What Would Jesus Do? Something Unexpected
Philippians 2:1-13
July 26, 2020
A woman named Naomi had a six-year-old grandson, Joshua; he loved attending that year’s Vacation Bible school. The theme of the week was, “What would Jesus do?” All the kids got brightly colored bracelets to take home on the last day - each had WWJD on them.
A few evenings later Joshua’s mother asked him to change out of his clothes into his pajamas. Joshua stayed where he was on the couch, and seemed to study his WWJD bracelet. His mom saw this and spoke up saying “I think Jesus would do what his mother asked him to do.” Joshua slowly lifted up his face and said “I don’t know, mom. In every picture I’ve ever seen of Jesus he seems to be wearing the same clothes all the time. And I am trying really hard to be more like Jesus.”
Well, spot on! That boy is right! There’s a lot about Jesus we don’t really know for sure. And if anyone will notice or question things, it will be children.
Here’s another great story about a child and what he thinks Jesus would do. Every Saturday evening Jeremy’s mom cleaned out the leftovers from the refrigerator. One night she gave the remaining portion of tortellini to six-year-old Jeremy - but her eight-year-old son Matthew also wanted some of the tortellini, so they got to bickering.
Their dad Ken stepped in, hoping to remind them of what they should do as Christians. He sat down at the table with the boys and said “Jeremy, what would Jesus do in this situation?” Jeremy, thinking about the feeding of the 5000 from a recent Sunday School lesson said, “Oh dad, he would just make more!” True enough, little Jeremy was probably right.
Many Christian scholars, untold numbers of theologians, preachers and everyday saints have themselves tried to speculate about what Christ would do in any given situation. After studying Jesus’ teachings in depth one scholar offered the best answer I have heard to date. When we wonder “What would Jesus do?” The answer can be summed up in two words: “something unexpected.”
Today’s passage from Philippians invites us to focus on the WWJD question. The apostle Paul writes, “if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” In other words, think and act like Jesus.
Paul says that understanding Christ’s humility is our starting point and embodying it is our call. The best illustration of humility I have ever heard comes from a man by the name of Ullrich Zwingli. He was promoting unity during the Protestant Reformation, but it wasn’t always easy. One man he was at odds with, now nicknamed the Father of the Reformation, was Martin Luther. Zwingli didn’t know what to do about their tense relationship, so he went for a walk one day up a Swiss mountain. He glanced ahead on the trail and chanced to see two goats on a narrow path coming from opposite directions – one going up the mountain, the other going down. When they met each other and saw that neither one could pass by on the side, they both backed up. Zwingli feared they would lunge at each other on the narrow path and one or both would fall to their death. But then a wonderful thing happened. The goat going up the mountain lay down on the path. The other one stepped carefully over his back. The first animal then got back up and continued his climb to the top.
Zwingli had a powerful insight that day. He realized that the goat made it higher because he was willing to bend lower. The goat who lay down humbled himself in order that a higher good could be attained. Didn’t our Lord Jesus humble himself for our sake and haven’t we benefited immensely because of his sacrifice?
When Paul looked at Jesus, the first thing he saw was Christ’s humility. How humble are we every day? Can our humility be seen in how we act and interact with others? Do others sense a Christ-like, genuine humility in us?
To help us better grasp what humility is, let me share what humility isn’t. I found a tongue-in-cheek article that takes the idea of humility, brings it to the lowest common denominator, and pokes fun at it.
News columnist Bill Farmer tells us about J. Upton Dickson, a fun-loving person who announced he was writing a book about people who let others run all over them. The book would be entitled “Cower Power”. He would also form a group for these insecure, submissive people which he called the Doormats. It would be an acronym for Dependent Order of Really Meek and Timid Souls. Their motto would be: “the meek shall inherit the earth – if that’s OK with everybody.” The national symbol for these folks, says Dickson, would be the yellow traffic light. Now, the man was joking, but isn’t there some truth in what he’s describing? Do you know people let others run all over them? They may be insecure, too docile for their own good. Too much of a doormat!
That is not the sort of humility that was in Christ. Humility is good but it doesn’t necessarily mean being meek or weak. And it isn’t cowardice. Some of the most courageous people who have ever lived have been humble to the core.
They have also shown the depths of their humility by saying things like: I am wrong. I’ve made a mistake, regret it and want to make it better. That is one of the hardest things to do for most of us, yet finding a way to humbly confess our mess is necessary. It is an honest, Christ-like attitude we all need. And when others have a similar spirit, when they can forgive us for our outburst, hurtful words, or other offence – that restores peace in the relationship. Haven’t you noticed over the years of your life that a humble, open spirit – a willingness to admit our part in the conflict – that is almost always THE key ingredient to healing – and to keeping all our relationships on solid footing – at home, at work and wherever we might be.
In Annette Simmons’ book “The Story Factor”, she tells a story about a young executive named Skip. He was 35 years old but looked closer to 13. He was third-generation rich. He was about to take over the family business and the major stockholders were skeptical about his leadership abilities. Skip decided to tell them a story that he hoped would convince them he was the right man for the job.
He said, “My first job was drawing the electrical engineering plans for a boat- building company. The drawings had to be perfect because if the wires were not accurately placed before the fiberglass form was poured, a mistake might cost a million dollars easy. At 25, I already had two Master’s degrees. I had been on boats all my life and frankly, I found drawing these plans a bit… mindless. One morning I got a call at home from a six dollar an hour worker asking me, ‘Are you sure this is right?’ I was upset. Of course I was sure, ‘just pour the blankety-blank thing’. When his supervisor called me an hour later and woke me up again and asked, ‘are you sure this is right?’ I had even less patience. ‘I said I was sure an hour ago and I’m still sure.’
“It was the phone call from the President of the company that finally got me out of bed and down to the site,” this young executive continued. “If I had to hold these guys by the hand, so be it. I sought out the worker who had first called me. He sat looking at my plans with his head cocked to one side. With exaggerated patience I began to explain my drawing. But after a few words my head started to cock to the side as well. It seems that I had (being left-handed) transposed starboard and port so that the drawing was an exact mirror image of what it should have been.”
“Thank God for the six dollar an hour worker who caught my mistake before it was too late. The next day I found a wrapped package on my desk. The boat crew bought me a pair of tennis shoes; the note said, ‘for future reference’. Just in case I ever got mixed up again, the left tennis shoe (which was spray painted red on the sole), was for port, and the right one (painted a solid green color) was for starboard.”
“Now those sneakers – which I have here with me today (and I plan on keeping in my office) – have taught me a valuable life lesson. I always do my best to listen humbly to all people. That is the core of who I am as a leader.”
After these opening remarks the members of the board were smiling. A few had noticeable smirks on their faces. This man wasn’t the only one at the table who had had to learn the pitfalls of arrogance the hard way. Things went well for young Skip at that company; it turns out he was very good at running the family business.
Humility is an essential characteristic of a leader. It is also an essential characteristic of a Christian.
I want to leave us all with Leonard Sweet’s four rules for life. He says we must choose one of these. Which one will you choose?
Philippians 2:1-13
July 26, 2020
A woman named Naomi had a six-year-old grandson, Joshua; he loved attending that year’s Vacation Bible school. The theme of the week was, “What would Jesus do?” All the kids got brightly colored bracelets to take home on the last day - each had WWJD on them.
A few evenings later Joshua’s mother asked him to change out of his clothes into his pajamas. Joshua stayed where he was on the couch, and seemed to study his WWJD bracelet. His mom saw this and spoke up saying “I think Jesus would do what his mother asked him to do.” Joshua slowly lifted up his face and said “I don’t know, mom. In every picture I’ve ever seen of Jesus he seems to be wearing the same clothes all the time. And I am trying really hard to be more like Jesus.”
Well, spot on! That boy is right! There’s a lot about Jesus we don’t really know for sure. And if anyone will notice or question things, it will be children.
Here’s another great story about a child and what he thinks Jesus would do. Every Saturday evening Jeremy’s mom cleaned out the leftovers from the refrigerator. One night she gave the remaining portion of tortellini to six-year-old Jeremy - but her eight-year-old son Matthew also wanted some of the tortellini, so they got to bickering.
Their dad Ken stepped in, hoping to remind them of what they should do as Christians. He sat down at the table with the boys and said “Jeremy, what would Jesus do in this situation?” Jeremy, thinking about the feeding of the 5000 from a recent Sunday School lesson said, “Oh dad, he would just make more!” True enough, little Jeremy was probably right.
Many Christian scholars, untold numbers of theologians, preachers and everyday saints have themselves tried to speculate about what Christ would do in any given situation. After studying Jesus’ teachings in depth one scholar offered the best answer I have heard to date. When we wonder “What would Jesus do?” The answer can be summed up in two words: “something unexpected.”
Today’s passage from Philippians invites us to focus on the WWJD question. The apostle Paul writes, “if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” In other words, think and act like Jesus.
Paul says that understanding Christ’s humility is our starting point and embodying it is our call. The best illustration of humility I have ever heard comes from a man by the name of Ullrich Zwingli. He was promoting unity during the Protestant Reformation, but it wasn’t always easy. One man he was at odds with, now nicknamed the Father of the Reformation, was Martin Luther. Zwingli didn’t know what to do about their tense relationship, so he went for a walk one day up a Swiss mountain. He glanced ahead on the trail and chanced to see two goats on a narrow path coming from opposite directions – one going up the mountain, the other going down. When they met each other and saw that neither one could pass by on the side, they both backed up. Zwingli feared they would lunge at each other on the narrow path and one or both would fall to their death. But then a wonderful thing happened. The goat going up the mountain lay down on the path. The other one stepped carefully over his back. The first animal then got back up and continued his climb to the top.
Zwingli had a powerful insight that day. He realized that the goat made it higher because he was willing to bend lower. The goat who lay down humbled himself in order that a higher good could be attained. Didn’t our Lord Jesus humble himself for our sake and haven’t we benefited immensely because of his sacrifice?
When Paul looked at Jesus, the first thing he saw was Christ’s humility. How humble are we every day? Can our humility be seen in how we act and interact with others? Do others sense a Christ-like, genuine humility in us?
To help us better grasp what humility is, let me share what humility isn’t. I found a tongue-in-cheek article that takes the idea of humility, brings it to the lowest common denominator, and pokes fun at it.
News columnist Bill Farmer tells us about J. Upton Dickson, a fun-loving person who announced he was writing a book about people who let others run all over them. The book would be entitled “Cower Power”. He would also form a group for these insecure, submissive people which he called the Doormats. It would be an acronym for Dependent Order of Really Meek and Timid Souls. Their motto would be: “the meek shall inherit the earth – if that’s OK with everybody.” The national symbol for these folks, says Dickson, would be the yellow traffic light. Now, the man was joking, but isn’t there some truth in what he’s describing? Do you know people let others run all over them? They may be insecure, too docile for their own good. Too much of a doormat!
That is not the sort of humility that was in Christ. Humility is good but it doesn’t necessarily mean being meek or weak. And it isn’t cowardice. Some of the most courageous people who have ever lived have been humble to the core.
They have also shown the depths of their humility by saying things like: I am wrong. I’ve made a mistake, regret it and want to make it better. That is one of the hardest things to do for most of us, yet finding a way to humbly confess our mess is necessary. It is an honest, Christ-like attitude we all need. And when others have a similar spirit, when they can forgive us for our outburst, hurtful words, or other offence – that restores peace in the relationship. Haven’t you noticed over the years of your life that a humble, open spirit – a willingness to admit our part in the conflict – that is almost always THE key ingredient to healing – and to keeping all our relationships on solid footing – at home, at work and wherever we might be.
In Annette Simmons’ book “The Story Factor”, she tells a story about a young executive named Skip. He was 35 years old but looked closer to 13. He was third-generation rich. He was about to take over the family business and the major stockholders were skeptical about his leadership abilities. Skip decided to tell them a story that he hoped would convince them he was the right man for the job.
He said, “My first job was drawing the electrical engineering plans for a boat- building company. The drawings had to be perfect because if the wires were not accurately placed before the fiberglass form was poured, a mistake might cost a million dollars easy. At 25, I already had two Master’s degrees. I had been on boats all my life and frankly, I found drawing these plans a bit… mindless. One morning I got a call at home from a six dollar an hour worker asking me, ‘Are you sure this is right?’ I was upset. Of course I was sure, ‘just pour the blankety-blank thing’. When his supervisor called me an hour later and woke me up again and asked, ‘are you sure this is right?’ I had even less patience. ‘I said I was sure an hour ago and I’m still sure.’
“It was the phone call from the President of the company that finally got me out of bed and down to the site,” this young executive continued. “If I had to hold these guys by the hand, so be it. I sought out the worker who had first called me. He sat looking at my plans with his head cocked to one side. With exaggerated patience I began to explain my drawing. But after a few words my head started to cock to the side as well. It seems that I had (being left-handed) transposed starboard and port so that the drawing was an exact mirror image of what it should have been.”
“Thank God for the six dollar an hour worker who caught my mistake before it was too late. The next day I found a wrapped package on my desk. The boat crew bought me a pair of tennis shoes; the note said, ‘for future reference’. Just in case I ever got mixed up again, the left tennis shoe (which was spray painted red on the sole), was for port, and the right one (painted a solid green color) was for starboard.”
“Now those sneakers – which I have here with me today (and I plan on keeping in my office) – have taught me a valuable life lesson. I always do my best to listen humbly to all people. That is the core of who I am as a leader.”
After these opening remarks the members of the board were smiling. A few had noticeable smirks on their faces. This man wasn’t the only one at the table who had had to learn the pitfalls of arrogance the hard way. Things went well for young Skip at that company; it turns out he was very good at running the family business.
Humility is an essential characteristic of a leader. It is also an essential characteristic of a Christian.
I want to leave us all with Leonard Sweet’s four rules for life. He says we must choose one of these. Which one will you choose?
- The Iron rule: do to others - before they do to you;
- The Silver rule: do to others as they do to you;
- The Golden rule: do to others as you would have them do to you;
- Or the Titanium rule: Do to others as Jesus has done for you.