我在小型客機上，看見一位身材高大的男子從狹窄的座位上站了起來，特別顯眼。我留意到他手裡拿的那本書有個十分醒目的書名：《效法耶穌》。沒多久，我看見他為搶先取回自己的行李而推擠別人。我心想：這是效法耶穌嗎？我不知道他是否真的認識基督，是否真的是我屬靈的「弟兄」，但他自私的行為令我失望，這樣的表現根本沒有效法耶穌！

當我踏上電扶梯時，又再次看到他，那本書的書名依然清晰可見。但有一句話直刺我心：麗莎，效法耶穌，不要論斷！這讓我開始反省：別人有在我身上看到耶穌的樣式嗎？

效法耶穌是一段漸進式的改變過程，也就是蛻變：我們順服上帝的引導，祂會在我們裡面動工，使我們生命愈發具有祂的特質，越來越像祂。保羅說，信耶穌的人「就變成主那樣的形象，大有榮光。這是主所作成的」（哥林多後書3章18節，新譯本）。從約翰一書3章2-3節，我們不難發現這奧祕難以理解，只有上帝才能做成：「我們現在是上帝的兒女，將來如何，還未顯明；但我們知道，主若顯現，我們必要像祂，因為必得見祂的真體。……像祂潔淨一樣。」

走出電扶梯，我再次看到那本書，但效法耶穌這幾個字，對我已有新的意義，讓我把目光轉向自己內心與生命的光景。

The tall passenger seemed to unfold as he stood up in the aisle of the small regional jet. Then I noticed the title of his boldly displayed book: Be Like Jesus. A few minutes later, I saw that same man push others aside to grab his bag off the waiting trolley. Be like Jesus? I didn’t know if he was truly a “brother” who knew Christ, but I was dismayed by this display of selfishness that misrepresented Jesus.

As my feet hit the escalator, I saw the man again, book cover still visible. The words then elbowed my own heart. Be like Jesus, Elisa. Don’t judge. I wondered, was my presence emanating anything of Jesus?

Becoming like Jesus is a transformational process—a metamorphosis—of God growing His character in us as we yield to His ways. Paul wrote that believers in Jesus “are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). John marvels at how hard this is for us to understand—much less achieve: “Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him [in purity], for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2-3). 

As the escalator spilled us out, I glanced again at the book. Be Like Jesus—the words took on new meaning for me and redirected my gaze to my own heart and life.