What would Jesus do?
At the turn of the twentieth century, a minister in Kansas named Charles Sheldon published a book titled “In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?” Sheldon was a member of the social gospel movement— a group of Christians who advocated for policies to help the poor and protect workers. Social gospel Christians believed that, if Jesus had been alive in their time, he would have supported labor unions and advocated to end child labor. The question “What would Jesus do?” quickly came to symbolize the the goals of their movement. To social gospel Christians, the answer to the question is obvious: Jesus would seek justice for poor and marginalized people by supporting progressive policies.
Other Christians, however, have answered the question, “What would Jesus do?” differently. As Pentecostal and evangelical preachers began to gain a following in the twentieth century, an increasing number of Christians began to see Jesus’ life and ministry as emphasizing the power of personal faith rather than justice. True faith was the key to overcoming sin, and sin was at the root of people’s problems. People who really believed and who prayed would be blessed with good health and with wealth. These “prosperity gospel” Christians believe that if Jesus were alive in today, he’d reward believers by answering their prayers.
Christians’ answers to the question “What would Jesus do?” form the basis for a range of political beliefs. Christians who emphasize justice tend to support policies that promote social welfare for poor and marginalized people. Christians who emphasize personal faith tend to promote “personal responsibility” and are generally more skeptical of social welfare policies. The idea that people earn what they get is popular in prosperity gospel circles, whereas social gospel Christians tend to believe that there are many aspects of people’s personal circumstances that are outside of their control.
What would Jesus do if he were alive today?
Your answer depends on how you view his life and ministry.
How Christians across the political spectrum have answered this question
“Jesus would advocate for justice for the poor and marginalized because that was the primary focus of his ministry.”
Jesus healed the sick, fed the poor, and instructed us to do the same. We are called to ensure that people have food, healthcare, and housing.
Jesus lived in solidarity with marginalized people. and condemned the wealthy. We are called to similarly commit ourselves to our communities and combat personal greed.
Jesus tells us that no one earns what they get in the kingdom of God. God loves and supports us regardless of how hard we work or what we do.
“Jesus would bless the faithful with health and wealth because that was the primary focus of his ministry.”
Jesus performed miracles, which shows us the power of true faith. We are called to be faithful and to bring others to faith. Faithful people will be blessed with miracles of health and wealth.
Jesus calls each of us to have a personal relationship with God. That personal relationship is what’s most important about his message. Attempts to make it about something else are forced.
Jesus tells us that we reap what we sow. His message is ultimately about the benefits of hard work and personal responsibility-- both of which come with faith.
Jesus’ miracles & parables
After delivering the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus entered the core phase of his ministry, performing 37 miracles and sharing 38 parables with his followers. Most of his miracles were healings or yielded food or drink, while at other points Jesus calmed storms and walked on water. Jesus’ parables offer a view of his values, with stories like the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Talents encouraging hard work and wise investment, while the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the Judgment of the Nations instruct believers to care for “the least of these”-- even foreign enemies. Stories like The Rich Young Man illustrate Jesus’ skepticism of wealth, while the Parables of the Prodigal Son and the Laborers in the Vineyard critique the idea that we earn what we get. As you return to a selection of these familiar stories, consider what values Jesus demonstrated through his ministry and what that means for us today.
Read the New Testament passages
How these passages build on the Old Testament
Jesus fulfilled multiple Hebrew Bible prophecies when he performed miracles and shared parables. Isaiah predicted that “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; then the lame shall leap like a deer,” while the Psalmist prophesied that God would open God’s mouth “in a parable.”
But Jesus’ ministry also built on one of the Old Testament’s major themes: God’s coming kingdom. Jesus’ parables were an attempt to paint a picture of that kingdom: a place where “the last shall be first and the first shall be last,” where the lost are now found, where a Samaritan is a neighbor to a Jewish person in spite of social stigma.
Prophets throughout the Hebrew Bible also put forward visions of God’s kingdom that were informed by their political context. After the Babylonians conquered Judah, the Israelites became a people in exile who hoped to one day return to their land, rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and renew their covenant with God. Prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel described God’s coming kingdom, which would bring about the downfall of the Babylonian empire and the deliverance of the Israelites from captivity.
Jesus’ descriptions of God’s coming kingdom draw on these earlier prophecies. While the Israelites in Jesus’ time were no longer under Babylonian rule, they were subjects of the Roman Empire and had hopes for Israel’s future deliverance. We can understand Jesus’ parables as building on Jewish beliefs about God’s coming kingdom and its meaning for Israel. As you read through these prophecies, consider the ways in which they add to your understanding of the political implications of Jesus’ life and ministry.
Read the Old Testament passages
Now that you’ve read the scripture…
Reflect
What are you thinking and feeling right now?
Request
Ask God to open your heart and your mind to a different perspective. Challenge yourself to see another point of view— even if you don’t agree with it.
Respond
Thank God for working through scripture and through the people around you. If you’re about to discuss this section with other people, pray for them and for your time together.
Questions for reflection & discussion
Why do you think some people are poor or sick while others are rich or healthy? Do you think God blesses some people more than others, and if so, why? Do you think God’s blessings have anything to do with what we do or believe? What’s in our control and what isn’t?
To what extent do you think Jesus’ miracles are about providing material care to the poor and marginalized? To what extent are they about the power of faith? What evidence do you see for this in scripture?
What recurring themes do you notice in Jesus’ parables? Do you think any of his parables conflict with one another? What do his parables tell us about his values?
To what extent do you think Jesus’ message is about personal responsibility and to what extent do you think it’s about caring for the “least of these”? Is it possible to reconcile these viewpoints? How?
What do you think an economy based on Jesus’ values would look like? How close do you think America is to that economy?
Critics of social gospel Christianity say that it removes God from our religion, focusing too much on Christ’s human example while ignoring his divine power. Do you agree? What would a social gospel Christianity that does justice to Jesus’ divinity look like?
Critics of prosperity gospel Christianity say that it encourages greed and shames people for being poor or sick. Do you agree? What do you think the relationship between faith, health, and wealth is?
Think back to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. How does that sermon contribute to your understanding of Jesus’ values? Are the values in that sermon similar to or different from the values practiced at other points in Jesus’ ministry?
What picture do Jesus’ parables paint of the kingdom of God? What are the political implications of that kingdom? How is that picture similar to or different from Ezekiel and Jeremiah’s visions?
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