The Secret Message of Jesus... 2

I am seriously enjoying Brian's new book, The Secret Message of Jesus. I think this is going to become a staple of spiritual exploration groups for evergreen. There's a quality of Brian's writing and thought that's hard to describe, but even beyond that, he's doing a masterful job of describing the message and methodology of Jesus in way that this sem. grad is finding compelling, but that I'm also sure would connect with and be intriguing and accessible were I just starting out on the road to knowing Jesus. When this becomes available in paperback, I'm buying copies for our booktable.

Lots and lots of interesting quotes and thoughts, but here's one that grabbed me for a different reason:

"Again and again, Jesus seeks to lure covert systemic evil out of the shadows and into the light where it can be named, exposed, and expelled. He does so in a number of ways. Sometimes he directly confronts it- such as when he goes into the temple and turns over the money changers' tables, when he calls the religious leaders hypocrites and wolves disguised as sheep, or when he intentionally and publically heals someone on the Sabbeth, inviting the fury of the religious elite. Their violent and hateful reactions show their true character and confirm Jesus' assesment of them. Sometimes he makes ambiguous statements, easily misunderstood, exposing his neck, so to speak, to those who will take the chance to slit it-- such as when he said the temple would be destroyed and he would rebuild it in three days. His critics interpret his statements in the worst possible light and again, in their ugly response, show what they're made of and what drives them."

Hmmm... I wonder if Brian (intentionally or not) is talking about more than Jesus at this point...

Comments

[Pat]

Bob, thanks for the glimpses into this book. It'll be on my list of things to look at.

On the subject of "goes onto the booktable when it comes out in paperback", check out "Eat This Book" by Eugene Peterson. We'll put that one on our booktable (in paperback), and I think we might do a big book group on that one.

[Zookeeper]

Hey Bob, my wife told me you had posted some quotes from the book on your blog. I too think this is a great book to discuss with others on the journey of faith.

I am meeting with a couple of guys on Monday night and we are doing just that. We just started last week, wow, this is a great way to create an open space to wrestle with scripture, Jesus, and real life.

The really crazy thing is that I met these guys online first, then stumbled into a gathering they had in a coffee house one Sunday night, now we are sharing pizza, beer, and Jesus every Monday night.

Anyway, thank you for sharing your journey. I can't tell you how much your article "why you should plant a church" has helped nudge me along the way. Sometimes it seems like this thing is moving at a snails pace.

May you be on earth as it is in Heaven!