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July-September, 2004

What Would Jesus Do?

by Rev. Myron Jones, O.M.C.

I have always been intrigued by the popular slogan, What would Jesus do? I’m sure you’ve seen it on t-shirts and jewelry, usually by the first letters of the question, WWJD. I think that is a good question. After all, Jesus intended his life to be an example for us; a model to follow in our own lives.

The problem with that question is that someone is assuming that I know what Jesus would do. Sometimes they are right. Sometimes though, I have been mistaken in thinking I knew what he would do. Sometimes, I assumed Jesus would think like me, that he would react as I would have reacted under similar circumstances.

Obviously this is not always true. All I have to do is look at the crucifixion to see that Jesus was way more enlightened than me. I’m not sure what I would have said if I had been unfairly crucified. It probably wouldn’t have had anything to do with forgiveness, though. So, if I want to answer the question “What would Jesus do?” I will have to think about this. It is very easy to project my thoughts and feelings onto the situation and become confused about the answer. I don’t want to ask myself, “What would Myron do?” I’ve done that. It hasn’t always worked out so well.

I decided that I would look for some of the principle beliefs that Jesus tried to teach me, and then extrapolate from them what I could do when faced with a moral decision. I suppose that the chief idea that Jesus tried to get across to me is Love. He talked about perfect Love in Matthew 6:44.

“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.”

Well, there is a tall order. He goes on to assure me that I can do this, by telling me that I am perfect as my Father in Heaven is perfect. So, though it seems like an impossible task, I can know that it is doable. What I have learned from practicing this idea is that it is not only doable, but that doing it changes my life.

My ex-husband is a wonderful teacher in my life. Not that he has done this intentionally, but that is how it has worked out. Toward the end of our marriage, there was a lot of turmoil. We argued frequently and to me it seemed as if he were constantly attacking me. Nothing was ever good enough for him and everything I did was wrong. In truth, I am sure he felt the same way about me. We had turned our life into a battleground. I saw him as my enemy, and was constantly in a “defend and attack” mode.

WWJD in this situation? I saw Greg as my enemy at that time. Jesus tells me that I should love my enemy. Is that possible? One time a minister told me this story abut a congregant who was in a similar situation. She was so angry with her husband that she hated him. He had done so many things to hurt her and she wanted to do something to repay some of that pain before she left him.

The minister suggested this: “Before you leave, start treating him well. Be as loving as you know how to be. Take care of him. Cook his favorite meals. Always have a kind word for him, no matter what he may say. Think of as many little ways you can make his life a joy.”

The woman was appalled by this suggestion. Why should she treat this mean person with such love? He had hurt her terribly and often, and now the minister was suggesting she treat him kindly. How was that going to hurt him? “Well,” the minister said, “By doing this, when you leave he will know what he threw away with his bad behavior and will be devastated at his loss.”

The woman was delighted at this thought. And though she knew it would be extremely hard to act kindly to someone she hated, she was determined to make him pay so she did it.

Months later the wise minister ran into the woman and asked her if she was happy to be away from the abusive husband. She seemed surprised at the very idea. She stated emphatically that she and her husband were still together and very happy indeed. She explained to the minister that when she started following his advice and treating him with loving kindness, he changed and started doing the same to her.

I did my best to follow Jesus’ instructions to love my enemy. It was so hard to do this and my success was spotty at best. We are divorced, but if any of you have ever left a long relationship, you know that it doesn’t end at that point. There was still a lot of anger, frustration and grief. However, I kept my eyes on my goal, that is, to love my enemy.

If the Holy Spirit were a person, He would surely have become tired of hearing from me as I asked, once again, that he heal my thoughts toward my ex. As I slowly began to lay down my battle garb, I began to experience the peace of God. How my life has been blessed in doing this! Now I see Greg, not as my enemy, but as a perfect Child of God who, like me, is struggling to remember his true Identity. Our relationship is not completely healed yet, but my intent is set and I strive to use every opportunity to bring about that healing.

What would Jesus have me do if faced with a situation in which I find myself making a judgment? This is another area in which he was very clear. Matthew 7:1 says “Judge not lest ye be judged.” You can’t get more clear than that. He doesn’t follow it with a list of exceptions to the rule. He leaves no loopholes. I like guidelines that are clear cut. I don’t have anything to figure out and so little opportunity to twist his words until they mean something I prefer.

If I read the paper and see that someone is behaving in a way that feels threatening to me, I know that I have judged. I read a story about a man who suffered a great loss. His son was killed by another man and that man was imprisoned for his evil deed. Then, the father who lost his son somehow found the strength to forgive the murderer and became his friend. Wow, is that story ever rich ground for judgment! I judged the murder of the son as tragic and certainly it seemed so. I judged the murderer as evil and what he did as evil. I judged the father as saintly when he forgave.

So man, how am I going to look at this situation without judgment? I do it like I do other things. I bring my thoughts to the Holy Spirit and ask Him what He wants me to do with them. I open my mind to another way to see. When I do this, I can’t imagine what that other way will be. It seems impossible. But that is OK. I am going to the Holy Spirit because I don’t know the answer. It would be inappropriate and self-defeating to go to Him with an answer already formulated.

When I bring this situation to the Holy Spirit He gently reminds me that I am seeing my own fear of death and loss reflected in this situation. Jesus’ final lesson for us was the resurrection. Through the resurrection he was teaching us that there is no death. Certainly the body can be murdered, but I am not a body. The body is a shell, of little importance. What is me, what God created, cannot be harmed in any way. He reminds me also, that my care is in His hands and that His care for me is infinite.

“But the father’s grief, what about the father?” I ask. “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” He answers me. It is not my job to judge even this. How could I begin to know what healing may come of this? How am I to know what purpose will be fulfilled as someone is comforted by God?

“Well surely,” I plead, “I am justified in judging the murderer as evil.” And again, I am gently reminded that even this man is God’s blessed child, created in his image and after His likeness. “But look at what he did.” But what he did does not change who he is. He is as God created him.

I cannot know the whole story. I cannot know everything there is to know about everyone involved and how it will play out now and in the future. That is why it is not my job to judge. In His mercy, God took that burden from me. A Course in Miracles puts it very succinctly when it tells me that the strain of constant judgment is virtually intolerable. It is curious that an ability so debilitating would be so deeply cherished.

This leads us right into forgiveness. Forgiveness was big on Christ’s agenda. Forgiveness was nearly the last thing Jesus had to teach us, and certainly the culmination of his teaching. As he was dying, he said. “Forgive them.” They tried to humiliate him. They tortured him, they destroyed his body. And what did he do? He forgave them. What can anyone do that is outside my forgiveness?

f someone steals from me, what do I do? What would Jesus do? He would forgive them. If someone hurts my feelings, if someone embarrasses me before my friends, If someone abandons me or betrays me, what do I do? What would Jesus do? I forgive them. I see through what I think they did to me. I see through their behavior. I see only who they are in reality; that is the blessed and holy children of God. That is forgiveness.

On my own, I can’t forgive. I don’t know how. It is only through the Holy Spirit that my thoughts are healed and I learn to think with God. My job is to be willing to forgive and even that sometimes takes all my effort to achieve. I so often cling to my grievances as if they were my saviors instead of God. But my willingness, however small it is, will save me. I will succeed because it is God’s Will that I do so. I cannot fail because it is the strength of God that gives me power.

So, when someone pulls out in front of me and nearly causes an accident, I see past the careless action to the reality of the driver. I see he is a Child of God. How can I curse a Child of God? I forgive and bless him and in return I am forgiven and blessed. As I learn that he is a Child of God, worthy of my forgiveness, I am teaching myself that I am a Child of God, worthy of blessings and forgiveness.

What would Jesus do? He taught us that, whatever the situation, the appropriate reaction is always one of Love and forgiveness. He taught us that we are not to judge. These will not always be my first reactions. That’s Okay.

I am always free to choose again. If I react to a person or situation in an unloving, unforgiving or judgmental way, do I condemn myself? No, because condemnation is not a loving response. I will not judge myself. I will forgive myself, just as I forgive others. I will be gentle, both with others and with myself as I strive, daily, to live as Jesus would.

© 2004, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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