The New Testament scholar, Kenneth Bailey, once remarked quite honestly, “I discovered that I had been unconsciously trained to admire everything about Jesus except his intellectual astuteness.”

I suspect that many Christians view Jesus in much the same way. Of course, he is our savior, protector, and provider. But he is not often seen as a brilliant thinker or intellectual role model. And so, we do not often connect the dots between Jesus’ mental profile and our obligation to love God with the mind, for which he is the paradigm.

Remember that, when Jesus was asked, “Which commandment is the most important of all?,” he cited the famous Shema (Deut 6:4–5), affirming the creedal nucleus and core spirituality of the Old Testament: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:28–30).

Jesus loved God with all his mind. We should do likewise and learn to love God with all our minds.

Below I outline briefly various themes regarding Jesus’ intellectual profile, in accord with the Shema. This is very important and quite relevant because we are commissioned to imitate his thought life, though finite and fallen. And we should train disciples to do the same.

First, Jesus demonstrated the supreme importance of listening to God alone. For this reason, he prayed often, especially in moments of decision. He confessed, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19).

Second, Jesus acknowledged the primacy of scripture. When he was tempted by the devil, he cited passages from Deuteronomy. When he was dying on the cross, he referred to the Psalms. He continually cited the Old Testament and reasoned from its precepts. To put it another way, he presupposed the biblical worldview, and he reasoned covenantally. Everything Jesus thought, spoke, desired, and performed was conditioned by God’s Law.

Third, Jesus modeled the fear of God intellectually and ethically. He embraced Proverbs 1:7a, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” He embodied Proverbs 3:5–7: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.”

Fourth, Jesus was supremely wise. He knew what was truly important and what to do about it in the most fruitful manner. He could not be distracted or manipulated by folly. He could not be deterred from his Father’s mission to pursue a fool’s errand.

Fifth, Jesus was supremely knowledgeable. Evidence indicates that he spoke Aramaic and Hebrew. He likely communicated, as well, in Greek and Latin. He could read, as most scribes could. He was well familiar with the ethnic and religious distinctives of Palestine. He possessed a thorough knowledge of Jewish history and scripture, as well as familiarity with the literature of the Second Temple period. He manifested keen situational awareness, and astute theological reasoning.

Sixth, Jesus knew how to communicate with whomever he interacted with. He understood how to keep every interchange on point, how to refute and critique false reasoning, and how to guide each seeker towards the truth. In other words, he thoroughly comprehended human depravity and the intellectual impact of sin.

Seventh, Jesus’ knowing was historically situated. He understood that culture, revelation, sin, and the supernatural impact how and what we think in all its various forms. He discerned the antithetical mindset of the devil and his dominion. He perceived the twisted nature of sinful ideology and oppressive institutions. He recognized the battle of ideas and imagination.

Eighth, Jesus’ knowing was eschatologically conditioned. He defined his earthy existence in terms of God’s redemptive plan from creation, through Israel, to restoration. He knew exactly where he came from, where he was in first century Palestine (with its social, religious, and political complexity), and to where (or to whom) he would return.

Nineth, Jesus’ thinking was ontologically situated. He thought in communion with the Father and Spirit, which is to say his knowledge was Trinitarian. After he died and when he returned to the Father, he sent the divine pedagogue, the Holy Spirit, to guide us until his reappearance, which indicates the significance of the mind from the Trinity’s point of view.

In short, Jesus loved God with all his mind, despite the chaotic, confusing, and demonic context he which he ministered. He embodied the wisdom of the Sons of Issachar, “who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chron 12:32). In accordance with the Shema, he manifested right thinking, pious motivation, and wise application.

We should do likewise and learn to love God with all our minds.