Discussion Jumpstarter

Study leader reference - not a definitive answer

Question 4

Daniel Kaufman criticized “What would Jesus do?” by insisting the real question is “What did Jesus do?” based on the Gospel accounts; how does that approach confront modern habits of projecting our values onto Jesus, and what specific “imaginary Jesus” moves do you notice in yourself or your church?

Another way to ask: How does asking “What did Jesus do?” (based on the Gospels) challenge the habit of making Jesus fit our own values? Where do you see yourself or your church imagining a Jesus who matches what you already prefer?

Discussion Jumpstarter

Direct Answer
The speaker presents Kaufman’s approach as a corrective to guessing what Jesus “would” do based on our preferences; instead, we must anchor our conclusions in what Jesus actually did and taught in the Gospels. That confronts the tendency to create an “imaginary” Jesus who conveniently matches our assumptions.

Support from Transcript:

Kaufman comments on the “buzz” around the book about “what would Jesus do.”
He says the better question is: “what did Jesus do?”
He grounds this in Scripture: “We can read the gospel accounts, and we can see what Jesus did.”
He rejects imagination-driven ethics: “Don’t go by some kind of… product of your imagination where you think, ‘Well, this is how Jesus was…’”
The speaker calls this “a fairly insightful approach,” implying it guards against sentimental or self-justifying readings of Jesus.

Discussion Follow-ups Where do you see your church (or yourself) treating Jesus as a symbol for a cause rather than submitting to his recorded words and actions? What Gospel passages most challenge your default picture of what Jesus is like?

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