WWJT

Many of us remember the bracelets, pamphlets, music CDs, and articles in religious magazines focusing on the WWJD motto in the early 1990s. What Would Jesus Do?became a rallying cry of restless Christian youth and young adults of all Christian stripes in the face of growing secularization and materialism. Intriguingly, the original publication in 1896 of the volume In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? by Congregationalist pastor Charles Sheldon was based on a series of sermons to his church in Toledo, Kansas, and focused on Christian socialism and the ethics of Jesus within the context of the social gospel.[*] It highlighted the importance of Christian action over Christian holy talk.

What Would Jesus Do? is an invitation to consider the actions of the biblical Jesus we know from Scripture informing our own actions. It highlights deeds and focuses on practical implications. It reflects our fascination with decisive action and structured approaches.

Thinking or Doing?

While our focus on doing is understandable, there may be a slightly modified motto that actually packs more firepower and significance. What Would Jesus Think? (or WWJT) recognizes that long-lasting change begins in our thinking and not in our doing.

The apostle Paul recognized this concept in his letter to the Romans: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:5, 6); “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2).

Jesus’ sermon on the mount and His parables offer invitations to think alongside Him before moving to doing what He did. In fact, the gospels record more of Christ’s words (and thus thinking) than His miracle works. Thinking always precedes doing. The power of ideas can be seen in the history of humanity. In the biblical narrative we see sin being introduced by a sly question that packs untruth in an attractive package: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1), the serpent asks Eve, and the following verses illustrate that the thought somehow takes root in Eve’s mind and ultimately leads to her action of eating the fruit.

While our focus on doing is understandable, there may be a slightly modified motto that actually packs more firepower and significance.

Some of Jesus’ most startling statements highlighting attitudes and thoughts can be found in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5) or “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” (verses 38, 39). Are the meek or those offering the other cheek really the movers and shakers of this world? At first glance it seems that they are at the mercy of the powerful—and yet it’s Jesus’ meekness and willingness to offer the other cheek and, ultimately, His shameful death on a cross that results in victory. Thoughts not only influence acts but can transform hearts—and communities.

Jesus’ Mindset

WWJT reminds us of the importance of Jesus’ mindset. Paul encourages his audience in Philippians 2:5 to imitate Jesus’ thinking in our own lives: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (NIV). The verb froneo (rendered mindset in the NIV) that is used in the Greek text refers to “thinking” or “being wise” and is translated “attitude” by the New American Standard Bible. While this definitely is a reference to Jesus’ humility in choosing to veil His divinity and become human, it’s also an essential reminder of the importance of thought patterns that will automatically transform into action.

What Would Jesus Think? is a good reminder and invitation to focus on the underlying thinking and attitudes in our own lives and less on the visible action. The necessary transformation of our thought patterns by the Spirit will ultimately lead to doing that reflects God’s goodness, mercy, kindness, long-suffering, and justice.

[*]A helpful introduction to the issue within the larger theological question of the imitatio Christi, the “imitation of Christ,” can be found online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_would_Jesus_do%3F. The phrase has been echoed in numerous academic studies ranging from Christian perfection, incarnation, and soteriology in the light of ecology, Christian pacifism, Christian ethics, the civil rights movement, and many others, as, for example, Stephen A. Graham, “What Would Jesus Do About Terrorism? Christian Realism Versus Christian Pacifism,” Encounter 65, no. 4 (2004): 345-371; Gregory S. Jackson, “What Would Jesus Do? Practical Christianity, Social Gospel Realism, and the Homiletic Novel,” PMLA 121, no. 3 (2006): 641-661; or Gardner Grateley, “Perspective: Some Thoughts on the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) Bracelet,” ETC: A Review of General Semantics 57, no. 3 (2000): 316-323.