W. W. J. D.?

You may have seen bracelets being worn by many across the city. Little kids, big kids, adults, dads, moms. Police officers, postal workers, pastors, homemakers, government workers. People of all ages and from all walks of life have donned this unique fashion statement. They're usually made out of brightly colored cloth and are marked with the initials, "W.W.J.D.". I think when we see some sort of mysterious code like that, we become at first very curious. But, there's just enough cynicism or indifference in most of us that we really don't want to ask the wearer what it means. We're afraid that he or she just might tell us more than we wanted to hear. What does W.W.J.D. mean anyway? Well, for all you curious types, here's the meaning of the secret code: "What Would Jesus Do?" Kind of catchy, isn't it? It's become so popular, much like those little fish symbols you see on automobile bumpers, that all sorts of people are seen wearing the bracelet. Many of whom, I imagine, don't really appreciate its true meaning or its inherent challenge. Some merely wear it because it's the in thing to wear.

Well, what's this W.W.J.D. really all about? Why the question, "What Would Jesus Do?" And, why is that an important enough question to ask that one would wear a bracelet making the query? What most people don't know about that question is, well . . . the rest of the story. It actually has its origins in a book by Charles M. Sheldon entitled, In His Steps. The book has sold more than 60 million copies and has been translated into more than 20 languages. It focuses on a man named Henry Maxwell who pastored a church in the late 1800s. The pews in his church were filled with the most socially prominent, wealthy and aristocratic citizens of his town. His own life was comfortable. He was highly educated and was respected by all of the really important people in town. He knew how to give the kind of sermon that would intellectually challenge, but was always careful not to make anyone feel uncomfortable. But one Sunday morning, his life and the lives of many of his parishioners were changed forever.

An unemployed printer, who had just lost his wife and only child to the ravages of poverty -- grief stricken, without hope, and filthily dressed -- burst into the morning service. He was at the end of his rope and very near death himself. As he surveyed the crowd that morning, all adorned in the finest clothes and hats, he vented his frustration at their hypocrisy. Hadn't Jesus implored His followers to take care of the poor, the hungry, the widows, the orphans? Why, with all their wealth and influence, could there exist a man like himself? If they claimed to follow Jesus, he asked, then what does following Jesus mean? In the face of all this great suffering, if the Savior Himself were sitting in those same pews, "What would Jesus do?" At that moment the sad shell-of-a-man passed out on the floor and died soon thereafter.

The question he had asked, however, continued to ring loudly in the ears of Henry Maxwell. Indeed, he asked himself, "What would Jesus do?" If Jesus were the pastor of First Church, what would He be doing in the face of all this poverty and suffering? As the following days passed, He could not rid his mind of that question.

After fretting, then praying, it became clear to Reverend Maxwell. He knew that in his position as a pastor, as a husband, as a citizen, yes, in every area of his life, he must commit himself not to do anything without first asking the question, "What would Jesus do?" As he made his pledge to God, everything about him began to change and he knew that this same challenge must be given to his flock. But, how would they react? Would they ignore him, laugh silently at him, or, maybe, just maybe, would they actually listen? He found out that very next Sunday morning when he challenged them to take a pledge, for an entire year, not to do anything without first asking the question, "What would Jesus do?" To his surprise over 50 of his parishioners stayed after the service and took the pledge! Lives were changed, both inside the church and in the poorest areas of town. In the year that followed, the pledge-takers gave of themselves, many times at great personal cost, as instruments of God's love to the oppressed, the downtrodden, and the lost. They gave, not out of their abundance, but according to their abundance. Indeed, they gave till it hurt.

As we face a new century, as did those in Henry Maxwell's church, dare we consider taking that same pledge to not do anything without first asking, "What would Jesus do?" I've asked myself whether I would be willing to take that pledge. To be honest, it scares me to think about all that I might lose if I really meant it. I bet you feel the same way, too, as did those Christians of the 19th century who became broken bread and poured-out wine so that the forgotten would know first-hand the mercy and love of Jesus.

Sadly, for the most part, the typical churchgoer of today attempts to "pick up the cross of Christ" -- to suffer loss for the benefit, both worldly and eternally, of others -- by proxy. Giving a little money, but not self. The words of Henry Maxwell are directed to you and me: "It is the personal element that Christian discipleship needs to emphasize. 'The gift without the giver is bare.' The Christianity that attempts to suffer by proxy is not the Christianity of Christ. Each individual Christian . . . needs to follow in His steps along the path of personal sacrifice to Him. There is not a different path today from that of Jesus' own times. It is the same path."

Are we willing to really give of ourselves to others, both inside and outside the church, to truly suffer loss for the gain of someone else? Are you willing to take the pledge and live your life according to this challenge? Am I willing? Although I don't wear a W.W.J.D. bracelet, still each day that question never seems to be far from my mind: "What would Jesus do?"

Mark K. Leaverton