What Would Jesus Do

What Would Jesus Do
Detective Robert R. Surgenor

Many times I have debated liberal "child rearing experts" about spanking children as a form of discipline. Many times I have heard the argument that, as a Christian, I should "do as Jesus would do." The so-called "expert" then goes on to say something about the passive nature of Jesus, and how Jesus would never spank a child for misbehavior. One well-known anti-spanking activist, Rev. Thomas E. Sagendorf of Bexley, Ohio, states on an anti-spanking web site, "Jesus was overwhelmingly committed to nonviolent response, even in situations of high stress and conflict. This is shown in the Beatitudes and his rebuke of the follower who brandished a sword during his arrest. Corporal punishment is a violent act against a child's body. It is not a response that is consistent with what Jesus demonstrated. Jesus advocated non-violent conflict resolution." Even though Thomas Sagendorf is a pastor of a church, he is ignorant of Biblical truths.

One of the problems today is that many in the religious arena and the secular world have no idea what Jesus would do in any situation, let alone in "situations of high stress and conflict." The world has come to perceive God as a kind and gentle being who forgives all and punishes none. Thomas Sagendorf doesn't think that Jesus believes in spanking. Sagendorf's web article states, "Jesus was committed to love and forgiveness as both the means and the end of all human relationships. These two qualities form the very foundation of his ministry. An action such as spanking that is clearly intended to cause pain hardly qualifies for what Jesus would call an 'act of love.'"

I recently had a discussion with one of my neighbors about the Bible. My neighbor believes in abortion, he believes in same-sex marriage, and is against the death penalty. He explained to me that God wants everyone to be happy, and is too kind to punish anyone. He believes that God is love, and nothing else. He doesn't think that Jesus advocated the death penalty. He doesn't believe that Jesus supported the spanking of children. He doesn't believe that Christ ever got angry. He said to me, "Jesus didn't believe in any kind of violence."

He was a bit surprised when I opened the Bible and showed him John 2:15. This verse is one of the few that describes Jesus as a violent individual. The verse says, "And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables." Like so many other important portions of scripture, this small verse contains a lot of information. The two prior verses explain why the Lord engaged in this type of activity. Verses 13 and 14 state, "and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting." I believe at that point, Jesus became very angry. Psalms 7:11 states, "God is angry with the wicked every day," so we know that the Lord gets mad at least once a day.

Can you imagine this? The Lord Jesus Christ, after seeing what was happening in the temple, rounds up the materials to make a scourge, or "phragellion" in the original Greek text (pronounced frag-el'-le-on). The creator of the universe is wrapping and twisting the cords together into a weapon. A scourge had a handle, long enough to prevent the cords from whipping back onto the hands. The cords consisted of several pieces of rope, sometimes with knots or objects placed into the fiber. The word "made" (when he had made a scourge) in the original Greek is "poieo" (pronounced poy-eh'-o) which means to produce, construct, form, or fashion. Christ was well aware of what he was going to do with that scourge as he formed it into a weapon. The Jews of that day were familiar with the scourge. It was used to flog and beat prisoners prior to crucifixions.

The remainder of verse fifteen certainly doesn't sound like "non-violent conflict resolution" to me! We are not told if Jesus struck anyone with the scourge, but it certainly wasn't designed to tickle the armpits. We can safely assume that he was not hiding it under his garments. We are told that he "he drove them all out" of the area. He didn't direct them to the exits and ask them nicely to leave. The word "drove" in the Greek text is "ekballo" (pronounced ek-bal'-lo). According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the word means "with notion of violence, to drive out or to cast out." I would guess that at first, the people in the temple were surprised at Jesus' actions. Perhaps they were first inclined to leave when the son of a carpenter began pouring all of the money out onto the ground. Perhaps some stood their ground until Christ began flipping over tables. We are told in Matthew 21:12 that Jesus also overthrew "the seats of them that sold doves." Can you imagine the reaction of the crowd when Jesus began flipping over tables and chairs? I can picture one money-changer saying to another, "Uh Oh, it's time to get out of here!" According to scripture, Jesus was saying, "Take these things hence." He was in effect saying, "Get your stuff and get out of here!" I've wondered how long it took for Jesus to clear the room.
My father has been preaching the gospel since I was a youngster. His messages from the platform have been described as "fiery." I once had someone who heard him preach say to me "I don't agree with a preacher shouting like that." When I asked why he objected to a loud sermon, he replied, "In every movie I've ever seen about Jesus, he never shouted like that." We are in serious trouble when people use Hollywood to determine how Jesus acted. Most of the people walking around with necklaces and bracelets that have WWJD engraved on them have no idea who Jesus is, let alone know the answer to the question, "What would Jesus do?" Most anti-spanking "experts" fall into that category.

Don't be deceived by the modern day philosophy that advocates the elimination of all punishment in child rearing, especially by those who use Jesus as the example of tolerance. There are plenty of scriptures that describe God's anger and the serious consequences that follow. Deuteronomy 6:15 says, "Lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth." Joshua 23:16 says, "Then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly." First Chronicles 13:10 reads, "And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him."

Granted, the God of this universe is slow to anger. Psalms 145:8 says, "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy." But that doesn't mean that God never gets mad. And when He does, look out! Jesus never had children, so he never had the chance to spank a youngster. But his word encourages us, as parents, to apply the "rod" to our children when necessary.

I'm not advocating spanking your child in anger. The point I am making is that it is not always wrong to use force and fear to obtain your objective, no matter what the "experts" say. Even Jesus became angry. Even Jesus brandished a scourge. Even Jesus instilled fear into those that violated the rules. The "experts" who claim that "Jesus advocated non-violent conflict resolution" just don't know what they are talking about. I believe they will find out on judgment day.