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What did Jesus do?

Jim Holm

Perhaps you’ve noticed the popularity of the letters WWJD in the last several years. Adults and teens wear the letters on a bracelet or a chain around the neck. The letters are plastered on posters, Bible bookmarks and bumper stickers. Those letters stand for “What Would Jesus Do?”


The intention of the people who wear these letters is a noble one. They want to ask themselves what Jesus would do in every situation. They want to be like Jesus. I admire their desire, but I think they may be asking the wrong question. It is good to ask “What would Jesus do?”, but it is a question that is very difficult to answer.

We know from reading the life of Jesus that He often did things which could not have been predicted. Who would have thought, for example, that He would feed 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish? Or that He would pay His taxes by having one of His disciples catch a fish and find a coin in the fish’s mouth? No matter how faithfully we try to guess what Jesus would do, it is hard to predict.

More importantly, even if we could know exactly what Jesus would do, there is no guarantee that we would be able to do what He did.

For example, when Jesus was being nailed to the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” How many Christians do you know whose natural response to attack is, “Father, forgive them”? Jesus’ example suggests that whenever I am confronted by people who hate, attack or want to destroy me, I should respond by praying what Jesus prayed. A few of us might manage – after careful thinking and talking sternly to ourselves – to force the words out, but even if we could say the words, would we actually feel forgiveness in our hearts?

Do as Jesus did

I stress the word “natural” for a reason. When Jesus spoke those words of forgiveness, I don’t think He had to stop and think before He said them. Those words came out of Jesus’ mouth as naturally as breathing. I don’t think Jesus said to Himself, “Father, these people are trying to kill Me, and I would like to ask You to send down fire and brimstone from heaven and destroy them. But, even though I would like them to be punished, I will ask You to forgive them because I know You are a God who likes to forgive.” No, I believe it was in the nature of Jesus to forgive, and He forgave these executioners without stopping to think about it.

This is not an isolated incident. Jesus always said and did the right thing. When the religious leaders tried to back Him into a corner by asking Him if taxes should be paid to God or to Caesar, He escaped their trap and yet answered them honestly. When a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Him, He handled that delicate situation by confronting both the accusers and the woman while preserving the dignity of each. When His loyal disciple Peter drew a sword to protect Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, He calmly controlled Peter’s excesses while healing the injured person. When two of His more belligerent disciples wanted to call down fire from heaven on some villages, Jesus responded by gently teaching them to see things in a new way. Jesus always knew the right response for every situation, and His responses came naturally out of His nature of love, self-control and wisdom.

How did Jesus get to be that way? How did He always know the right thing to say and do? How did He become the kind of person for whom forgiveness was so natural that He forgave people without stopping to consider whether He should or not?

One answer is that Jesus was God, and therefore He could do that kind of thing naturally. I think there is more to it than that.

Earlier, I suggested that asking what Jesus would do in a given situation is a difficult question to answer. But what if we revise the letters from WWJD to WDJD? What if instead of asking “What Would Jesus Do?”, we ask “What Did Jesus Do?” When the question is asked that way, we discover that there were a number of things that Jesus did regularly – solitude, silence, fasting, prayer, study, worship, service, etc. – that produced the lifestyle of a Kingdom person. Jesus developed habits that became so natural that He could do them without thinking – like the habit of forgiveness.

Make new habits

So how did Jesus develop these habits? The same way all habits are developed – by consistent practice. A close look at Jesus’ life in the Gospels will show that He practised all of these habits regularly.

These habits which Jesus developed have become known as “spiritual disciplines” and have been practised by devout followers of Jesus for 2000 years. When practised as Jesus practised them, these disciplines have been shown to produce disciples – people who live on this earth as “Kingdom of God” people. When faithfully practised, these disciplines produce Christ-like results.

All of us are creatures of habit, not only in what we do but also in the way we think and react. These habits predispose us to respond in certain ways when we are caught off guard. For example, if it is my habit to become angry when my plans are frustrated, I will usually become angry even if I hate myself later.

Part of the life of discipleship is to learn a new set of habits. When Paul wrote to Timothy to instruct this young pastor on how to be an effective leader, he said, “Train yourself for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). Training involves learning habit patterns that open the door for the development of godliness. It is clear from 1 Timothy that this training is something Timothy should do, not something God would do for him.

Open the curtain

However, the disciplines themselves cannot produce spiritual maturity. They can only prepare the ground for it to happen. The theologian Henri Nouwen, described the spiritual disciplines as “creating a space in my life for God to act”. I think of them as windows. I cannot make the sun shine, but I can open the curtains. If the sun is shining, it will come in. God chooses whether, when and how He will shine into my life, but the spiritual disciplines open the curtains to Him so He can shine in if He wants to.

Simply put, spiritual disciplines are acts that I regularly choose to do, knowing that when I do them, I open a door into my life for God to bring about the change He wants to produce in me.

Take, for example, the discipline of solitude. This is one of the most important spiritual disciplines – and something most of us never do. It means being alone with God with nothing to do except to be with Him and listen in case He wants to make Himself known. When we spend time by ourselves, we are usually working on a project, finishing an assignment, paying the bills or engaging in some other activity. Solitude is none of those things. Solitude is getting alone with God for an extended period of time with nothing to do except stand in His presence and listen for anything He wants to say. Why would anyone do this? Because it is most often in the quiet places of our lives that God gets our attention. God is a gentle God, and He does not batter down doors to get to us. He knocks, and we have to let Him in.

Let me be clear. We cannot predict what God will do or even that He will do anything. That is up to God. Only He knows what He wants to produce in our lives. By practising the discipline of solitude, however, we open the door for Him to act.

Solitude is just one example of a spiritual discipline. There are many others (see sidebar). When faithfully practised, the spiritual disciplines become habitual. As God works in the space provided by the discipline, He transforms us into Kingdom people. We begin living as Jesus Himself would live – as if He were on this earth living our life for us.

Keep in mind that spiritual disciplines are not ends in themselves but are only a means that God uses to do in people the work that He wants to do. The disciplines have no value in themselves. There is no special grace given for practising them and no punishment for failing to do so. The disciplines are not a new legalism – another thing that I have to do in order to be “really spiritual”. They are tools and nothing more. In fact, if you find that you are practising a discipline because you have to do it, it has become a legalism for you. It is no longer effective, and you should take a break from it for a while.

Practise a discipline because you want to. When you do, you open the curtain. If God chooses to send the sun, it will shine in. If He does not, you know that you were there, waiting to learn from Him. But God is a God who loves to communicate with us and wants us to know Him. If you are there, you will find most often that He is there, too.

Jim Holm is director of constituency relations and dean of students at MB Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif. This article is reprinted with permission, from the August 2000 issue of The Christian Leader.

Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual disciplines include “disciplines of abstinence (things we give up) and “disciplines of engagement” (things we add). These disciplines often are practised best when we are part of a small group or in an accountability relationship with another person. That helps when the going is tough or when change seems to come slowly. Solitude Taking time to be free from human relationships and life’s demands in order to open ourselves to hear the voice of God. Silence Eliminating sounds that distract us, especially talking by ourselves and others. God often speaks in a still, small voice. Silence helps us to be able to hear. Fasting Abstaining temporarily from food or other necessities of life in order to learn self-denial, something which Jesus said was essential for the Kingdom (Mark 8:34). Frugality Refraining from self-indulgence, breaking the practice of always gratifying our desires, and trusting God to meet our needs. Purposely avoid buying things you want but do not need. Study Learning God’s truth from nature, reflecting, studying the Bible and reading the writings of others in order to bring about growth and change. (Note: you will probably have to cut down on the time you watch television.) Memorization of Bible passages (rather than individual verses) is very helpful. Worship Assigning worth to God, declaring His “worthfulness”. Worship must be connected with study, or it becomes contentless and fluffy. (Note: worship at its most liberating is often done alone rather than with a group.) Prayer Staying in connection with God by asking and waiting; communing with God about what He and you are doing together. Service Getting involved for the good of others, with no regard to what our reward will be; practising love and humility without making a big deal out of it. For further reading: Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline. Douglas Rumford, Soul Shaping. Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines.

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Last modified January 31, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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