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TITLE: The Wrong Question By Patrick McClure 01/13/06 |
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What would Jesus do?
Thinking of life as a
Checklist
A to-do list
Sets of yes’ and no’s
Do this, do that
When Jesus clearly
Didn’t just do
Perfunctory actions
Following the law
Of Moses
And the conservative
Right-wingers
Instead he chose to live
A life of love
Meeting the characters who
Clearly, according to the law,
Unfulfill its commands
Offering a hand
Of help
Of unconditional
Selfless relationship
He risked reputation
By his encounters with women
Caught in sin
Not condemning, only protecting
From rocks thrown by those
Checking their list
Check, check, check
He ate dinner with men
Not like himself
Much like ourselves
Watching from without
Condemning
When hungry, he fed
When thirsty he supplied
When soldiers asked to
Carry their packs a mile
he went two
probably more
despite their views
contrary to his own
unbiased, non-political agenda
he abased himself
in threat of being defaced
to associate with homeless
with lepers, and Aids victims
Arabs and homosexuals
Adulterers and liars
Thieves, fornicators
And every breaker of the law
While those check-checking
Their lists, hung him with boards
Nails, their own sin
Our own sin
Had he eaten with people
Carrying a clean slate
He would’ve been a lonely man
But he seemed fulfilled
Attracted by those in need
Needing love
Needing peace
Needing company, friendship
Needing someone to stand hand-in-hand
Heart-in-heart
Asking not for a sentence
A seemingly inevitable
Trial of conviction
Like we offer
What would Jesus do?
We’re on the right track
Just not quite there
I’m too busy with my checklist
To ask
Who would Jesus love?
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