Well, what would Jesus do?

Here are some very wise and trenchant words from John Caputo, What Would Jesus Deconstruct?, page 24:

"It is too easy to use this question ["What would Jesus do?"] to spiritually intimidate our enemies, which is why the question is so frightening. The question should be turned first to ourselves so as to put ourselves in question - "in the accusative", as Levinas would say - instead of being used as a beam, as in a two by four, to slam others. The question is tricky, not a magic bullet, because everyone left or right wants Jesus on their side (instead of the other way around). It requires an immense amount of interpretation, interpolation, and self-questioning to give it any bite – and if it not biting us, it has no bite – lest it be just a way of getting others to do what I want them to do but under the cover of Jesus. The “would” in the question carries all this weight; it is the bump in the road of following in his steps. The “would” draws us into what contemporary philosophers call “hermeneutics”, the theory of interpretation. How big a bump “hermeneutics” is can be gleaned from Nietzsche, who said “there are no facts, only interpretations”… So another question posed by the question “What would Jesus do?” is how much work can it actually get done once we appreciate its complexity. It does not make things easier, only harder.”

Comments

[Basso Profondo]

I am reminded of Archbishop Sentamu's recent statement regarding the institutional hostility towards expressions of Christian faith. The above extract is, I think, an important counterpart to the words of the Archbishop, given how easy it is to justify our own thoughts, words and deeds as what Jesus would have done, rather than criticising ourselves in the light of the gospel: how often do we find ourselves wanting, and how often are we satisfied with what we find in reflection? Today, it seems easy to lapse into a persecution complex when times are difficult, but surely it is in such times when we should be most aware of our duty to respond to the Good News personally and interpersonally, as well as in evangelical terms?

[Andrew]

Thank you, basso profundo, for the thoughtful comments.