What Did Jesus Do?

A column by Michael Gerson in the August 5, 2011 issue of the Washington Post titled "What Would Jesus Cut," raises a question that, in my opinion, needs serious thought. As Gerson explains, "With varied motivations, human beings tend to invoke the name of God in foxholes, in the throes of passion and in budget debates." And as he further notes, at least in terms of the budget debate, depending on which outcome is favored God seems to adjust the answer to fit that preference.

I have often heard it lamented that if only the Apostle Paul or Jesus were personally present we could be assued of the "right" answere to our problems. But interestingly when Jesus was present in the flesh and questions were brought to him, the answers he gave were often not satisfactory to the questioner. Sometimes he simply replied with another question, eg. "whose name and inscription is on the coin you hold?" Sometimes he gave a stunning answer that shook the questioner so badly he could only turn away in disbelief. And we wish Jesus were here so we could ask him in person....?

It is human to wish for the quick, easy answer to our perplexing problems. Being follower of Jesus is not intended to be a walk on the beach. But we would nuch rather have it handed to us in four easy steps. Spin the bible and the right verse floats to the top, obvious in its meaning and easy to apply.

So if by asking "what would Jesus do," we are hoping for affirmation for our own inclination or a simple rule to solve our problems we are asking in vain. The question would much better be aked, "What did Jesus do?" Stated that way we are better able to let the text speak for itself rather than assume that we know what Jesus would do were he in the situation we find ourselves.

But there is even a prior, crucial question that needs to be asked and which Jesus answered very early. That question is "Who is your God?" At twelve when Jesus was found in the temple he explained that he needed to be about his father's business. Later following his baptism he clarified to the tempter that he totally committed to the Heavenly Father and was taking orders only from God. It is in that context that he can discern the right choice even though it cut across every instinct he might have as a human being. Unless we, as well as the nation's politicians, have answered that question, we can ask "What would Jesus do?" until the cows come home and only come up with the answer that best benefits our own interests.