There is a slogan making the rounds in church circles
(especially in the U.S.) which asks “What would Jesus do?”
It is abbreviated WWJD? and the letters feature on
everything from T-shirts to jewellery. They act both as a
reminder to the person wearing them and as an opening to
a Christian witness when the uninformed ask what they
stand for.
I love the slogan, because I long to see Christians literally
following the teachings of Jesus instead of following the
various doctrines which have been created in his name. I
believe that a Christian is a follower and imitator of Jesus;
so anything that gets people thinking about what Jesus
would do in any given circumstance is a step in the right
direction.
Parents especially find the WWJD? practice helpful in
getting their young people to stay on the straight and narrow.
Teens refrain from smoking, drinking, swearing, telling dirty
jokes, and associating with unseemly characters as a
response to the question whenever it comes up in their
mind. They behave respectfully, go to church regularly, and
avoid sexual contact with others.
But I am still concerned that this new trend is being heavily
influenced by a misunderstanding with regard to who the
real Jesus is. Too many young people are asking
themselves “What would a false Jesus (or Jesuses) do?”
(WWFJD?) and the answers they are coming up with do not
resemble the real biblical Jesus of history.
Some of the false Jesuses have reunited families, enabled
people to get off drugs, to avoid bad social influences, and
to stop gambling. They have brought people back to church
meetings and Bible studies, reformed criminals, helped
people to overcome stress, to stay healthier, to find jobs,
and to gain promotions. Much of this is commendable. But
the one thing they do not do is to save souls. Not one
person will find eternal life through the false Jesuses that
exist only in their imaginations.
Reforms can be accomplished through government
organisations, through service clubs, and through other
individuals and organisations which make no claim to
giving eternal life. But eternal life is something that can only
come from God himself. It is a miracle of such proportions
that you can be sure that there will be no room for cheating
on the instructions to obtain it. If you really want to receive
eternal life, then it would pay you to read the fine print
carefully, and not to fall for any counterfeits.
Last night I had a dream. I had purchased an extremely
cheap non-refundable ticket on an ocean cruise…
something I’ve often dreamed of being able to afford. But
when I got to the docks, I discovered that the cruise “ship”
was an inflatable dingy, which was so constructed that if I
were to move at all on it, it would simply sink. Nothing I
could do would make the “ship” live up to my expectations,
and it was too late to get a refund.
This is how it is with false Jesuses. They may work fine
when it comes to some social issues, like helping people to
adjust to life in modern society. But when you move out onto
the oceans of life after death, they are totally useless. And by
the time most people realise that, it is too late to get a
refund.
I would like to discuss a number of different types of false
Jesuses that have confused people, and which have
actually led them away from the genuine Jesus of the Bible.
There is a lot of overlap between these various Jesuses,
and some will almost seem to be identical, since most of
us have borrowed from several to get a vague picture in our
minds of how Jesus would act in various circumstances.
The Orthodox Jesus
We’ll start with the Orthodox Jesus. This is the one that
follows the fundamental doctrinal teachings of whatever
church he happens to be attending. The Orthodox Jesus
would never think to question or challenge local church
teachings, although he would definitely challenge the
teachings of any group that was labelled a cult, or otherwise
identified as being outside the mainstream of orthodoxy.
Obviously, this Jesus contradicts the Jesus of the Bible,
who was actually executed as a heretic by the orthodox
religious leaders of his day.
The Law-Abiding Jesus
Next, there is the Law-Abiding Jesus. This one would never
think to disobey any of the laws of the land. He would regard
the police force as upholders of righteousness, because
they protect law-abiding citizens from the criminal elements
in our society.
This Jesus also contradicts the biblical Jesus, who was on
the run from Jewish authorities for having broken certain
regulations with regard to working on the Sabbath, and for
having made some questionable statements about whether
or not his followers needed to pay taxes. His hideout was
finally discovered with the help of a traitor from his own
gang, and he was arrested by the civil authorities on the
grounds that his behaviour and teachings were a threat to
the stability of the government. He was eventually executed
as a common criminal.
The Patriotic Jesus
Then there is the Patriotic Jesus. He loves his country, and
would gladly lay down his life in defence of all that it stands
for.
But the real Jesus was instrumental in challenging the
corruption that existed in his country. (It existed because of
compromise between the religious authorities and the
political authorities.) Jesus prophesied the destruction of
his own country, which he said would serve as a stepping
stone to the development of a better government that would
be invisible and universal. He called this revolutionary new
government “the kingdom of heaven”.
The Traditional Jesus
And what about the Traditional Jesus? The Traditional
Jesus has many of the same traits that the Jesuses we
have already listed have; but he also supports behaviours
and practices that are not required by the laws of the land,
but which are just part of the local culture. He is
conservative, and he looks with suspicion on anyone who
would try to change the traditional ways of doing things,
whether it be religious practices or social taboos.
This is the one who promotes good table manners, Sunday
worship, white shirts and ties, frequent use of terms like ’sir’
and ‘madam’, and circumspect behaviour at all social
events. By contrast, the real Jesus was not afraid to call
religious leaders “damned hypocrites”, to knock over tables
in the Temple, to break Sabbath regulations, to associate
with publicans and sinners, and to eat food with unwashed
hands. He actually instructed his followers not to use
terms like sir (which comes from ’sire’ and means ‘father’),
Mr. (which means ‘master’) and Madam (the feminine
equivalent of ‘master’).
Other Conservative Jesuses
There are other similar Jesuses, such as the Polite Jesus,
the Popular Jesus, the Successful Jesus, or the
Respectable Jesus.
They, too, always know how to behave in such a way as to
avoid scandal, and not rock the boat. There is a great deal of
unity between all of these various Jesuses, so that it is often
difficult to tell one from the other. Unfortunately, aspects of
each of these false Jesuses come to mind these days
whenever you ask church-educated people, “What Would
Jesus Do?” And they usually overlook what the real Jesus
would do, as a result.
The Trendy Jesus
There has arisen yet another Jesus in recent years: He is
the Trendy Jesus. At first glance, he appears to be nearer to
the radical Jesus of the Bible. But on close examination, he
is a disappointment too. The Trendy Jesus does choose to
question the way things are going, but his suggestions for
change always fall short of actually exposing all of the other
Jesuses for the phonies that they are. What the Trendy
Jesus wants is minor changes to the system without losing
the support of the very system that he seeks to change.
Trendy Jesuses introduce new fads and gimmicks (such as
WWJD? engraved on bracelets and necklaces), modern
music, variations to the worship service, changes in dress
regulations, emphases which reflect political trends toward
increased environmental awareness, greater tolerance of
racial, religious, and sexual differences, and moves to get
the government (always the government, and not the Trendy
Jesus himself) to help the poor, and right the wrongs of the
world.
But we do not find either gimmicks or efforts to stir the
government into action in the life and teachings of the real
Jesus… the one who alone can give eternal life. And the
reason for this is because the real Jesus was not trying to
promote the systems of the world, or trying to achieve
success in the eyes of the world around him. He was only
interested in promoting faith in an omnipotent, eternal God.
He had come from heaven, and he knew that he would be
returning to heaven. Eternal life was not going to be found in
the systems of man, but only in harmony and fellowship with
God the Father, the Creator of all life.
Conclusion
Whether you are a conformer or a reformer, what Jesus
wants you to consider is becoming a spiritual revolutionary
instead… one who has dropped out of the rat race and
caught sight of an eternal kingdom which exists in the
hearts of all those who have such faith in God.
What would Jesus do? He would do like Abraham, and kill
his own son if God told him to. He would cut off his hand
before he would let it stop him from gaining eternal life. He
would lay down his own life for God and for others. He
would forsake everything that he owns to have eternal life.
He would leave his family, his friends, his job, his home,
and go into all the world preaching the good news of an
eternal kingdom that only comes when we let go of all the
other counterfeits.
Are you ready to become his follower, and to really do what
he would do?
(See also Jesus the Revolutionary.)
Dave and Cherry McKay are co-founders of the Jesus
Christian communities, which are located in Australia,
England, America, and Kenya.
Dave’s email address is fold@idl.net.au
The Jesus Christian website: www://jesuschristians.com
