I never really got into the whole “WWJD” craze. Deep down, I felt that something was missing. I believe Javad Shadzi hits the mark. I remember in seminary being introduced to “being vs doing.” I was squarly in the doing camp.
It is so easy, to forget that God wants to change us from the inside out. Jesus’ message to the religious leaders is the same as to us, “You clean the outside of the cup….but the inside of the cup is filthy.”
It isn’t that I think that WWJD is bad…I don’t. We should always be trying to do the work that Jesus did and respond the way he did. However, there is a much bigger issue. If we are to truly do what Jesus did…we must allow him to change us from the inside out.
Mr Shadzi was right on when he points out that Jesus did what he did not because he was “trying” to do things a certain way. Rather, he did what he did because it was who he was. If my goal is to do what Jesus did, I’m missing the power and transformation of the Gospel. If my Goal is to _be_ like Jesus, the what I do flows from who I am.
The difference between doing and being is vast. There is an ocean of difference. When I try to “do” what Jesus did, sometimes I hit the mark, sometimes I don’t. However (and here is the danger) sometimes when I do hit the mark (by doing what Jesus did) I, in reality, miss the mark (because it was only a facade anyway).
When I try to _be_ like Jesus (or ask myself, what (or who) would Jesus Be?), then my actions flow from my being. My actions are determined by my being. When that happens, I am freed…freed from the prison of forcing myself to do things that really aren’t part of my being.
The wonderful thing about God is he longs to touch us in such a way that we are transformed into the image of his Son. When we allow God to do such a transformation within us, we are finally, truly able to do what Jesus did.
– Dave.
Leave a Reply