WWJD

All around us, we see items plastered with these letters. Supposedly, it is a reminder to Christians that in all things, they should ask themselves, "What would Jesus do?" and act accordingly. I think that this is some pretty bad advice, as Jesus provided a rather poor set of examples by which to live, particularly in his actions. Any believer who faithfully looks through the scant biographical material available should approach this idea with extreme caution.

First of all, Jesus talked to those around him, at least those who were not in his select "inner circle" in parables.

Matt 13:10-13 - Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand."

Matt 13:34 - Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing.

So if you plan to do what Jesus did, be prepared for some blank stares - Jesus wanted only a few people to understand him and tried his best to confuse the people who listened to him.

Next, Jesus depended on the performance of miracles to convince people that he was the Messiah.

Jn 2:10,11 - ...and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Jn 2:23 - When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing.

According to the Bible, so should all Christians:

Mk 16:17,18 - And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Mk 16:20 - And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

So be sure to polish up your magic acts! That's the only way you'll be able to truly follow Jesus' example in presenting your credentials.

But what about your everyday life? Isn't that what WWJD is really about? How you live, how you treat your friends? Let's look at the examples Jesus gave for the ages.

First off, what is the "holy" lifestyle? Jesus was apparently fond of simplicity:

Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (KJV)

And what was good enough for Jesus was definitely considered to be good enough for Christians:

Lk 18:18-22 - A certain ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.' " He replied, "I have kept all these since my youth." When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

So now that that's settled (it is settled, isn't it?), let's look at what Jesus showed us about how to treat one's friends and family:

Lk 2:46-49 - After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"

Jn 2:2-4 - Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come."

As we can see, imitators of Jesus will need to be short with their parents to the point of rudeness.

Jn 7:8-10 - Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come." After saying this, he remained in Galilee. But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret.

Jn 11:3-6 - So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

It looks like telling lies to your best and closest friends is also acceptable. Not to mention letting those who are near and dear suffer for days in preventable pain, just so you can make for a grander show when you perform a miracle!

Next, we need to look into how to relate to strangers. Jesus, as we've already seen, was very fond of obfuscation, giving lessons to the crowds exclusively in the form of parables. However, this paragon of virtue also dealt with regular people in other ways.

Matt 15:22-28 - Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Matt 21:12,13 - Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers."

Here are some good, divine methods for dealing with people you disagree with. You can call them offensive names, or you can demonize them, using violence to make your point. The possibilities are quite staggering!

As you can see, those who place their WWJD bumper stickers in plain sight, and who wear their WWJD fish emblems on their shirts and so on are rather frightening, in my opinion. My only hope is that they will not read the whole Bible and take to heart all the lessons contained therein on how their gods act.