Fist of Jesus

Many years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I faced a WWJD question.

A vacationing couple had taken a wrong turn at night, and met up with the wrong 'local'.

I was there, too. I corrected the situation.

What would Jesus have done? I won't presume to speak for Him, but I did note, mentally, that He was less than polite with the moneychangers in the temple. He convinced them to remove themselves. With a whip.

It seems that too often, we, as Christians, assume we have to pick up the pieces after something horrible is done. That's necessary, of course...providing aid and succor to the persecuted and displaced from Bosnia to Rwanda is a noble undertaking, and certainly within the Christian purview.

But should we do more? Is it enough to bandage the burns of those who are singed by the fires of Hell, or is it time to think about putting those fires out, at least where we live?

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Helping the hurt is certainly not 'doing nothing', but is it enough?

The answer I'm driving at - protecting the innocent directly, with appropriate force - presents a host of moral (and legal!) questions. But if we're serious about mobilizing our faith in action, I think we've got to at least consider the possibility.

Because, frankly, the secular world ain't cuttin' it.

Jesus said, "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword."

I thought about that for awhile, and came up with three talking points...

1. It's better than dying in bed.
2. Heaven isn't a bad destination, even if it's premature.
3. I didn't use a sword.