“Brother Jesus – The Perfect Whole Peach Person”

It is a story he has always been telling and longing for us to hear. So, what is the story? And who is he that has been telling it? The story is “life that is truly life.” It’s extravagance whether in plenty or pain; it’s real without agenda or arrogance. A “life that is truly life” has been scripted by our Father God since the beginning of time, and he invites us today to see, seek and savor all that he is and wants us to be.

So, if a Whole Peach person is one who sees Father God and life for who and what they really are, if a Whole Peach person is one who seeks Father God and the “life” that only he can offer, and if a Whole Peach person is one who savors this “life that is truly life” above all things, then Brother Jesus must be our perfect picture of a Whole Peach person.

Jesus was a man of sight, passion and devotion. He lived this “life that is truly life.” In his own words, he said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10. When I read the story of Jesus in the Bible, I always want to know more than the writer gives me. If Jesus is to be our picture, I want to see him in every situation and hear his every thought. What would Jesus do if he got fired from a job? What would Jesus do when his children misbehaved? How would Jesus spend a Saturday afternoon in the spring? What kind of house would he buy and where would he shop? What would be his major in college? How would he do dating? How much of his income would he save, and how would he organize his retirement plan? How would he react to a plan gone bad, an initiative that fails or a friend that lies? Many times, I wish I could read his journal pages – to get deeper into his attitudes and motivations. If he is to be our model, why can’t we know more? I guess I have a lot of questions to ask of him someday. For now, I seek to know him in what he has shown me, and I have found that his “life” was one of adventure, extravagance and peace. So, let’s join him!

He asked, sought and pursued Father God for extravagance and the juice of blessing fell all around him and those with whom he came in contact. He came to model for us Father’s heart for us. Let’s take a look at Father’s offering through the life of Jesus.

I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11

How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Psalm 36:7-9

In modeling Father’s heart, he was not asking for a life without pain. In fact he came for the pain, the brokenness and the surrender, so that he “could testify to the truth” John 18:37. He was asking for all of Father God, the giver of all good things, and what he wanted. This took him to the cross where he gave his life for ours, a price we could never pay and a gift only he could give. Our brother was perfect; he was the Son of God. He walked the earth, lived a life and offered the way to Father God for you and for me.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:35-40

Father God and Brother Jesus desire relationship with us. They want us to experience this “life that is truly life.” Yes, there are many things we do not know about Jesus. But we do know of his sacrifice and his desire to be with us, near us, teach us and love us. With his vision clear and his heart focused, what did Jesus do to pursue the “life”?

He retreated with Father alone. Mark 1:35, Matthew 26:39 and Luke 5:16
He knew Father’s will, because he knew his word. Matthew 4:1-11 and John 12:14-15
He lived life with those hungry for the life – shared pursuits. Luke 9:10, Luke 9:18 and John 12:2-8
He hung out with those who needed healing – physical and eternal. Luke 9:11, John 4:13-15
He was prepared for every situation, because he lived to see things from Father’s perspective. John 8:48-58 and John 11:1-15

There is much to see, seek and savor in the life of Brother Jesus. From the beginning, Father God had Jesus in the plan and for what reason? “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” 1 John 4:10. Jesus is our perfect picture of a Whole Peach Person, because he too was and is all about the love – love for God and love for his brothers and sisters. That’s you and me!

Can you taste it?