Synopses & Reviews
Everybody likes Jesus. Don't they? We overlook that Jesus was
- Judgmental?preaching hellfire far more than the apostle Paul
- Uncompromising?telling people to hate their families
- Chauvinistic?excluding women from leadership
- Racist?insulting people from other ethnic groups
- Anti-environmental?cursing a fig tree and affirming animal sacrifice
- Angry?overturning tables and chasing moneychangers in the temple
He demanded moral perfection, told people to cut off body parts, made prophecies that haven't come true, and defied religious and political authorities. While we tend to ignore this troubling behavior, the people around Jesus didn't. Some believed him so dangerous that they found a way to have him killed. The Jesus everybody likes, says Mark Strauss, is not the Jesus found in the Gospels. He's a figure we've created in our own minds. Strauss believes that when we unpack the puzzling paradoxes of the man from Galilee, we find greater insight into his countercultural message and mission than we could ever have imagined.
Review
"In Jesus Behaving Badly, Mark Strauss provides a clear and compelling portrait of Jesus in his own terms and historical context. Strauss skillfully guides the reader through the maze of current questions about Jesus, such as 'Was Jesus a revolutionary?' and 'Why did Jesus curse a fig tree?' Students and pastors alike will find Jesus Behaving Badly an enriching read and invaluable tool in understanding the Jesus of the Gospels." (Lynn H. Cohick, Wheaton College)"Mark Strauss provides a wonderful account of Jesus full of wit and wisdom that shows that the meek and mild Jesus is Sunday school fiction. The Jesus of the Gospels is a much more complicated character who felt compassion and anger, who preached peace and kicked over tables, who made friends with prostitutes and offended the religious establishment, who resisted family values of the day and even started a revolution in Judaism. Reading this book could be like meeting Jesus for the first time." (Michael F. Bird, lecturer in theology at Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia)"We have rehabilitated Jesus so much today that we can't imagine how anyone wouldn't admire Jesus. How could anyone hate this lovable guy enough to scream, 'Crucify him!'? Yet, a fuller reading of the Gospels reveal a tree-hating, name-calling troublemaker who often didn't play well with others. Maybe the home crowd at Nazareth wanted to stone him because he was a 'stubborn and rebellious son' (Deut 21:18-21). Yet, in a delightfully written book, Strauss treats fairly these typical objections to Jesus and guides the reader to a fuller understanding of this complex man from Galilee. Anyone wanting to understand Jesus better, whether in a classroom or Bible study, should read this book." (E. Randolph Richards, dean, school of ministry, professor of biblical studies, Palm Beach Atlantic University)"Many people have the view that Jesus was basically a friendly and warm teacher. Those who have read the Gospels closely recognize, though, that Jesus said and did things that upset this rosy portrait. Jesus Behaving Badly engages the hard 'sayings' and 'doings' of Jesus, not by merely explaining them away, but by representing a fullness of Jesus in the three dimensions of a real historical figure and in the fourfold portrayal of the Gospels. If the aim of this book is to reckon with the whole Jesus and not a mere caricature, Strauss has accomplished this with sense and wit." (Nijay K. Gupta, George Fox Evangelical Seminary)
Synopsis
Everybody likes Jesus. Don't they? We overlook that Jesus was Judgmental--preaching hellfire far more than the apostle Paul Uncompromising--telling people to hate their families Chauvinistic--excluding women from leadership Racist--insulting people from other ethnic groups Anti-environmental--cursing a fig tree and affirming animal sacrifice Angry--overturning tables and chasing moneychangers in the temple He demanded moral perfection, told people to cut off body parts, made prophecies that haven't come true, and defied religious and political authorities. While we tend to ignore this troubling behavior, the people around Jesus didn't. Some believed him so dangerous that they found a way to have him killed. The Jesus everybody likes, says Mark Strauss, is not the Jesus found in the Gospels. He's a figure we've created in our own minds. Strauss believes that when we unpack the puzzling paradoxes of the man from Galilee, we find greater insight into his countercultural message and mission than we could ever have imagined.
About the Author
Mark Strauss (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary San Diego. He is the author or coauthor of several books and numerous articles, including How to Read the Bible in Changing Times, Four Portraits, One Jesus: An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels, How to Choose a Translation for All It's Worth (with Gordon D. Fee), The Essential Bible Companion (with John Walton) and commentaries on Mark's Gospel in the Zondervan Exegetical Commetary Series and Expositors Bible Commentary, Vol. 9. He is New Testament editor of the Expanded Bible and the Teach the Text Commentary Series. He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Committee for Bible Translation for the New International Version and as an associate editor for the NIV Study Bible. Strauss has a heart for ministry and preaches and teaches regularly at churches, conferences and college campuses. He is the weekly teacher at the Cove Bible Study at The Church at Rancho Bernardo. He lives in San Diego with his wife Roxanne and three kids.