A Look A WWJD

‍   As many of you know, the letters say, "What would Jesus Do?" It is an excellent question, but many people don’t take it seriously. The Christian Culture has softened the idea and made it almost ineffective, which doesn't make sense to me. Reading the New Testament, especially the gospels, how they went in this direction is a mystery to me. Christians present themselves as such friendly people; that is the pretense. What they show is not the Jesus portrayed in the Gospels. The Jesus portrayed in the Gospels was always getting into trouble with the status Quo and those within the religious institutions. He called those in the Temple and those in governmental authority a bunch of stakes. He told those in the religious establishment that they were entering hell long before the people they condemned as not conforming to the spiritual laws. He ate and drank with lepers, prostitutes, and those outside the norm. He confronted his disciples when they wanted to follow him into an exclusive club and said, "Those not against us are for us." Don't you understand?

‍     What baffles me is that if those wearing the bracelets were serious about doing what Jesus would do, why wouldn't they be in more trouble with the status quo? Instead of throwing rules around on how to believe, it appears that they would be inviting those nobody else wants to be with and inviting the lepers of our own culture to eat and drink with them. Few, if any, oppose legislation or give voice to support differing views from the proclaimed beliefs about homosexuality or abortion. Where is the push to help people experiencing poverty? Where is the drive to hold leaders to equality that sees all humanity as equal? Supporting the status quo is not what Jesus did; keeping his nose clean was far from his intent as he promoted his vision and destiny.

‍     What Would Jesus Do? It is a nice sentiment. However, we are not Jesus, and from my reading of the gospel, the better question is, "What Would Jesus Want Me to Do? How is our soul, like his, calling us to confront the darkness, expose the misuse of power, and tear down the class system that underlies our culture? Looking at it this way makes it a lot more exciting but also a lot more frightening. Following this direction could put us in the same situation, facing the same outcome that he did. This is the good news.