The Man Who Lives

This is coming years and years after the pinnacle of it's popularity, but, remember the whole WWJD? thing? The bracelets & stuff? It actually became so popular that people without any interest in Jesus got in on it and wore the stuff.

I am a reserved person, so imagine what it means when a reserved person says they have reservations. And this is me saying it: "When it comes to any sort of fad, I have my reservations." Mind you, as far as fads go, the WWJD? thing was probably as good as it gets. Nevertheless . . . I had my reservations.

It's not that I wouldn't want to do what Jesus would do. It's more like: have you read the Gospels? Eh? Read them again and be amazed. Jesus does majestically amazing stuff all over the place. It might be easier for us to ask the question, what do the New Testament epistles explicitly say we should do? WDTNTEESWSD? Ok, so not as catchy and it would go all the way around the bracelet, but probably an easier (and obviously valid and relevant) starting point. But when we watch Jesus in action, we are watching something more than somebody embodying a list of ethical do's and don'ts. We are watching pure life in it's fullness walk amongst our death, destruction, and devastation. Lovingly, graciously - redeeming it.

And personally, I'm a little more intrigued with WWJS? What would Jesus say? It's his words that blow me away again and again, each time I read them. (Maybe this is because there are so many times that I don't know what to say.) He spoke with authority. He taught with immediacy and depth - often by telling brief little stories. People tried to catch him in his words . . . but it didn't work very well. His words were truth. His word's were and are all these things because they are both words of life, and words that are alive.

And this is because Jesus is the man who lives (eternal tense). The man who gives life. So maybe instead of asking what would Jesus do, maybe we should just ask him. Jesus, what would you do? What would you have me do? What would you have me say?