Fearless Faith

What would Jesus ask?

 

November 9, 2022



One of the simpler digressions in faith building in recent years has been to ask, “What would Jesus do?” While emulating Christ is generally a safe bet, the concept runs deeper and is more complex than a few blithe questions regarding the modeling of behaviors.

The normal course of events in today’s arena of max-critical politics, is to build oneself up by tearing others down. Such behavior should be accompanied by deep shame at our failure to respect one another. It is not impossible to do, but finding true statespersons to serve the public good is hard, especially the kind that are able to work across political lines and boundaries because they know that working together brings about a greater resilience to all our efforts.

Jesus had a way of asking the right questions at the right times. His were questions that invited responses that mattered, that fully demonstrated that his attention was with the person before him. They were questions that begged a response or elicited a further thought or two, even for some time into the future. There were personal questions, questions of substance that gently rebuked without condemning or casting someone under the bus/chariot.

But most of all, there were questions of compassion and inquiry into the well-being of people. Were they well? Were they afraid? Were they anxious or weary or heavy laden? Soul weary? Jesus offered kindness and empathy and concern. It holds true today. His purported words fly like leaves from the pages of our dusty tomes and bring light and life forward into the dark recesses of today.

What would Jesus do? He would ask whether truth matters to us as people of faith. He would query whether the activities we choose to participate in with others are vengeful or life giving. He would encourage us to examine our motives and ask how they might endanger others. He would invite us to another way of living and believing and understanding that builds each other up without the need to first destroy. Who are the homeless, the helpless and the poor? Who shall we call neighbor? These are critical questions defining who we are and who we will become.

Ask weighty questions when you are able and wait patiently for the responses. Seek out those who are prepared to put their best foot forward, even when the footprint might remain unseen. “There is almost a sensual longing for communion with others who have a large vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendship between those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a quality impossible to describe.” (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin).

Political rhetoric has ratcheted up these mid-terms. Each of us have choices to make. We can choose to ask more questions, to engage them as Jesus did, or we can be content with twaddle that is mean-spirited and disparaging, something that isn’t exactly in Jesus’ play book. It always helps to dismiss others if we can learn to hate them a little bit first. Why is that? What would Jesus ask?

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 03/06/2024 05:26