'Be Jesus'

This phrase "Be Jesus to the world around you" has been getting under my skin lately. Not necessarily in a bad way, just in a sense of--well--I have just grown more cautious to it. This is a phrase that requires careful consideration and examination. I guess you could say that sometimes this phrase scares the bejesus out of me. My apologies. Terrible joke. Anyway, the way I see it...there are two ways to go about looking at this phrase. First of all, we must understand that you will not find the words "be Jesus to the world around you..." anywhere in Scripture...but you will find the concept if looking in the right context. If by "Being Jesus" you are implying that others should be able to imitate you as you imitate Christ, then it is a worthy cause and the phrase is used appropriately. Basically, you are striving to give the world a visual model to look to...you are shining the light of Christ in a dark world. This is exactly what Christ talked about when He said that we should be as a city on a hill...the light of the world. Paul urges the Corinthians to be "imitators of me as I imitate Christ." This is a very biblical concept that should be lived out by believers. The problem with the phrase comes when people begin to convince people that they are the Christ. Most of the time, this is a very unintentional thing. They begin to take on this role of Messiah to people. They begin to send mixed signals (not on purpose) that the people around them will never be saved without them. This is where the lines blur and confusion sets in. I remember in my later years of high school...I had a friend that I was bringing to church. I desperately wanted to be a good influence on her...but my desire to be a good influence turned into a Messiah-Complex...I thought, "She will never be saved without me." This is where I took "be Jesus" too far. We are not trying to confuse people into thinking that we are Jesus...we are trying to point them to Christ with our lives. I have seen students take this phrase and use it to be the "be-all-end-all" righteous judge of their peers. So, youth pastors, if we use this phrase...please be extra cautious and explain it well. I have to tip my hat to my cousin Chris, he explained it well by quoting Paul's words to the Corinthians. Basically, help your students see it in the right context, as with everything in Scripture. With real estate, it's all about location, location, location. When it comes to theology, it's all about context, context, context.