does matter who Jesus is today and the fact that we are asked this question so often speaks to its importance. But this book started as a response to seeing confusing examples of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Everywhere we look we see professing Christians, but it doesn’t take long to discover that not all Christians act the same way or have the same beliefs.

So how do we know what example to follow? Do we follow our pastors? Do we listen to politicians? Do we read the works of great theologians like Luther, Calvin, Augustine, or Wright? Do we act like the little old lady who volunteers her afternoon to serve meals to the homeless? Do we draw hard lines in the sand? Paul, in his letter to the church in Ephesus, tells us what example to follow. “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God” Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT).

We might not have highlight reels to watch of Jesus in action, but we do have written accounts of his life. I bet many of us have read or know stories of Jesus such as turning water into wine, different times he healed the sick, maybe some of his sayings, or the events surrounding his birth or death and resurrection. I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes it is easy to skim over the words and actions of Jesus because they are so familiar. Even the concept of a Good Samaritan expands beyond Christianity. But just because we know the stories does not mean we can skip over the fundamentals.

Paul reminds us with this passage in Ephesians, as well as many other times in his letters, that Jesus Christ himself needs to be the example we study. Every passage in the New Testament points to Jesus and we fall short if we read our Bibles without Jesus being the central figure. It would be like trying to dunk a basketball without learning to dribble or shooting halfcourt shots without learning the mechanics of a jump shot. Sometimes we might get lucky and they go in, but probably not in a game when it matters most.

This is why we chose to emphasize “Was.” It makes us pause from the all too familiar and causes us to reexamine the example Jesus set for us when he walked on the earth. Our contributors took this to heart, examining themes that matters to them, and exploring how the Jesus of the gospels responded. My sincere hope is that this book becomes a starting point for discussion and that it causes us to dive deeper into the life of Jesus. Only when we focus on who Jesus was can we truly know who he is today.

Jesus Was

"If I Could Be Like..."

Why we chose Jesus Was, instead of Jesus Is

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