The Imitation Game

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (Philippians 3:17).

Jim Carrey does Jack Nicholson. Frank Caliendo is famous for his John Madden. Darrell Hammond nails Sean Connery. Jimmy Fallon is the spitting image of Neil Young. These dudes have the gift of doing great impressions. Somehow and someway, they pick up one or two traits of certain celebrities and leave no doubt as to who they’re imitating. And be honest, how many of us who attempt to do impressions are simply imitating the imitator? 

Want to know who does a spot on Jesus? The Apostle Paul. Believe it or not, he tells the Philippians to watch him like a hawk when it comes to following Jesus. “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (v17). You see, long before Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul was encouraging fellow believers to play the Imitation Game. If you don’t know what following Christ looks like, simply do what the apostle is doing. Keep your eyes on those who walking closely with the Savior. Imitate the imitator. 

As he writes from behind bars at Caesar’s SuperMax in Rome, Paul is overjoyed his friends back in Philippi didn’t follow his example from earlier in his life. As a Pharisee, he devoted his life to piling up accomplishments and filling his religious resume in order to impress God (Phil 3:4-6). But after the resurrected Jesus blindsided him outside of Damascus, everything changed. The apostle formerly known as Saul suddenly realized that everything he was chasing was nothing but a big steaming pile (Phil 3:7-8). From that point on, the man from Tarsus zeroed in on a relationship with Christ rather than a religion of self-salvation (Phil 3:9-14). He went from Saul the murderer to Paul the imitator. His life is finally headed in the right direction. So if you don’t know which way to go, starting following after Paul. 

The apostle invites his fellow family members to pattern their lives after his. “Brothers, join in imitating me” (v17). He uses the compound Greek word summimetes, which describes one who joins in following the example of another. It literally means “together (sum-) mimic (-mimetes). A fellow imitator. Think of someone doing imitations of someone else’s imitation. Kevin Spacey does a great Christopher Walken but it’s junior varsity compared to Paul’s imitation of Jesus. He didn’t just do his Christ impression to get a few laughs at parties. The apostle made a point of telling others to keep watching him just in case they didn’t know what to do as followers of Jesus. A little later in this letter to the Philippians he writes, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil 4:9). Twice he tells the folks in the Corinthian church to cut-and-paste his life if they’re unsure what faith looks like. “I urge you, then, be imitators of me” (1Cor 4:16).

Doesn’t this sound a little cocky to you? Isn’t Paul just a little full of himself to actually say this? It’s one thing to do a great impression, it’s another thing altogether to tell everyone in the room just how great you are. But that’s NOT what the apostle is doing. His point is not so you’ll see him but his Savior. Or as he wrote to the Christ followers in Corinth, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1Cor 11:1). You see, he doesn’t want you to do a Paul impression. He wants folks to see Jesus in you. And the best way to learn that is by watching and listening to the man from Tarsus. Before you know it, folks will see Christ in you too.

Paul realizes there are other folks who do a great Jesus too. “Keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (v17). The word the ESV translates as “example” is tupos. This is literally an impression left by an impact, mold, or pattern. When Tom the disciple wasn’t buying all this crazy talk of Jesus’ resurrection, he made it clear he wasn’t believing anything until he could “see in His hands the mark (Gr. tupos) of the nails, and place my finger into the mark (Gr. tupos) of the nails, and place my hands into His side” (Jn 20:25). Jesus leaves a lasting impression in people’s lives. Grace is going to leave a mark.

Just look around and see who you can follow. Paul’s already mentioned a couple of great models of faith earlier in his letter. Both Timothy (Phil 1:1; 2:19-24) and Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25-30) are incredible examples of what following Jesus looks like. I’m sure there are others there in the Philippian church. Maybe they could do life like the famous fashionista Lydia (Acts 16:14-15). How about the young lady Paul rescued from demon possession and human trafficking (Acts 16:16-18)? And then there’s the local jailer and his entire family (Acts 16:28-34). The fisherman Jesus nicknamed Rocky encourages leaders to be “examples to the flock” (1Pet 5:3). 

Could there be a more basic application? If you don’t know what to do, do this! If you’re unsure about how to apply God’s salvation to your life, find a great example. Then simply do what they do. Before you know it, you’re not imitating them but Jesus. But this certainly comes with a warning label. Anyone other than Jesus is going to fall short of a perfect example. Quite bluntly, they’re going to sin. That’s why it’s important to find more than one mentor. Can other believers look at you as someone to imitate? Is your life worthy of mimicking? Or are you one of those people who does an impression and nobody knows who you are doing? For instance, you don’t want to learn how to do Robert DeNiro from “Taxi Driver” from me. But Paul does a GREAT Jesus. And that's the goal. To love like Jesus. To live like Jesus. To forgive like Jesus. To give like Jesus. To serve like Jesus. It’s the ultimate Imitation Game. Until we can do it ourselves, imitate the imitator.