In the early 1990s, Lee Strobel, teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church at the time, shared a series of messages entitled "What Would Jesus Say." His goal was to help people see well-known personalities as Jesus might see them. Through people such as Bill Clinton, Michael Jordan, Donald Trump and even Madonna, Lee endeavoured to introduce people to God's heart, talking about topics such as success, sexuality, forgiveness, prayer and leadership.

I like the concept. We are called to walk in Jesus' steps – to know his heart and his mind, and then to be his hands and feet to the world. How would Jesus relate to people in our culture? What would he say … to your neighbours and the people you work or study with?

We don't want to presume on Jesus but through reading the gospel records we start to catch a glimpse of his heart for people and how he related to them. Interestingly, the only people Jesus ever got angry with were religious people who were living hypocritical lives. When it came to 'sinners', he was criticised by others as being their 'friend' because he came along side them, he got into their world, and he endeavoured to reach them with the Father's love. What an example for us. Jesus was fully 'in' the world but clearly 'not of' the world, enabling him to bring about transformation in people's lives.

A few years ago I spoke on 'What would Jesus say to Santa Claus?' for our Christmas church meetings. It went really well.

This coming Father's Day I'm going to speak on 'What would Jesus say to Homer Simpson?' Whether you are a Simpsons fan or not, we have to recognise that it is one of the most popular TV series of all time and that it influences 21st century families. So what would Jesus say? Homer2_2

What do you think? Feel free to post a comment … I might even use it in my message!

[EDIT: For a brief summary of my Father's Day message – "What would Jesus say to Homer Simpson?", click here – 'Jesus and Homer']

14 thoughts on “What Would Jesus Say”

  1. That’s an interesting question – what would Jesus say? It’s good to remind ourselves that the celebrities we see are still humans, still made in God’s image, and He has a plan and purpose for them, too.
    I must admit that I am definitely a Simpsons fan (sorry!) so I’m looking forward to hearing your take on that topic!

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  4. Very interesting Mark. You are quite right…
    Jesus never condemned sinners, but made a way
    out for them to sin no more. God’s love brings
    sinners to repentance… the rod of His loving
    discipline is reserved for saints. 🙂 Over all..
    God’s unfailing love towards us never fails!
    Have a blessed Father’s Day.
    Love in Christ, Marija
    Ps. I’m not a Simpson fan, but have watched it
    on rare ocassions. UGh! 😉

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  5. HMMmmmm… What would Jesus say to the Homer Simpson’s of today, Mark? Go climb a tree and see where you are going? You’re going the wrong way, do a U turn…? 😉 Jesus would say, for it is written in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way” (Matthew 7:13). May the Lord anoint the word that you speak for Father’s Day, to bless the hearers to hear what God’s Spirit is saying to His Church. Many blessings upon you…
    Love in Christ, Marija

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  6. “What would Jesus say?” Good question. I have been thinking about it. I wonder whether we (me including) really know what Jesus would say to our culture and to our postmodern pluralistic world.
    I think our attitude towards Kevin Rudd’s embarrassing visit to a strip club helps us to know how much we understand Jesus.
    What would Jesus say about that? Additionally, and importantly, what would Jesus do about our government when children were put in detention centres some years ago? What would Jesus way about our government’s disappointing record of Overseas Aid level?
    The leaders of Israel had similar moral deficiencies. David committed not only adultery, but also did huge injustice to Uriah the Hittite (a clear example of oppression by the powerful against the powerless). The Old Testament prophets tell us clearly that there were terrible injustice in Israel and Judah (numerous passages – e.g Isaiah 1). These are not dissimilar to what we have seen in Australian politics. (But I am not simply talking about politics. This can apply to our attitudes towards people in the world today.)
    Well, God sent his own son into Israel – not in the good times such as during David’s reign, but in the days of Roman oppression. Jesus came into a world where the Jews were oppressed by the Romans. Jesus was born in a manger, which was a feeding trough for animals. Jesus was born to parents who could only afford to sacrifice a pair of doves when they presented Jesus at the temple. Jesus was a refugee and fled to Egypt when he was a child. Most of all, Jesus died on the cross, which was a symbol of the power of the Roman empire on their victims and a symbol of humiliation for anyone who dared to oppose the Romans. It is only in this context that the resurrection makes sense. To talk about the resurrection without the death of Christ goes against everything that the gospel stands for.
    So, to a repentant Rudd we can say that Jesus would still dine with him (just as he did with the “sinners” of his days), because he loved sinners enough to die for them. To those of us who are critical of Rudd’s visit to the strip club even after his apology, perhaps we should think about the elder son in the parable of the Prodigal Son, because the very message of the Cross is grace. (None of these justifies what Rudd did, or course.)
    And perhaps we should learn from Jesus who identified with the powerless. Let’s hear the cries of those children kept detention centres years ago. Let’s hear the hearts of the indigenous people who lived in this land before us. In terms of Overseas Aid, let’s follow Jesus’ example who challenged the Jerusalem leaders about the fact that they devoured the houses of widows – the most vulnerable in the ancient world.
    I think it is not hard to apply the same principles to our daily dealings with people around us.
    Siu-Fung

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  7. Last night I attended an event at Richmond AOG called ‘Bringing Home the Prodigals’…based on Rob Parson’s book of the same name. Rob said a great thing during his talk..”Pray that when the prodigal returns home he meets the father before he meets the elder brother.” How many returning prodigals have met the un-graceful, un-loving, critical and judgemental ‘elder brother’ and decided they’d rather stay in the pigsty than face condemnation and judgement from those in the Father’s House. A sobering thought!

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  8. I think as Christians we need to learn to live in a tension whereby we need to be gracious without compromising God’s moral ideals. Unfortunately sometimes Christians are so zealous about moral issues that they fail to truly love people as they are. We who have experienced God’s amazing grace should always be gracious. Let’s give people grace.
    Siu Fung

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  9. Sui-Fung, I totally agree with you. Love others, without compromising our Christian values and be the greater influence for good in the world, instead of the other way around. God bless you.
    Much love in Christ, Marija

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  10. Some good comments here – thanks everyone. I ended up sharing 3 things that Jesus might say to Homer [on Father’s Day]: (1) “Homer, God really loves you and I came to give you eternal life”, (2) “Homer, here are some parenting tips”, and (3) “Homer, thanks for sticking with the family!” May God give us wisdom, grace and courage to engage with people far from God as Jesus did. Mark

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  11. Thanks Mark for a great message on Fathers Day. In fact the whole service was awesome…the drama, music, videos etc. I was moved to tears several times.

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  12. Thanks Mark for a great message on Fathers Day. In fact the whole service was awesome…the drama, music, videos etc. I was moved to tears several times.

    Reply

  13. Thanks Mark for a great message on Fathers Day. In fact the whole service was awesome…the drama, music, videos etc. I was moved to tears several times.

    Reply

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