I don't know if people are still asking themselves “What would Jesus do?”, but I do remember that lots of folks were sure of the answer. Jesus would drive a Prius, not a Hummer. He would turn the other cheek. He would turn the money-lenders out of the temple. He was meek and mild. He was a rebel. He would help you become wealthy. Yes, indeed. I once got an invitation in the mail to a seminar that would show me how to make money by following Jesus' teachings. Obviously, this expert in WWJD had skipped the bit about camels passing through the eyes of needles.
People do seem to have really different ideas as to what Jesus would do. You would think they might have a better idea if they read the New Testament. There are also a very large number of books about Jesus - shelves of them in our library. When (or if) you read them, ask yourself, does this sound authentic? Is this what I think Jesus would do? Maybe the author will make such a good case that you will reconsider your old ideas about Jesus. As you walk your spiritual path, keep learning and keep questioning.
One of the books in Plymouth Library is Garry Wills' What Jesus Meant in which he examines "What Would Jesus Really Do". Another book I thought of as I was planning this article is something very different - What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook. Emma goes to Trinity Evangelical Secondary School where they spend a lot of time talking about "What would Jesus do?", but what would Emma do - especially after she had accidentally kissed her best friend's boyfriend and become a social pariah? Well, one thing that Emma does is talk to God who she figures probably has to have a very good sense of humor and appreciate her honesty. Because honestly, she wouldn't mind kissing her best friend's boyfriend again. Funny, thought provoking, and absolutely delightful for girls in grades 7-12.
Getting to know Jesus - some more titles at Plymouth Library:
The Last Temptation of Christ - Kazantzakis F
Testament -- Ricci F
Trial: the life and inevitable crucifixion of Jesus - Thomas F
A credible Jesus - Funk 232.9
Profiles of Jesus - Hoover 232.9
The essential Jesus: original sayings and earliest images - Crossan 232.9
The unknown sayings of Jesus - Meyer 232.954
The humor of Christ - Trueblood 232
The face of Christ - Thomas 232
The faces of Jesus - Buechner 704.948
An illustrated life of Jesus - Abrams 704.9
The first days of Christianity - DVD 226
The Jesus I never knew - Yancey 232
Meeting Jesus again for the first time - Borg 232.908
Rabbi Jesus: an intimate biography - Chilton 232.9
Jesus - Wildsmith J232.9
The miracles of Jesus - DePaola J232.95
Parables: stories Jesus told - Hoffman J226.809505