Musings: Notes From My Daybook

It is a good question, certainly. What Would Jesus Do? It may even be a great question. But I don't think it is the best question.

What would Jesus do? The gospels tell us some things that Jesus does do. And the witness of Scripture is quite clear about Jesus' interests, passion, and purpose. Yet the dilemma that inevitably arises when we begin to go from what we can see and know about Jesus to our own context is one that leaves us uncertain and unclear.

Jesus was a Jewish male who had memorized large chunks of his Bible and was a skilled tradesman. He lived as a citizen of a small, third-ranked province that was a mere intersection of the great Roman empire. How am I supposed to live like him?

Or, to make the tension more evident--Jesus was the Son of God who was completely given over to God's mission to bring about restoration. He did miracles, understand the thoughts of people, and could walk on water. My feet get wet walking to the car on a rainy morning. How am I supposed to live like him?

So maybe I am not supposed to live like him.

Maybe discipleship isn't so much about me becoming like Jesus. Maybe, in fact, discipleship is Jesus becoming more like me.

I do not mean that Jesus loses his personhood or that what is important is me and not Jesus. Rather, I am saying that the task of discipleship is to most fully embody Jesus in our specific place in the world.

Each of us have an identity, a place in the world. We are teachers, mothers, executives, students. We are married and single, old and young. God does not call us to relinquish our identity and become a "disembodied" Jesus. Rather, God calls us to embody Jesus right in the place where are.

So the question is not "what would Jesus do?" Rather the question is "what would Jesus do if he were me?" Theorizing about what Jesus do if he lived in the twentieth century might be fun speculation. However, prayerfully asking what would Jesus do if he were a married minister with four children living in Atlanta moves beyond speculation and right into the vital questions of discipleship. If Jesus is Lord, then what does that mean--for me?

So here is a focus statement that makes sense to me. I hope it might be of use to you.

My only goal in life is to live as Jesus would live if he were in the same place as I am in my life.

I don't think it will fit on a wrist band. But "bumper sticker" theology is not a very healthy foundation for living a life that is formed by the presence of the Lord.