Isn't Jesus supposed to be our example of how we're supposed to live our limited life while we're here on Earth? As Christians, shouldn't ALL of His words and deeds be taken into consideration as we determine our own course of action?
I believe so.
However, we often let our limited understanding of His kindness cloud the bigger and fuller picture of who He is. Yes, of course He was kind, meek, gentle, forgiving, etc., as He is the embodiment of every good thing. But, He is also God in the flesh, giving Him many more less talked about attributes such as justness, fairness, righteousness to judge, etc.
So many times I hear people say, "WWJD", in regards to perplexing or antagonistic situations for us Christians. They use that as a trump card, thinking that when they say those four little letters, W-W-J-D, that we should stop all emotion towards our current situation and become accepting of everything and conform to our surroundings. And just to clarify, Jesus did and does love "every soul" on Earth. But fleshly desires and sin control most of the humans in the world and sadly, our souls are merely trapped inside our physical bodies, hitching a ride and hanging on for dear life as we journey along the path of Earthly existence. If you can take a minute to really understand the difference between flesh and the soul, you will understand briefly how God can operate in love and judgment at the same time. It is our souls He wants to save and our flesh that must be judged. At least, that is the Cliff Notes version anyway. We will call it "tough love" for those who do not want to see Jesus as anything but love.
The Scriptures give us a few written examples when Jesus Himself exemplified "tough love". When He saw that the religious leaders had developed a corrupted financial system in the temple, in the house of God, for the buying and selling of sacrifies, He took action, physically overturning tables and benches. This was a direct attack against the governing bodies of the temple at that time (Matthew 21).
In John, chapter 7, we learned that Jesus drew a line in the sand with the religious leaders of His day, once again showing defiance against the governance that He understood to be unjust, flawed, and completely hypocritical. The Bible doesn't tell us what Jesus wrote in the sand with His finger, but we can infer from Scripture that it was truthful to a fault and convicted every one there, leading to them leaving one by one.
Those examples of Jesus' bold action in the eyes of oppressors and those who would do evil towards His beloved children, regardless of their social or political status, show that Jesus would take a stand against evil and He would not sit idly by as some would assume. People greatly misjudge Jesus's self control and teachings in other parts of the Bible for weakness.
Lastly, in Revelation 19:11-16, it clearly states that He has a plan He is destined to fulfill that will eradicate all evil world governments and false churches once and for all. He exacts justice with force and- this is key- with the right timing, His perfect timing.
"Then I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."
So, the question is not WWJD but, "What would Jesus do NOW?"
lefthook.info
I believe so.
However, we often let our limited understanding of His kindness cloud the bigger and fuller picture of who He is. Yes, of course He was kind, meek, gentle, forgiving, etc., as He is the embodiment of every good thing. But, He is also God in the flesh, giving Him many more less talked about attributes such as justness, fairness, righteousness to judge, etc.
So many times I hear people say, "WWJD", in regards to perplexing or antagonistic situations for us Christians. They use that as a trump card, thinking that when they say those four little letters, W-W-J-D, that we should stop all emotion towards our current situation and become accepting of everything and conform to our surroundings. And just to clarify, Jesus did and does love "every soul" on Earth. But fleshly desires and sin control most of the humans in the world and sadly, our souls are merely trapped inside our physical bodies, hitching a ride and hanging on for dear life as we journey along the path of Earthly existence. If you can take a minute to really understand the difference between flesh and the soul, you will understand briefly how God can operate in love and judgment at the same time. It is our souls He wants to save and our flesh that must be judged. At least, that is the Cliff Notes version anyway. We will call it "tough love" for those who do not want to see Jesus as anything but love.
The Scriptures give us a few written examples when Jesus Himself exemplified "tough love". When He saw that the religious leaders had developed a corrupted financial system in the temple, in the house of God, for the buying and selling of sacrifies, He took action, physically overturning tables and benches. This was a direct attack against the governing bodies of the temple at that time (Matthew 21).
In John, chapter 7, we learned that Jesus drew a line in the sand with the religious leaders of His day, once again showing defiance against the governance that He understood to be unjust, flawed, and completely hypocritical. The Bible doesn't tell us what Jesus wrote in the sand with His finger, but we can infer from Scripture that it was truthful to a fault and convicted every one there, leading to them leaving one by one.
Those examples of Jesus' bold action in the eyes of oppressors and those who would do evil towards His beloved children, regardless of their social or political status, show that Jesus would take a stand against evil and He would not sit idly by as some would assume. People greatly misjudge Jesus's self control and teachings in other parts of the Bible for weakness.
Lastly, in Revelation 19:11-16, it clearly states that He has a plan He is destined to fulfill that will eradicate all evil world governments and false churches once and for all. He exacts justice with force and- this is key- with the right timing, His perfect timing.
"Then I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."
So, the question is not WWJD but, "What would Jesus do NOW?"
lefthook.info
