Jesus was a great warrior-king, like the great warrior-king, King David.

Jesus lived in a day when great warriors rode on majestic steeds, and kings and emperors in ornate and opulent chariots.

But with the one exception of a short, bottom numbing, bumpy bare-back regal ride on a borrowed donkey, Jesus walked.

So, it may be presumptuous to ask the question, “If Jesus was around today, what would he drive?”

I might get a little Greenie sympathy if I suggested that he would walk, or take a borrowed bicycle for the occasional kingly commute into the city.

But, ask the question I have, and ask it I will.

WWJD?

What would Jesus drive?

Would it be a BMW or a Benz? A Commodore or a Kombi? A Gemini or a Getz?

I read the Ten Commandments in a church service once and, concluding with the tenth, said, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, or his wife or his ox or his ass or his BMW.”

Did I get some stick for that tiny little tilt at contextualization? “How dare I trivialise and demean the commandments with such flippancy and irreverence!”

Although, at least, one thoughtful parishioner told me how appreciative he was that I reminded him of the enduring and timeless relevance of God’s word.

Another parishioner, who owned a BMW thought I was having a go at him and took great pains to point out that the one he owned was second hand and very old. I’d had no idea what kind of car he owned, and nor did I care whether it was first or fourth hand, new or old.

I tried to point out to him that I wasn’t having a go at him, or anyone, for the car they drove. If anything, it could be fairly argued that I was trying to protect his BMW from the covetousness of others. But he remained unconvinced.

How precious and testy we can get over a piece of tin.

So WWJD? What kind of car would Jesus drive?

Perhaps that’s not really the important question at all, or that there’s a prior question. Perhaps it would depend on the kind of ministry Jesus was involved in if he came in the age of the automobile. What kind of wheels would have most helped his ministry?

• If he was reaching a sub culture of vintage BMW enthusiasts, it would be hard to go past a vintage Beamer.

• If he lived in and worked out of an HIVAIDS orphanage in Botswana, a 22 seater midi-bus would be my bet.

• If he was ferrying kids to and from youth group, or seniors to and from the midweek friendship lunch, take your pick from the range of people movers on the market at the moment

• Or if he was involved in an off-road camping ministry or reaching isolated farming communities, then something with a bit of grunt and ground clearance.

But what if it he wanted a car to get from A to Z and home to school on Sydney streets and other sealed roads around the State? Would he choose a Balmain Bulldozer or a Barina? A Lexus or a Lancer? A Porsche or a Pinto?

Would not the car of choice have been controlled by the context of his ministry? Would he drive a Mercedes in Mumbai, an Audi in Addis or a Beamer in Blantyre?

But please don’t jump to the conclusion that I’m suggesting we should drive clunkers in Campbelltown but luxury in Lilli Pilli. Perhaps the people of St Ives and Longueville would be better served by smaller and simpler than larger and luxury.

And please don’t think that I am trying to drive home a point about the cars we buy without checking my blind spots. That would be reckless driving indeed.

I have a mate with a moderately expensive and immodestly showy set of wheels. He gets payed out mercilessly by Christian brothers and sisters for the extravagance of his toy: by people who have just returned from their fifth ‘once in a life time’ trip around the world; by people with caravans and holiday houses and all manner of less ostentatious but more expensive things; and by people who prefer finger-pointing to personal reflection.

One of the first rules of driving, and of demonising, is to check our blind spots. I need to check mine. You need to check yours.

We need to look deep within and not down our nose when it comes to the difference between what we need and what we want.

So WWJD?

Would he not have made small sacrifices in motoring comfort and other lifestyle choices for big benefits in mission and compassion to the world he co-created and the men and women he lay down his life for?