Which Jesus are we supposed to follow today?
We are to follow the crucified, risen Lord of glory, not the Jesus of Nazareth who walked the dusty roads of Palestine. Paul writes that believers should be followers together of him and mark those who walk as examples, because as we follow Paul, we are following Jesus Christ.
Les explains that most people think we are supposed to be following Jesus, but the New Testament pattern is to follow Paul as he follows Christ. In Philippians 3:17, Paul tells the church at Philippi, “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk, so you have us for an example.” Les points out that Paul was following Jesus Christ, so as we follow Paul, we are following Christ—yet not the Jesus of Nazareth on the dusty roads of Palestine, but the crucified, risen Lord of glory. He also illustrates that if we tried to follow the earthly Jesus literally, we could not walk on the water when He took off on foot across Galilee, as Peter proved.