I heard an interview with a person (I’m sorry I can’t remember who) and they were discussing the idea of why people vote for certain candidates.  I believe she said that often people vote for aspirational candidates.  I hope I am getting this right, but she believes that many people look for qualities in the candidates that they aspire to be.   For instance, people may be drawn to Donald Trump because they see him as a celebrity, a successful businessman, a person who says what’s on their mind, etc.   In the absence of voting along political party lines, or for a single issue- this makes sense to me.

What is it that you really want in a President?  Chances are, that is the thing that you aspire to be.  So, the person who my vote for Donald Trump wants to be famous, succeed in their business ventures, or always be able to say what they really think without caution or care.  There may be many other ideas or virtues that apply in this case.   I want my president to be of high moral character and have a brilliant mind.  I want my presidential choice to be a person of great empathy.   Why?  Because these are things that I want for myself.   I aspire to be moral, empathetic and brilliant.  I’m not there, but that is what aspirations are for.  

These are the thoughts that help me to understand why someone is drawn to a candidate that is different than the one I’d choose. 

I began to think of how this might apply to Jesus.  The four gospels recorded in the Bible tell us quite a bit about Jesus of Nazareth.  But there are some very big gaps in the stories.  We have words that Jesus said.  The gospel writers have recorded teachings, healings and the actions of a prophet and messiah.   Even though we have all these amazing descriptions of Jesus, we are still left to draw our own conclusions.   There are many things that Jesus didn’t talk about.  Maybe he did, but the gospel writers didn’t include those stories or sayings.  There are many things that Jesus couldn’t talk about because they didn’t exist in the first century.

We are left to wonder, “What Would Jesus Do?”  That can become the rule that we apply to situations in our modern day lives.  For instance, imagine you read something that you disagree with on Facebook.  It might be a picture or meme- and you find it offensive.   You think it merits a response.   You can check it against the What Would Jesus Do rule, but clearly Jesus didn’t have a Facebook account.  So, you are left to determine what you think Jesus might do in the situation. 

Would Jesus turn the other cheek, and ignore it? 

Would Jesus put himself in the middle of the argument to stand up for the person who may be the subject of mock and ridicule? 

Would Jesus go and find a friend from the church and admonish the person who was in the wrong?  Would Jesus give a curt and angry response?  

These are all things that Jesus has done or has been recorded as speaking for in the gospels.  

What is that we aspire to be?  When we read the stories in the gospels what are we drawn to?  Do we like the magic of the miracles?  Do we like the majesty of Jesus being declared King?  Do we like the teachings where Jesus stands up for the poor and marginalized?  Do we like it when Jesus sticks it to the rich?  Do we like angry Jesus?  Do we like the soft cuddly really nice loving Jesus? Do we like the sarcasm of flipping the Pharisees and Sadducees questions?  Do we like that the poor country craftsman was able to teach the brilliant rabbis of the day a thing or two?  We may be drawn to the idea of Jesus being the Lord of our lives, the Savior or our souls! 

The really weird part of this is that Jesus can be claimed by the Republicans and the Democrats because Jesus’ life is still left open to interpretation.   I think that each party would have a difficult time understanding why Jesus could be claimed by either side.   When you cut through all of that and really get to the heart of the matter, I think it comes down to…what kind of person do you want to be?  What will be your legacy?  What do you aspire to be in your Christian life?   Those high goals, lofty standards and messianic aspirations are the very things that would draw you to Jesus.   Yes, I want my Jesus to have a brilliant mind, be highly ethical, and show empathy for all of humanity.