Books on Jesus
Our church is going through a sermon series on the Gospel of Mark. Our simple prayer is: “Lord, show us Jesus.” In some respects, it’s easier to preach on Daniel or Job or Ephesians because Christians think we already know about Jesus.
We’ve been taught the parables. We’ve heard the miracles. We know how the story ends – with the cross and the resurrection. It’s all so very familiar.
And yet, what would it be like to be re-introduced to Jesus in a fresh way? To be astonished and in awe of Jesus like the crowds? To be overwhelmed and confused, just like the disciples? To be strengthened in our own sufferings as Jesus heads to Jerusalem to die with resolute purpose?
What would God make of me if I took a long and purposeful gaze again at Jesus?
Let me recommend four popular-level, easy-to-read books on Jesus of Nazareth:
Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus by John Eldredge (219 pages).
“An intimate encounter with Jesus is the most transforming experience of human existence. To know him as he is, is to come home. To have his life, joy, love, and presence cannot be compared. A true knowledge of Jesus is our greatest need and our greatest happiness.” ~ John Eldredge, p. 11.
Eldredge helps us ponder from various viewpoints the (sometimes hidden) personality of Jesus: his emotional life, his disruptive honesty, his extravagant generosity, and his scandalous freedom at being 100% comfortable in his own skin.
Beautiful Outlaw is a typical Eldredge book: well-written, full of interesting antidotes, and longing to put you in a face-to-face encounter with Jesus.
Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper (123 pages).
I still remember exactly where I was (on a dock and overlooking a lake in North Carolina) when I encountered John Piper introducing me to a memorable expression of Jonathan Edwards. Edwards indicates that what makes Christ glorious is “an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies”.
“..we admire Christ for his transcendence, but even more because the transcendence of his greatness is mixed with submission to God. We marvel at him because of his uncompromising justice is tempered with mercy. His majesty is sweetened by meekness. In his equality with God he has a deep reverence for God. Though he is worthy of all good, he was patient to suffer evil.” ~ John Piper, p. 29
In chapter 3, Piper reflects on Rev. 5:5-6 where Jesus is presented as a “Lamb-like lion and a lion-like Lamb” – an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies which reveals the glory of Christ!
Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ is a very short, very simple book which will point you unmistakably to Jesus.
The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is by N.T Wright (197 pages, with a new introduction in 2015).
N.T. Wright is often regarded as the foremost living scholar of the New Testament and Early Christianity. Simply put, his work on Jesus is paradigm-changing. Wright makes you think through old assumptions while portraying Jesus in fresh ways which challenge you to root Jesus in his own historical context but in ways that are fascinating, gripping, and relevant to the modern age.
“The disciplines of prayer and Bible study need to be rooted again and again in Jesus himself if they are not to become idolatrous or self-serving. We have often muted Jesus’ stark challenge, remaking him in our own image and then we are left wondering why our personal spiritualities have become less than exciting and life-changing.” ~ N.T. Wright, p. 11
Back in 2017, I wrote an essay entitled “Jesus as the New Israel: The Reconstitution of the People of God around the Person of Jesus” during a sermon series on the gospel of John. The essay was an attempt to synthesize The Challenge of Jesus for our church family. Yet going directly to the source would be even better!
Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Suffers by Dane Ortlund
This is my absolute favorite popular-level book on Jesus.
This book arrested me with a simple question: What if we avoid deep fellowship with Jesus “out of a muted understanding of his heart”? What if the (Big C) Church has a difficult time fully embracing the heart of Jesus for sinners and suffers? What would it look like to come to Jesus, understanding that it’s actually our sin and suffering that attracts Jesus to us like a magnet?
“In short: it is impossible for the affectionate heart of Christ to be overcelebrated, made to much of, exaggerated. It cannot be plumbed. But it is easily neglected, forgotten. We draw too little strength from it.” ~ Dane Ortlund, p 29
The affectionate heart of Jesus? “Please help become more convinced of the affectionate heart of Jesus, oh God!”
Recommending Two Big Books:
Jesus and the Victory of God by N.T. Wright (approx. 650 pages without index/bibliography)
Jesus and the Victory of God is the best book on Jesus that I have ever read. It’s magisterial. It’s paradigm-changing. It’s scholarly yet beautifully and engagingly written. It’s the best “big book” that I’ve ever invested in reading.
N.T. Wright’s contribution in Jesus and the Victory of God will guide future generations of scholars in their own search for the historical Jesus. The Challenge of Jesus is the popular-level book which synthesizes the insights of Jesus and the Victory of God into a manageable meal. Yet sitting down at the original banquet is well-worth the time and energy!
A Theology of Mark’s Gospel by David E. Garland (559 pages).
This volume is part of the “Biblical Theology of the New Testament” series. Chapters 3-14 are especially helpful in exploring “Major Themes in Mark’s Theology”:
Chapter 5: Enacted Christology
Chapter 7: The Kingdom of God in Mark
Chapter 8: The Secrecy Motifs in Mark
Chapter 9: Mark’s theology of discipleship
Chapter 11: Mission in Mark
Chapter 13: Mark’s Eschatology
If you want to follow-along theologically with the sermon series on the Gospel of Mark, this would be a great in-depth study.