WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Published May 14, 2008

I’ve seen it all over “WWJD.” Its on arm bands, book covers and coffee mugs. But what does it mean? What WOULD Jesus do? I assume that means in any given situation we are to think about what Jesus Christ did while here on Earth and then we are supposed to do the same. That would be good, except people don’t know what Jesus would do because 1) They don’t know enough of the Bible to know what Jesus would do and 2) Even if they did read the Bible they would not understand why Jesus did what He did when He did it. So I will show you what Jesus would do so that you, too, can do what Jesus did.
For most of the people that I talk to “What Would Jesus Do” means always being nice, always turning the other cheek but that is not right. For example:
Mark 8: 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
That wasn’t really nice was it? Not the way we have been taught.
Matthew 15: 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and cast it to dogs.
Wow. I thought Jesus healed everybody. I thought that He was nice to everybody no matter what their background was. Not in this case. Not only did Jesus ignore the woman He told her to go away AND he likened her to a dog! Is that nice? No!
OK, Jesus wasn’t always nice, according to our way of thinking but what about the future?
II Thessalonians 1: 6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Wow again! That seems a tad bit strong don’t you think? Perhaps we should make a conference call to God and Jesus Christ and explain that that isn’t very nice and they should think about revising the Bible to be more tender and understanding. Oh, I forgot man has taken it upon himself to revise it already.
This isn’t all that Jesus did in instances He did “heal them all.”
Matthew 12: 15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
16 And charged them that they should not make him known:
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles.
19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
Not only does this say that Jesus healed them all but it says that He wouldn’t hurt a reed or break smoking flax. In other words harmless.
This seems to be contradictory with some of the other verses. So, what is the answer? What would Jesus do?
John 4: 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
John 5: 30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
John 6: 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Hebrews 4: 15 For we have not an high priest (Jesus Christ) which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Sin is broken fellowship. It is not doing what God wants you to do. Jesus Christ always did what God wanted Him to do. That is why He was without sin. The other piece to that understanding for you Bible techies is that all other men are sons of Adam. So we are ALL born under Adam’s sin (or transgression). Jesus Christ is the Son of God so, first, he wasn’t born under sin and second, He had the chance to sin just like Adam BUT he didn’t break fellowship with God, He didn’t sin. That is why Judas was right when he said he betrayed innocent blood (Matthew 27:4) and why Jesus could and did redeem us. The Adversary the Devil has the power of death
( Hebrews 2:14) and overstepped his boundaries by killing someone that did not belong to him. Jesus Christ paid the price for us. So the answer to the question of “what would Jesus do?” is He would do the Will of His Father. That brings up two other questions now. What are we supposed to do and how did Jesus know what the will of His Father was?
What does the Bible say?
Luke 2: 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
Understanding and answers about what? The Bible that’s what.
Luke 4: 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
In the days of Jesus Christ the Bible was written without chapters, without verses and without breaks between the words and it was on a scroll so a person couldn’t even use a count on the page number. Thetextwouldlooklikethis. Do you think Jesus studied the Bible a little to get to the place where he could pick up a scroll and find a specific verse in the scroll. Do you think He studied the Bible a little to be able, at the age of thirteen, to sit among men that made their life studying the Bible asking them questions and answering their questions and those questions being so knowledgeable and learned that those men were astonished. Jesus had to be studying the Bible a lot and by studying the Bible a lot he understood what the will of God was.
What are we suppose to do today?
II Timothy 2: 15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Romans 12: 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Ephesians 5: 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
What did Jesus do? He studied the Bible and always did the will of God. What then are we to do? We are to do the same and the more we study the Bible, with believing, the more we will know what the will of God is in every situation and be able to do THE WILL OF GOD.

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