Preparing for Easter this year, I have been reading about the life of Jesus. Studying who he was. His character. His defaults.

I keep coming back to this thought: Jesus always seemed to do the unexpected. Even the disciples who did life along side Him were often surprised by His behavior. They spent time observing Jesus’ actions, witnessing His mannerisms, seeing firsthand how He responds in various situations. Even after all that—they always seemed surprised by what Jesus did.

This wasn’t because Jesus was temperamental. No, he wasn’t erratic or fickle. He was consistent and steady. However, the choices he made were more outside the box, so he always seemed to catch the disciples by surprise. There is a lot we can learn about the “less than ordinary” behavior of Jesus. But full disclosure—this unordinary way of thinking will likely push you out of your comfort zone.

He hung out with the outcasts.

From tax collectors like Zacchaeus to lepers, adulterers and even the demon-possessed. Jesus showed no favoritism. People who were unwelcomed in society—unloved by their community, Jesus welcomed them with open arms on a personal level. He got to know them and played a role in changing their lives. How often do we put ourselves in potentially uncomfortable situations out of obedience to God?

He saw children as a blessing—not an interruption.

As a parent, it’s easy to lose my patience sometimes, especially when I’m in the middle of something, and a kid walks in with an “immediate need.” Confession: Sometimes I sigh in frustration. Sometimes I roll my eyes. Sometimes I am irritated at the interruption. Man, do I need to learn to be more like Jesus. When the children wanted to sit on Jesus’s lap and tell him (what I can only imagine to be) silly stories, he found joy in it. The disciples were thrown for a loop when Jesus didn’t want them to send the children away. He welcomed them with open arms, and showed patience and love. Who am I to think my work is more important that Jesus’s work? And since my work isn’t more important than Jesus’s work, I need to begin to see these moments as an opportunity to love rather than an interruption.

Jesus didn’t freak out.

Throughout the gospels, we mostly see a relatively cool-headed guy who doesn’t tend to sweat the small stuff. Parents left you alone at a temple and don’t realize it for days? Jesus just teaches. Dangerous storm about to tip your boat over? Jesus naps. Thousands of hungry followers and not enough food? Jesus calmly provides. Jesus set the ultimate example to us in handling a crisis: through faith and trust in our Creator.

Jesus was LOVE.

It consumed him. And because he was love, it overflowed from who he was into each and every person he encountered. Not just the people he agreed with—EVERYONE. Not just the people who looked like him—EVERYONE. He didn’t limit his love to people in his social circle, his religious circle, or his family circle. Jesus showed love without any prerequisites. He knew that if you were created by God, you were loved by God.

As I study more about who Jesus was, I realize that in order to live like him, I have to learn to love like him.

“Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love.” –Ephesians 4:2

“Above all, love each other deeply.” -1 Peter 4:8

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” -1 John 4:16

“Do everything in love.” -1 Corinthians 16:14