A Look at WWJD

As many of you know the letters stand for "What would Jesus Do?" It is a nice question but I don't think that many people take it seriously. The Christian Culture has taken the idea and softened it 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 nice people, at least they that is the pretense. What they present 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 as well as 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 religious laws. He ate and drank with lepers, prostitutes, and those outside the norm. He confronted his own disciples when they wanted to make following 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 aren't they in more trouble with the status quo? Instead of throwing rules of how to believe around it appears that they would be inviting those nobody else wants to be with and invite 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 the poor? Where is the drive to hold leaders to a type of 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 it appears from my reading of the gospel that the better question is "What Would Jesus Want Me to Do? How is our soul, like his calling us to confront the darkness, to expose misuse of power, and tear down the class system that underlies out culture? Looking at it this way makes is a lot more interesting but also a lot more frightening. Following this direction could put us in the same situation, facing the same outcome that he did. This appears to be the good news.

dana.houck1@gmail.com  Phone 507.339.0045