HE SAYS: WWJD?

The “What Would Jesus Do?” fad is not as popular now as it was a couple of years ago, but I still see some of the bracelets and bumper stickers.  While reading Luke’s gospel today, I noticed some of the things Jesus did and would do still, since he is unchanging.

1.        Stir up an angry mob to the point where they wish to commit murder.

 “All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.  They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.”   Luke 4:28-29  

2.       Hang out with the “wrong crowd”.

”Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”   Luke 5:29-30

3.       Disown his family.

”Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd.  Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”  He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”   Luke 8:19-22

4.       Tell people if they are not fit for the kingdom of heaven.

”Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”   Luke 9: 61-62

5.       Not wash his hands before eating.

“But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised.  Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.  You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?”   Luke 11: 38-39

6.       Intentionally insult people with the truth.

“One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”  Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.”   Luke 11: 45-46

7.       Call successful people fools.

 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’  “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’   Luke 12: 18-20

What do you think Jesus would do?

I think he would speak truth into people’s lives even when it was insulting, hurtful, or degrading.  He did this because He is truth:

"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  John 14:6 1984 (NIV1984)

Jesus did this because he came to testify to the truth:

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

"Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”  John 18:37 1984 (NIV1984)

Are you on the side of truth?

HE SAYS: “This Too Shall Pass”

I used to sing a song which was encouraging and uplifting to me, but since I have been born again, I do not enjoy the song anymore, and I cannot even sing the lyrics.

Initially, I just felt a sense of dislike for the song, even though I could not identify the reason for my change in heart.

This weekend, the song was sung at the funeral of a long-time family friend, and I could not sing along with the congregation.  I decided to do some analysis of the song to understand better why my spirit rebelled against it.

The first lyric which is problematic is the second stanza:

“Tis not by sight we walk this way of God; But leaning on His love, We follow, with a faith that questions not, on t’ward the things above.”

Jesus never asks us to follow blindly.  He is the light of the world, and he healed many blind people during his ministry.  He healed one man who had been born blind, and everyone saw the miracle.  The Pharisees were so angered by His display of power, they expelled the man from the synagogue.   When Jesus heard what had happened, He revealed His true identity to the man, and the man worshipped Him. 

“Jesus said, For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”   John 9:39 (NIV1984)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.“   John 1:1-5 (NIV1984)

The assertion of the song that Christians blindly follow their “god” while questioning nothing is NOT biblical, but the real heart of the song is revealed in the last stanza:

“When o’er our head the sky may clouded be, Just hear the Father say, “This, too, shall pass- it bears the promise of a brighter clearer day.””

I was intrigued by the words spoken by the “father”, so I looked for the phrase(s) in the bible.  I did not find them!  I next looked on Google, and the phrase “This too shall pass” came up quickly.  It is from a proverb.  The proverb however is from the Sufi prophets of Persia.  They are a sect of Islam, and their faith is known as Sufism.

I now understand this song is not Christian, because Jesus made us a very different promise.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."  Matthew 24:9 (NIV1984)

HE SAYS: “Who do you say that I am?”

I heard someone quote Matthew 7:1 recently to justify their tolerance of another person’s sins.  This event and several others dealing with human judgment have been weighing heavy on my mind.  The age-old question is:  “Are we, with our flawed human reasoning, correct to make judgments about the behaviors of others?”

This is what I think.

God created us in his own image, and gave us the gift of discernment to be able to judge between right and wrong.  That ability was corrupted after Adam’s sin and we are no longer able to accurately judge.

However, the world was changed by Christ.

God obviously expects us to make judgments about the actions of others.  Jesus asked his disciples for a judgment about Himself:

"He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15 (ESV)

Peter responded accurately, and Jesus explained that his ability to understand was not human, but a gift from God.

"And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."  Matthew 16:17 (ESV)

Our ability to make judgments of the behaviors of others is only through the wisdom of The Holy Spirit.  Therefore, any decision we make about the actions or intentions of another should be preceded by earnest prayer.

Lord, please help me to see as you see and to understand as you understand so my judgment may be sure.

HE SAYS: Who’s the Truth?

My contemplation recently has been on truth.  I spent the first 40 years of my life in a pseudo-Christian cult which referred to itself as: The Truth.  It was not the type of cult where the members sat around in a trance wearing robes and blowing flower petals to the leader, but the secrets and lies and manipulations were no less destructive.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NIV)

Do you love the Truth?

As a child, I thought nothing of the use of the word, “truth” by those around me.  Now however, I am amazed at my own spiritual blindness.   I have often asked myself, “How could you believe in something for 40 years which claimed to be “The Truth”, but is constructed of lies?”  I understand now, that Jesus, the perfect and Holy Son of God, is the only person who can rightfully claim to be the Truth.  My journey has been arduous.

When you are taught a fundamental belief from infancy, you are predisposed to simply ignore any idea which does not agree with your foundational beliefs.  Many times, I was confronted with issues and problems, but I rationalized them away and continued blindly on my path.  Fortunately, I had a father and mother who taught me, by word and action, that God’s word is a trustworthy absolute.  It is The Truth.

Do you love the Truth?

Only by comparing my beliefs, one-by-one, to God’s perfect word, have I been able to root out the lies and reseed my life with truth.  The following words of God are sobering to me when I consider how easily I was deceived:

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie." 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 (NIV)  

Do you love the Truth?

Children of God should never struggle to discern the truth.  Jesus is with us, and The Holy Spirit is in us.  We only need to ask, and God will provide us with the truth we need to expose the lie.

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.  Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”  John 18:37 (NIV)

Do you love the Truth?