“What Would Jesus Do?”
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesDuring the past four years, we’ve spent more time than we could ever imagine watching television or listening to the radio regarding the war in Iraq. As Christians, we continue to pray that this conflict will end swiftly, and with minimal loss of life on either side. That’s all we can do, really. Beyond this, we remain mindful of the fact that as the Lord has ruled the past and the future, He rules the present as well (cf. Acts 10:34-36; Ephesians 1:16-23; Colossians 1:16-17; 1 Timothy 6:13-16; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 Peter 3:22).
When wars and other calamities occur, people often wonder aloud, “What would Jesus do?” Some will say that Jesus would be in the streets protesting against the horrors of war. Others will say He would be vocal in His support of the ruling authorities and of the troops on the battlefield. That there is even a dispute about their various answers demonstrates how little people truly know about the work Christ did during His sojourn on earth (Acts 10:36-38). The fact is that if Jesus was bodily among us today, He would do neither of the above. How do we know for certain? Because there is no instance recorded in the New Testament where we ever find Jesus leading a public protest against any sort of government action, though there was plenty to protest, from both the Roman oppressors and the corrupt leaders of the Jews.
The only comment Jesus made about the Roman overlords was concise:
“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21 – NKJV).
His indictments of the Jewish leadership always dealt with matters of faith and practice never politics. Even in His final hours on earth, as He stood face to face with the high priests Annas and Caiaphas (John 18:11-13), Herod the titular king of the Jews (Luke 23:6-11), and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:1-2 – NKJV), Jesus did not seize the moment to condemn, exalt, or pass any judgment on any of their policies. Instead, He affirmed a cardinal truth that stood in opposition to any civic activism on His part:
“My kingdom is not of this world …. my kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36 – NKJV).
Peter tells us that Jesus “entrusted Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23 – NKJV). He knew there was injustice and unrighteousness in the governments of His day. But it was not His purpose to deal with them. His earthly mission was spiritual, not political. So was the mission to which He commissioned His disciples (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16).
So what do we as Christians do as the storms of war rage, and our fellow citizens across the globe fight, and in many cases die for our freedoms? We simply do what Jesus did — we pray, “not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42 – NKJV). We make requests, prayers, and intercession “for kings and all who are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” because this is good in God’s sight (1 Timothy 2:1-3 – NKJV). We take courage as David did:
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13 – NKJV).