Jesus offended many of his disciples with his teaching. Many of them are recorded in the Gospels. Time and time again we hear that someone in the crowd asked something and got upset by the answer and went home. He was easy to abandon when he disagreed with his questioner. He still is.
In recent times a wristband bearing the inscription “What would Jesus do?” became popular. How many of its wearers could countenance the answer “The opposite of what you would like to do” as their reply? The short account of his life tells that a lot of people did not get the answers they wanted. Some found him too demanding, some too threatening and some too offensive. Unlike any real political or cult leader, Jesus did not command complete obedience among his disciples. Jesus was always very good at being a disappointing messiah. He seemed more the kind of person you would love when he agreed with you but ignored when he didn’t.
His instructions range from easy to improbable. Prayer in secret is a simple exercise. Breaking bread in his memory takes a small amount of effort. Doing to others as you would have them do to you becomes difficult when you dislike the other person but is easy with friends. Turning the other cheek is much the same. Forgiving is not easy at all. Leaving your sacrifice before the altar and going first to make peace with your enemy would be a farcical act of public humiliation. What would Jesus do? Ask anybody who walked away when Jesus’s answer was not the same as the questioner’s opinion.
We have ability as humans to distinguish between good and bad. On a simple level we can judge right from wrong as we are asked to do in the Gospel tomorrow. When the man asks his son to go work in the vineyard the young man makes a positive response. Other things distract him and he does not go. It can happen to anyone. The second son says he will not go but then goes and works. We are asked which one did the will of the Father. Maybe both and maybe neither! At a superficial level we can judge the sons easily on their obedience. In declaring the second son to be good are we actually doing what Jesus would do?
There are many things recorded about Jesus that are opposite to what some of his followers believe today. What would Jesus do at a public execution? The records show that he stopped one and died at another. So how should his disciples react when somebody faces public humiliation? Jesus was a strong advocate for the foreigner, the outcast and the excluded; how should his followers view them today? When Peter struck off the servant’s ear Jesus told him to put away his sword; for those who live by the sword die by the sword? How should a Christian respond to violence? What would Jesus do? The answers might not be what we wanted so, having being created in the image and likeness of God, we return the compliment and allow God to agree with us.
Saying you will when you won’t or you won’t when you will describes the way we come to decisions. Sometimes we intend well but fail to achieve. Others times we succeed in achieving even if we didn’t intend to do so. Society can judge this easily but faith should avoid doing so. Is encouraging people to be cheerful, willing, friendly, considerate and responsible in their choices not what Jesus would probably do?