Life and teaching: What Christ did and said

I have written the first account, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach. Acts 1:1

Luke refers to his Gospel in the words quoted. There Luke has described what the Lord did and taught. It is remarkable that the deeds of the Lord Jesus are mentioned before His words.

Perfect Lord! He was the opposite of the Pharisees, of whom He had to say: “Do not do according to their deeds, for they say it and do not do it” (Mt 23:3). The Pharisees spoke first. And then they did not even follow up their fine words with deeds.

When the Lord Jesus asked a rich young man to sell everything, He Himself had already set an example – in a much higher sense, of course – because He had come down from heaven in grace and had become poor (cf. Mt 19:21; 2 Cor 8:9).

Thus life and teaching always went hand in hand with Christ. In this, too, He is our perfect role model.