Book Review: The Jesus I Never Knew

Photo courtesy goodreads.com

Phillip Yancey challenges the reader to take a second, third, and fourth look at Christianity's most talked about, yet most frequently misunderstood, subjects; the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Yancey starts off this book with his first encounter with the concept of Jesus.  A scene not too unfamiliar to those who grew up in a Christian environment.  Since I fall into that category, I can identify with it as well.  I used the word "fall" almost unconsciously, but it fits so well.  As children, we don't have much control over where we go, what we do, or what type of home we grow up in.  With our undeveloped skepticism, we believe whatever comes from the mouths of those in authority regardless of its truthfulness.  Sadly, as we grow older, we discover that those in authority have not been completely honest with us.  This was the case with Philip Yancey.

Yancey grew up believing Jesus to be one who had "no sharp edges at all--a Mister Rogers before the age of children's television."  Those of you who did not grow up in the United States, or simply did not watch "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" most likely will not be able to fully grasp the power of that illustration.  As one who watched the program extensively growing up, I know exactly what picture Yancey tried to portray.  Mister Rogers was the ultimate nice guy, and his show followed his personality.  In researching for this post I came across the program's opening theme, something I hadn't seen for a very long time, and I couldn't help but feel a warm sense of peace as I watched it.  Young Philip felt that same peace thinking about Jesus, the problem being that was where his concept of Jesus ended.  As Yancey grew up his concept broadened, sometimes exponentially, and this book details what he discovered about this Man Who was God.  What did Yancey discover?

Yancey found out that Jesus is more than we think He is, and when you think you have Him figured out, something else comes along that completely contradicts what you first thought.  Jesus lived a life of apparent contradictions: the Sinless One Who was a Friend of Sinners, powerful men and evil angels would cower in His presence or simply run away, yet little children and outcast women were drawn to Him, and never wanted to leave His side.  A friend of mine described Jesus as a "human magnet", a fitting description indeed for those were seemingly His opposite were drawn to Him, yet those who were seemingly His equal were repulsed.

While other books exist about Jesus' life that I would place in higher esteem (namely one in particular), The Jesus I Never Knew helped to remind me that simply because we have learned something as a child doesn't necessarily make it true, and that we should keep our minds and hearts open to God's leading.  For although we most likely will have to give up long cherished ideas, the new ones that we accept will be much, much better.

Featured Post: Corporate Identity and God's Blessing

This featured post comes from Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church via the Adventist News Network.

Commentary: Corporate identity and God's blessing

Church membership and leadership must unite to receive latter rain

Luke tells us twice that the disciples were of one accord as they prepared for the outpouring of the early rain (Acts 1:14; 2:1). The fact that he would mention it twice suggests that unity within the church is a very important step in preparation for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There is an aspect to unity presented throughout Scripture that is seldom recognized or addressed in our church -- the role of corporate identity.

First of all, look at an example of corporate identification and then at two aspects of this phenomenon, which are crucial in the preparation for the latter rain:

First, the example: God made it absolutely clear that the Israelites were not to take any spoils for themselves in Jericho's fall and that the silver, gold, and the bronze and iron vessels were consecrated to the Lord (Joshua 6:18, 19). But Achan stole 200 shekels of silver, a wedge of gold and a Babylonian garment (Joshua 7:21). God's anger burned against Israel, and in the next military engagement, Israel lost 36 men and suffered a shameful defeat. When Joshua cried out, "Why, Lord?" the answer was short and to the point: "Israel has sinned" (Joshua 7:11). The whole nation suffered and men lost their lives because one Israelite disobeyed -- corporate identity.

Now, two illustrations that impact directly upon our plea for the latter rain:

First, when the 12 spies returned to give their report about the promised land, Caleb and Joshua were positive and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it" (Number 13:30). However, the 10 spies said they could not take the land because there were giants in it and they felt like grasshoppers. The nation believed the 10 and turned against their leaders who were positive that God would fulfill His promise and give the land to them. God's response? Back into the wilderness for 40 years. Moses, Aaron, Caleb, Joshua, and those who supported them had to return to the wilderness because of those who refused to believe God's Word -- corporate identity.

The second illustration takes us to the time of Jesus. Now the roles are reversed. The common people of Israel were flocking to see and hear Jesus. They were bringing their sick to be healed. There was a growing belief among them that Jesus was the promised Messiah but not so among the leaders. They were jealous of Him and plotted His death. During His trial, Pilate asked, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests responded, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15).

Concerning the priests' attitude, Ellen White says, "Thus by choosing a heathen ruler, the Jewish nation had withdrawn from the theocracy. They had rejected God as their king. Henceforth, they had no deliverer. They had no king but Caesar. To this the priests and teachers had led the people. For this, with the fearful results that followed, they were responsible. A nation's sin and a nation's ruin were due to the religious leaders" (DA, pp. 737-738) -- corporate identity.

In the first illustration the leaders suffered because of the rebellion of the people. In the second illustration the people suffered because of the rebellion of the leaders. God deals with us individually when it comes to our own salvation. But God deals with His people as a corporate group when it comes to carrying out His instructions for the advancement of His work.

What is the lesson to be learned?

God deals with His church today as a corporate body. If we are to receive the latter rain power of the Holy Spirit today, the body and the leadership must be on the same page. God has been ready for years to give His people the latter rain. He has been waiting for us to get ourselves together. If we would only press together in seeking the promised power, pray for each other and stand united, shoulder to shoulder, the power would be given, the work would be finished quickly and we would enter the kingdom soon. It will happen and the glory will be given to God alone.

Bucket List Book Number Two

If you have a "bucket list" for books, this book should be number two.

Now you may have two or three questions regarding the previous statement.  If you don't know what a bucket list is, I borrowed the phrase from the title of a movie by the same name in which two terminally ill men compile a list of things to do before they "kick the bucket."  I am basically saying that there are certain books people should read at least once in there lifetime.  I don't have a complete list, but the book I am reviewing today should be no lower than number two.

Number one on the list, is by no surprise to those who read this blog, the Bible.  The Bible is one book that people should read through in its entirety at least once in their life.  They should have a plan other than simply starting at Genesis, and there are many Bible reading plans out there that should make such an undertaking more palatable.  Find a version you like, and a plan that you like and then stick to it.  You won't regret it.

To avoid any further suspense, the book I am reviewing is none other than the book The Desire of Ages by E.G. White, which is a biography of Jesus Christ.  Now reading through this book is in itself a project.  It is definitely not a book I would recommend reading in a short amount of time.  This book is long by most standards (835 pages), and is not one for casual reading.  I started reading the book around Christmas time last year (2010), and I finished a few days ago.  My original plan was to read a chapter a day and be finished in a couple of months, but I found out that this was not to be the case.  The thoughts presented in this book challenged me quite a bit, and I often found myself having to stop part way through a chapter to let myself absorb what I had read.

Some of you may still be wondering why is this book number two on my list.  The simple answer is that if you let it, this book will change your life.  One cannot spend that much time pondering the life of Jesus and not have it affect their life in one way or the other.  So if you want a life-changing experience, pick up this book (there are many places you can find it) and start reading.  Don't rush through it, but take your time and let yourself absorb what you have read.  The only regret you may have is not having done it sooner.

The Honest Thief

We have much to learn from one of the most famous death-row inmates in history.

As I am reading the account of the events leading up to the death of Jesus, I have found myself drawn to what some may call the supporting players.  In my last post, I focused on Judas and Pilate and how their selfish choices ultimately led to their own demise.  In this post, I will focus on a person whose choices resulted in a much more positive outcome, the thief on the cross.  Now as you may know, there were actually two thieves on crosses in this story.  However one of them has gained the title of the thief on the cross because of his brief, yet all-important conversation he had with Jesus.

White gives a brief character sketch of him in this chapter.  Turns out he wasn't as bad as some may think.

"This man was not a hardened criminal; he had been led astray by evil associations, but he was less guilty than many of those who stood beside the cross reviling the Saviour. He had seen and heard Jesus, and had been convicted by His teaching, but he had been turned away from Him by the priests and rulers. Seeking to stifle conviction, he had plunged deeper and deeper into sin, until he was arrested, tried as a criminal, and condemned to die on the cross."  pg. 749

Before reading this passage, I had no idea that this man had had any prior contact with Jesus.  This brings to mind an important point, the concept of a spontaneous turning to Christ is somewhat of a myth.  The Holy Spirit works on people's hearts long before many people (even, in some cases, the person themselves) realizes it.  God is constantly drawing people to Him.  It is simply our part not to resist Him.

It is amazing the clarity of thought many people have when they think or know that their death is imminent.  This clarity of thought is in many cases a last-ditch effort by the Holy Spirit to get the person to make that all-important choice.

"The Holy Spirit illuminates his mind, and little by little the chain of evidence is joined together. In Jesus, bruised, mocked, and hanging upon the cross, he sees the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Hope is mingled with anguish in his voice as the helpless, dying soul casts himself upon a dying Saviour. 'Lord, remember me,' he cries, 'when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.'"  pg. 750

A key thought to bring out at this point in the story is that this thief was the only one to acknowledge Jesus as Lord while He is hanging on the cross.

"Many were ready to call Him Lord when He wrought miracles, and after He had risen from the grave; but none acknowledged Him as He hung dying upon the cross save the penitent thief who was saved at the eleventh hour." pg 751

Not the bystanders, not His disciples, not even His own mother acknowledged that fact.  They all had their doubts, save this condemned criminal.  Now a unusual hush came over the crowd.

"The bystanders caught the words as the thief called Jesus Lord. The tone of the repentant man arrested their attention. Those who at the foot of the cross had been quarreling over Christ's garments, and casting lots upon His vesture, stopped to listen. Their angry tones were hushed. With bated breath they looked upon Christ, and waited for the response from those dying lips."  Ibid

What follows is undoubtedly the most powerful paragraph in the chapter.

"As He spoke the words of promise, the dark cloud that seemed to enshroud the cross was pierced by a bright and living light. To the penitent thief came the perfect peace of acceptance with God. Christ in His humiliation was glorified. He who in all other eyes appeared to be conquered was a Conqueror. He was acknowledged as the Sin Bearer. Men may exercise power over His human body. They may pierce the holy temples with the crown of thorns. They may strip from Him His raiment, and quarrel over its division. But they cannot rob Him of His power to forgive sins. In dying He bears testimony to His own divinity and to the glory of the Father. His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear, neither His arm shortened that it cannot save. It is His royal right to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by Him."  Ibid

That "all" includes you and me.

Judas and Pilate: Parallel Paths to Perdition

The parallel lives of two of history's most infamous men bear solemn warnings for us today.

As some of you may know I have been making my way through the definitive book on the life of Jesus, The Desire of Ages by E.G. White.  I am almost finished (when I'm done I'll do a full review), which, as you may have guessed, means that I am reading about the final events of Jesus' life here on earth.  In the past two chapters I have read, White has gone into more detail about two of the darker players in the drama, Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate.  As I was out on a walk I was struck with the thought how similar the life path's of these two men were, and how those paths ultimately ended in a premature death.

White devotes an entire chapter of the book to Judas, and paints a very solemn picture in regards to his life.  I was struck with how far gone this man really was even before his betrayal of his alleged master (I'll get to the "alleged" part in a moment).  The chapter opens in this way.

"The history of Judas presents the sad ending of a life that might have been honored of God. Had Judas died before his last journey to Jerusalem he would have been regarded as a man worthy of a place among the twelve, and one who would be greatly missed. The abhorrence which has followed him through the centuries would not have existed but for the attributes revealed at the close of his history. But it was for a purpose that his character was laid open to the world. It was to be a warning to all who, like him, should betray sacred trusts." pg. 716

I find it interesting that nobody would have known what he was capable of if he had died an earlier death.  It is difficult for many to comprehend that people could have seen Judas as a good guy because we all look backwards through the lens of the betrayal.  Those living and interacting with him could easily have been fooled by the charade that he was acting out to make himself seem righteous.  However, beneath the veneer was something much more sinister.

"Judas had naturally a strong love for money; but he had not always been corrupt enough to do such a deed as this. He had fostered the evil spirit of avarice until it had become the ruling motive of his life. The love of mammon overbalanced his love for Christ. Through becoming the slave of one vice he gave himself to Satan, to be driven to any lengths in sin." Ibid

This is what I was referring to earlier when I stated that Jesus was his "alleged master".  The role of conscientious disciple was simply a cover to further his own gains.

Judas was constantly chafing at Jesus' humility and refusal to set up an earthly kingdom.  Jesus, of course, was quite aware of what was going on even if nobody else was.

"In all that Christ said to His disciples, there was something with which, in heart, Judas disagreed. Under his influence the leaven of disaffection was fast doing its work. The disciples did not see the real agency in all this; but Jesus saw that Satan was communicating his attributes to Judas, and thus opening up a channel through which to influence the other disciples. This, a year before the betrayal, Christ declared. "Have not I chosen you twelve," He said, "and one of you is a devil?" John 6:70."  pg. 718

We often look at that statement in light of the betrayal, but Judas was working against Jesus the entire way.  However, as hard as his heart was there were still chances to repent.  He did not take advantage of them, and as we know from the biblical account, Judas went out and hanged himself.

Pontius Pilate also gets a chapter in the book.  This chapter is less of a character study as the previous one, but still deals a fair amount with how one's choices can cause their life to go horribly wrong.  In contrast to Judas, there was much less mystery regarding Pilate's true character traits.  People knew what he was like.

"The priests thought that with the weak and vacillating Pilate they could carry through their plans without trouble. Before this he had signed the death warrant hastily, condemning to death men they knew were not worthy of death. In his estimation the life of a prisoner was of little account; whether he were innocent or guilty was of no special consequence."  pg. 725

Despite the weakness, vacillation, etc. Pilate could not bring himself to condemn Jesus.  He was impressed with the way He carried Himself in the midst of the mob.  That, coupled with the positive reports Pilate had previously heard, did not match with the accusations being hurled at Him by the priests.  He asked for a private interview.

Jesus took full advantage of this time to try and win Pilate over to the side of truth, but Pilate did not surrender himself to the prodding of the Holy Spirit, and as White put it, "Pilate's golden opportunity had passed."  This wasn't the only opportunity he missed.

"If at the first Pilate had stood firm, refusing to condemn a man whom he found guiltless, he would have broken the fatal chain that was to bind him in remorse and guilt as long as he lived. Had he carried out his convictions of right, the Jews would not have presumed to dictate to him. Christ would have been put to death, but the guilt would not have rested upon Pilate. But Pilate had taken step after step in the violation of his conscience. He had excused himself from judging with justice and equity, and he now found himself almost helpless in the hands of the priests and rulers. His wavering and indecision proved his ruin."  pg. 732

He chose to save himself instead of saving Jesus.  A choice that always backfires.

"Pilate longed to deliver Jesus. But he saw that he could not do this, and yet retain his own position and honor. . . . Pilate yielded to the demands of the mob. Rather than risk losing his position, he delivered Jesus up to be crucified. But in spite of his precautions, the very thing he dreaded afterward came upon him. His honors were stripped from him, he was cast down from his high office, and, stung by remorse and wounded pride, not long after the crucifixion he ended his own life."  pg 738

So here are two men, both came in contact with the Son of God, both chose to live for themselves rather than live for Him, and both ultimately ending dying by their own hand.  Every moment of every day we must make the choices that they did not make, lest our fate be similar to theirs.

The Divine Shepherd

In this chaotic, and often violent, world it's good to know that there is Someone to take care of us.  That is, if we let Him.

As I had mentioned previously, I am reading through the book The Desire of Ages.  The chapter I most recently read is entitled "The Divine Shepherd".  The concept of Jesus being a shepherd is perhaps one of the most common ways in which Jesus is portrayed.  If you go into practically any church or cathedral that has stained glass windows there will be some reference to this concept.  Why is it so popular?  Out of all the word pictures found in the Scriptures, why does this one resonate with people as much as it does?  I would venture to say that it is because of this fact.  We all want Someone to take care of us.

Sure there are many who with much bravado will say that they don't need anybody, that they can take care of themselves.  I will be bold enough to say that those people are simply fooling themselves.  We are in constant need of care, and that is why Jesus referred to us as sheep. Now as I mentioned some months ago, being a sheep is not a popular analogy for many people.  This is mainly due to this false sense of independence that was just as prevalent back then as it is today.  Someone once told me that the parables were often meant to offend people in one way or another.  To a self-made man or woman, this concept would be quite offensive.  We have to be humble and realize our need.

In closing, remember this,

"Because we are the gift of His Father, and the reward of His work, Jesus loves us. He loves us as His children. Reader, He loves you. Heaven itself can bestow nothing greater, nothing better. Therefore trust." -- The Desire of Ages pg. 483

A Marked Contrast

The more I learn about the character and practice of Jesus, the more I see the contrast between His life and ours.

I'm currently reading through the book The Desire of Ages (something I think everyone should do once in awhile), and not long ago as I was reading the chapter entitled "At Capernaum" I came across a statement that, as the saying goes, hit me like a ton of bricks.  It reads as follows.

"And the wonder of the careless crowd jarred upon His spirit. In His life no self-assertion mingled. The homage which the world gives to position, or wealth, or talent, was foreign to the Son of man. None of the means that men employ to win allegiance or command homage did Jesus use. Centuries before His birth, it had been prophesied of Him, 'He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall He not break, and the dimly burning flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth.' Isa. 42:2-4, margin." pg. 260-261

One way in which the folks at Merriam-Webster define the verb "jar" is "to have a harshly disagreeable or disconcerting effect."  To put it more simply, the wonder of the crowd went completely against the very core of Jesus' spirit.  How many of us could say the same thing?  This jarring was not simply a sense of being overwhelmed, which is what many of us would feel in a similar situation.  It wasn't that He couldn't handle the attention.  He didn't want it.

The second sentence regarding self-assertion also caught my attention.  I've lost track of how many times I've heard people say to me or to someone else that I/they need to promote ourselves more.  The non-Christian world (that includes those who are Christians in name only) is all about self promotion.  You want to get ahead in life, get yourself noticed.  You have to climb the corporate ladder, make a name for yourself, break through the glass ceiling, etc. in order to be somebody in today's world.

After stating how much the Pharisees loved getting attention, the writer continues.

"In marked contrast to all this was the life of Jesus. In that life no noisy disputation, no ostentatious worship, no act to gain applause, was ever witnessed. Christ was hid in God, and God was revealed in the character of His Son. To this revelation Jesus desired the minds of the people to be directed, and their homage to be given. The Sun of Righteousness did not burst upon the world in splendor, to dazzle the senses with His glory. It is written of Christ, 'His going forth is prepared as the morning.' Hosea 6:3. Quietly and gently the daylight breaks upon the earth, dispelling the shadow of darkness, and waking the world to life. So did the Sun of Righteousness arise, 'with healing in His wings.' Mal. 4:2."  pg. 261

Lord, help me not to seek to draw attention to myself, but only to give glory to You. Amen.