July 14, 2024
What Would Jesus Do?
I recently had the opportunity to be at a family camp in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. I heard wonderful, inspiring teachings on God’s Word for four full days. During one of those teachings the teacher made the statement, ‘What would Jesus do?’
That has brought me to the following thoughts.
‘What would Jesus do?’ has been a popular phrase in the Christian community for a long time. If you are a Christian, it makes sense because Jesus Christ is our lord and savior. He is the one who is to be the primary example in our walk with our Heavenly Father.
John 14:12b “…and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my Father.” The greater works are leading a person into the new birth with the end result being speaking in tongues, which Jesus Christ did not do because it was not available. Any Christian can operate manifestations of the spirit. They just need to know it’s available to them.
We see in
John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”
John 14:10 “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”
Jesus Christ always did God’s will and he always spoke God’s words. God would be the first to tell you this. When we need examples of how to think and move in a given situation, God can always be called upon to help out. He did it for His son and He’ll do it for us.
Mark 9:7 “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.”
Many people around him followed Jesus because of the words he spake and the spirit power he operated. From what we read in the Gospel records, we can also think when we go about our daily business, and situations arise, ‘What would Jesus do?’
From what we’ve seen in the records we just looked at, we know that Jesus Christ always did what his Father wanted him to do and he always said what God wanted him to say.
He had the words to bless and heal and he had the words to confront. He knew how to lead a fearless, peaceful, godly life. He knew how to do it from when he was very young.
One record of forgiveness that has always intrigued me is
John 8:3 “And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst.
4 They say unto him Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. [So somebody was watching them?] 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
They felt the shame and left one by one.
Vs 10 “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, no man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
This is a great record of where Jesus refused to take the bait of the accusers and got peaceful and showed great compassion.
We can do the same thing.
There is a record in Luke 8 of a man named Jairus who was a leader in the synagogue. He had a twelve year old daughter who was very sick and dying. He asked Jesus Christ to come and heal his daughter. Jesus went to do this and while they were on the way, in Verse 43 we read, “And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched [she was healed]. 45a And Jesus said, Who touched me? 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.”
In Verse 47 she explains herself.
Verse 48, “And he said unto here, Daughter be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”
It meant everything to her that Jesus Christ would take the time to show her that compassion. Jesus Christ was doing double duty here, so to speak. He was heading to heal Jairus’s daughter, and here comes this sick woman, who he took the time to heal as well.
When we have to deal with strong situations, expected and unexpected, we should go to God first. What he did during the course of a day, Jesus didn’t have to give a second thought to doing what he did because he always listened to God. That should be our goal as well.
A few verses from Psalms to think about:
Psalm 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Verse 4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Verse 7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Verse 8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Thanks for reading! Respectfully submitted. Will Grove