There was Jesus and the woman at the well. There was Jesus and the adulteress. There was Jesus and the Pharisees. Also, Jesus and the changemakers at the Temple. There are many instances occurring in the bible that tell us what Jesus would do. “WWJD; what would Jesus do,” this is the go-to favorite of those wanting to challenge the beliefs and attitudes of Christians. In many instances it’s even used by one Christian against another.

Today, we now have Jesus and the transgender; in many a mind. That’s right, the challenge to Christians today is the old standby; “what would Jesus do.” I often hear people ask, “what’s wrong with this world; our world today?” This question has been rolling off the tongues of many a people for centuries.

Many however, refuse to concede that we were in fact told what was wrong with this world and the people in it thousands of years ago. While Jesus walked among us, He told us straightforward and to the point exactly what ailed us.

What would Jesus do? Jesus would tell the truth; and He did. “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders, (Mat 15:18-19, NASB).

I will be bold to add that too many people today, even those of us that call ourselves Christian, still have a major heart problem. And that problem is that we live our lives so often on what makes us feel good as opposed to how God wants us to live. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight,” (Prov 3:5-6).

So where does all this get us with Jesus and the transgender? Back to the question, what would Jesus do? First and foremost, Jesus taught us to love one another. Jesus never told us to love someone; “only if.”

The apostle Paul told us, “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful, (Col 3:14-15).

Personally, and honestly, I find it quite difficult to put on love as Paul instructs us in Colossians 3:14. However, it is his words that follow that have recently grabbed my attention and meditation of; “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” While I might find it terribly difficult to put on love, Jesus is Himself, love.

I pray for the peace of Christ to rule in my heart; I pray for Christ to rule in my heart. Of course, this isn’t something we can pray for once and be done. We must be diligent daily to work at allowing Him to rule in our heart. While I might give up on the hope of ever putting on love, I know that if I allow Jesus to rule in my heart, He can love through me.

So, how does a Christian go about loving the transgender? Ok, so let’s ask what would Jesus do. First, let’s be clear, transgenderism was not an issue in biblical times. Jesus therefore never addressed it. Like so many other things we must admit that transgenderism is an invention of man; not God. The bible is quite clear from the beginning; “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them,” (Gen 1:27).

What would Jesus do? He would certainly not sugar-coat the issue had it been relevant in His time. I have no doubt that Jesus would have confronted the issue head-on. But, He would have done it out of love, not anger. Jesus rebuked plenty of people (face to face) while He was with us.

Did Jesus Himself ever act on His anger? How much love did He exhibit as he rebuked the money changers in the Temple? See Mat 21:12. Many people simply refuse to believe that God can be angry. God showed a lot of anger in the Old Testament; well-deserved anger it was likely. God created us in His own image. We have anger. The difference being that God can control His.

While we should never assume that Jesus would “turn the other check” on this and other issues. As a believer and follower of Jesus, we cannot accept the premise that He is filled with nothing but love. Christ was; is God with us. See Mat 1:23, 28:20. He was [is] our creator; our God. His design made us “male and female.” See Gen 1:27.

What would Jesus do? He would love His sheep. There is no doubt He would admonish and rebuke the issue. He would treat the transgender with love and with respect. Regardless of what instance one can point to in the bible, Jesus showed love and respect, even to those He rebuked; less Satan.

We are to bring people to Christ. We, as Christians need not worry over such issues as whether or not one is a transgender. That’s not to say we are to support or promote it, but we are not called to be anyone’s judge. We might be called to admonish, but we are not called to judge. See Rom 15:14, Col 3:16.

While we should indeed take a stand against certain liberties demanded be transgenders and others, our often-cruel treatment of transgenders, homosexuals, and others is only a reflection of our own human arrogance. Jesus, our Lord rises far above this. We should follow His example. We often forget or ignore the fact that God is far more concerned with our God-given spirituality than he is with our physical issues.

Tim McGraw repeats in one of his songs, “be humble and kind.” This is a major teaching of the bible. It’s something I and all of us need to be more of. If we Christians want to be Holy and Christ-like, this theme must be our foundation; to “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,” (Col 3:15-16.)