w wouldn't jd (apprenticeship 4.0)

“How many times is he going to say this”, you ask? Doesn’t your mind sit and wonder what harmless, well-intentioned little things perpetuate our stunted growth?
WWJD? Lately, this phrase has been sounding increasingly absurd to me. As I filter it through my recent thoughts on discipleship and community, I begin to understand better why it bothers me. Why would a culture who believes that every decision I need to make can be found in the scripture make an industry out of a question that has surely been answered there? Once again, I realize that this is based on the negative implication of the phrase. The question is not “what would Jesus do?” – He spent three years telling us that. He stood before a crowd on a hillside and told us exactly what He would do. What the question is really asking is, “what WOULDN’T Jesus do?” Your friend offers you drugs or alcohol – your bracelet reminds you, “Uh uh uh… wwjd?” A cold, hungry man asks you for spare change at the corner of Taylor and Main – your bracelet reminds you, “wwjd.” What’s the difference in these two scenarios? With which one is it easier to comply?
In what other context would this be a valid question? If given the benefit of the doubt, this phrase serves an accountability function, it still is interpreted as help with avoidance. We measure our spirituality and Christ-likeness by what we avoid rather than what we do. For sure, one of the functions of community should be accountability, and one responsibility of the disciple is avoiding things that dishonor God. But to make this the PURPOSE of community and being a disciple certainly renders both stunted, for if the community grows by modeling and teaching growth toward Christ-likeness, then the one doesn’t have to concern himself with what Jesus wouldn’t do. Jesus is surely known for what He did, not what He didn’t. He was constantly being accused of doing what He didn’t. It would seem that He wasn’t really interested in being known for not doing. That is what the Pharisees were known for. If we want to be more like Jesus, we too, are going to have to be about doing.