Tuesday, May 11th, 2004
4:22 pm

“What Would Jesus Do?” asks an anonymous friend below. The WWJD question has been bouncing around America for years now — thanks in part to a successful marketing and merchandising scheme (I bet you know someone with a WWJD hat, shirt or wristband?!).

But the question still is raised, often with the tone of one playing a trump card (which it is not). The history of the WWJD question goes back to a children’s book written by a man named Charles Sheldon (I recall). I’m sure its history is on the web…

Let me share this:
I typically do NOT use the WWJD question. My two reasons are quite simple:

(#1) the New Testament tells us (in sufficient measure) all that we need to know about our Lord Jesus Christ, and what He did, and what he taught. We should not be speculators on “His take” on every situation we find ourselves in. Perhaps people flock to the WWJD question, is because they do not already know enough about the Lord through study and meditation of the 27 books of the NT.

(#2) the NT also instructs believers what to do, and how to do it. Of course you have to pick your own clothing ensembles each day (there is not a verse in the NT for that). Rather, the things that matter (like the great commandments to love God, and, to love our neighbors) are already spelled out for us. We’ve got a lot to obey. NEVER FORGET that He is the Lord (fully God and fully man), and we are to be disciples – followers, not clones.

Therefore:
(a) Get to know Him as He is revealed, not through your imaginations or hypothetical situations; (b) remember that your calling is not simply to copy Jesus, but to obey Him and follow the path of a disciple; and, (c) rather that raise the WWJD question, tell others what you DO already know about Jesus. Do simply raise questions (although that is not bad in itself), but rather provide some answers!

Whoa. I could go on and on with this subject, but there it is in a nutshell.
david