Jesus

By: Philip Yancey

Yancey takes the text of award-winning The

Jesus I Never Knew and illustrates its themes
and message with provocative full-color
photography and visuals. You’ll understand
when Yancey says, “No one who meets Jesus
ever stays the same.”

Learn More | Zondervan on Scribd | Zondervan.com

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ZONDERVAN

Jesus

Copyright © 2010 by Philip D. Yancey and SCCT

Text based on The Jesus I Never Knew

Copyright © 1995 by Philip D. Yancey and SCCT

This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook. Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

ISBN 978-0-310-29320-0

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible,
New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this
book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an
endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical,
photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews,
without the prior permission of the publisher.

Creative direction and design by Mark Arnold, andArnold Books.

Printed in the United States of America

10 11 12 13 14 /SBM/ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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 JESUS

Phil i p Ya n c e y

creative direction by
mark a r n old

a n dAr n o l d b o o k s

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 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.

The Word was God.

Everything was created through him;

nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.

What came into existence was Life,

and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out.

He came to his own people,

but they didn’t want him.

But whoever did want him,

who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.

These are the God-begotten,

not blood-begotten,
not flesh-begotten,
not sex-begotten.

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 The word became flesh and blood, and
moved into
the

neighbor-
hood.

JESUSVE.25.indd 5 7/14/10 1:23:36 PM

 icons of the orthodox
Church, stained-glass
windows in European
cathedrals, and sunday
school art in low-
church america all
depict on flat planes
a placid, “tame”jesus, yet
the jesus i met in
the gospels was anything
but
6
tame. his searing

JESUSVE.25.indd 6 7/14/10 1:23:43 PM

 honesty made him seem
downright tactless in
some settings. few people
felt comfortable around
him; those who did were
the type no one else
felt comfortable around.
he was notoriously
difficult to predict,
pin down, or even
understand. 7

JESUSVE.25.indd 7 7/14/10 1:23:50 PM

 The God who roared, who could order armies and empires about like
pawns on a chessboard, this God emerged in Palestine as a

baby who could not speak or eat solid food or control

his own bladder, who

depended on a teenager for

shelter, food, and love.

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JESUSVE.25.indd 13 7/14/10 1:25:33 PM
 I tremble to think of the
fate of the world resting
on the responses of
two rural teenagers.
How many times
did Mary review
the angel’s words
as she felt the Son
In the of God kicking
modern against the walls
United States, of her uterus? How
where each year a many times did Joseph
million teenage girls get second-guess his own
pregnant out of wedlock, encounter with an angel—
Mary’s predicament has just a dream?—as he endured
undoubtedly lost some of its force, but the hot shame of living among
in a closely knit Jewish community in the first villagers who could plainly see the changing
century, the news an angel brought could not shape of his fiancée?
have been entirely welcome. The law regarded
a betrothed woman who became pregnant as an
adulteress, subject to death by stoning.
Today as I read the accounts of Jesus’ birth
14

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 The burning bush of Moses, the
hot coals of Isaiah, the extraterrestrial visions of
Ezekiel—a person “blessed” with a direct encounter
with God expected to come away scorched or
glowing or maybe half-crippled like
Jacob.These were the fortunate
ones: Jewish children also
learned stories of the
sacred mountain in the
desert that proved

fatal to everyone
who touched it.
Mishandle the ark
of the covenant,
and you died.
Enter the Most Holy
Place, and you’d
never come out alive.
Among people who
walled off a separate
sanctum for God in the
temple and shrank from
pronouncing or spelling out the name, God
made a surprise appearance as a baby in a manger.
What can be less scary than a newborn with his limbs wrapped
tight against his body? In Jesus, God found a way of relating
to human beings that did not involve fear.
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 Jesus is more:

liberal conservative

ugly handsome

hater lover

shy outgoing

independent patriotic

man God

communist capitalist

thinker feeler

16

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 john lennon pat robertson

pacifist warrior

spontaneous planner

catholic protestant

multiracial jewish

calm excitable

kind mean

apathetic concerned

erratic steady

17

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 Jesus’ audacious claims about himself pose what may be the central problem of all history, the
Jesus’ audacious claims about himself pose what may be the central problem of all history, the
dividing point between Christianity and other religions. Although Muslims and, increasingly,
dividing point between Christianity and other religions. Although Muslims and, increasingly,
Jews respect Jesus as a great teacher and prophet, no Muslim can imagine Mohammed claiming
Jews respect Jesus as a great teacher and prophet, no Muslim can imagine Mohammed claiming
to be Allah any more than a Jew can imagine Moses claiming to be Yahweh. Likewise, Hindus
to be Allah any more than a Jew can imagine Moses claiming to be Yahweh. Likewise, Hindus
believe in many incarnations but not one Incarnation, while Buddhists have no categories in
believe in many incarnations but not one Incarnation, while Buddhists have no categories in
which to conceive of a sovereign God becoming a human being.
which to conceive of a sovereign God becoming a human being.

18

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 Jesus’ entire life stands or falls on his claim to be God. I cannot trust his promised
Jesus’ entire life stands or falls on his claim to be God. I cannot trust his promised
forgiveness unless he has the authority to back up such an offer. I cannot trust
forgiveness unless he has the authority to back up such an offer. I cannot trust
his words about the other side (“I go to prepare a place for you . . .”) unless I
his words about the other side (“I go to prepare a place for you . . .”) unless I
believe what he said about having come from the Father and returning to the
believe what he said about having come from the Father and returning to the
Father. Most important, unless he was in some way God, I must view the cross as
Father. Most important, unless he was in some way God, I must view the cross19as
an act of divine cruelty rather than sacrificial love.
an act of divine cruelty rather than sacrificial love.

JESUSVE.25.indd 19 7/14/10 1:26:28 PM

 20

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 the jesus i learned about as a child was sweet
and inoffensive, the kind of person whose lap
you want to climb onto. indeed jesus did have
qualities of gentleness and compassion that
attracted children. mister rogers, however, he
assuredly was not. / / in all the movies made
about jesus’ life, surely the most provocative —
and perhaps the most accurate — portrayal of the
sermon on the mount appears in a low-budget bbc
production entitled son of man. roman soldiers
have just invaded a galilean village to exact
vengeance for some trespass against the empire.
they have strung up jewish men of fighting age,
shoved their hysterical wives to the ground, even
speared babies. into that tumultuous scene of
blood and tears strides jesus with eyes ablaze.
“i tell you: love your enemies and pray for those
that persecute you,” he shouts above the groans.
you can imagine the villagers’ response to such
unwelcome advice. the sermon on the mount did not
soothe them; it infuriated them. / / in my studies,
i encountered a terrifying aspect of jesus, one
that i never learned about in sunday school. the
jesus i met in the gospels was anything but tame.
JESUSVE.25.indd 21 7/14/10 1:30:32 PM
 The
Gospels
present
a man
who has
such charis-
ma that people will
s i t thre e d ays s tra i g ht,
without food, just to hear his
r i v e t i n g wo r d s . H e s e e m s e x-
ci t a b l e, im puls ive ly “moved
with compassion” or
“ f i l l e d w i t h p i t y.”
The G ospels reveal a range of
Jesus’ emotional responses: sudden
sympathy for a person with leprosy,
ex u b e r a n c e ove r h i s d i s -
ciples’ suc c es ses, a
blast of anger at cold -
hearted legalists, grief
over an unreceptive
ci t y, and then tho s e
awful cries of anguish
in Gethsemane and
on the cross. H e had
nearly

22

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 in-
exhaust-
ible patience
with individuals
but no patience at all
with institutions
and injustice.
Three times, at
least, he cried in front
of his disciples. He
d i d n ot h i d e h i s fe a r s o r
hesitate to ask for help: “My
soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to
the point of death,” he told them in Gethsemane;
“Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Jesus, I found, bore little
r e s e m b l a n c e to th e M i s te r
Rogers figure I had met in
Sunday school, and was
r e m a r k a b l y u n l i ke t h e p e r s o n
I had studied in Bible college.
For one thing, he was far
l e s s t ame. In my p ri o r im ag e,
I r e a l i z e d , J e s u s’ p e r s o n a l i t y
matched that of a Star Trek Vul-
can: he remained calm, cool, and
collected as he strode like a robot
among excitable human beings on
spaceship earth. That is not what I
found portrayed in the Gospels.
Other people affected Jesus
deeply: obstinacy frustrated him,
self-righteousness infuriated
him, simple faith thrilled him.
Indeed, he
seemed more emotional
and spontaneous
than the aver age person,
not less.
23
More passionate, not less.

JESUSVE.25.indd 23 7/14/10 1:30:44 PM

 One o
f
Je sus
’ mos
the s t t sc an
o d
t he or r y of t he G alous s tor
iginal o ie
of t he s tor y o d S am ari s is
w t
als o p road. A pri as ab out a an. A s s e n
as se s es t pa t
And th by o n s s e s b m a n who gim e nt al as
e y w
t h e J e n c o m e s t t h e o t h e r s . A L ev i t e , e t s b e a t u p e m ay h av
wish c he S a i de (p t he qu and l e mad
Sama m
r i a . B u r owd . J ews a r i t a n ... y e r h a p s l a t e i n t e s s e n t i e f t o n t h e s e i t ,
and is t the S did no ou c a
n for a m al re lig ide
t i c ke d li f te d up as a m a rit a n s t t alk to S a alm os t im e et ing at i ous gu y,
. a c
rul e s , A c c o rding t he he ro o to ps a nd t a m a rit a ns , o gine a s ni c hurc h).
and th t f k r k
has to ey di d t he re ligi he s to r y. I s c a re of eve n walk e r in
o t e
w o
b r o ke o r k i t s e l f n o t h a v e s u s e l i t e , S ’m sur t h e gu t hroug
n pers out in ound am ari e s ome of y in t he dit h
on lyin a d ta th ch
g i n t h way t h a t i o c t r i n e ... b n s d i d n o t e l i s t e n e r s
e ditc s Goo ut Je s ke e p
It is s h. d N ew us sh t h e ri gwe r e
o sim s t o o w s t h at t r ht
ple, b the m u
ut the o s t b ruis e d e fait h
pious and
for get
t his le
inde e s s on c ons t
d be e a
v i d e nt nt l y. G o d m
in a p a
rie s t , y

but t as like ly rita n o r a

G o d is jus rk throu gh a S a m a is b rimful of
o
to b e at w In fac t the S c ripture s titute n a m e d
te . g p ro
p ros titu fo lk s like a ly ing n a m e d D av id... at
God u s in g s k in ed
adulte rou a guy nam
R a h a b, a n o d eve n s p e a k s to o if G o d s hould
G
o ne p o int rou gh his d o nkey. S uld b e grateful
th ho n
Ba la a m
u s e u s , the n we s rs e lve s . A nd if up o ,
ch o o s e to h ly o f o u e v e r u s e
ink to o hig e think G o d c ould n
ISRAEL. Gaza. Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades.
Militants patrol a side road outside Gaza city b u t n o t th
omeone w
in the eventuality of an Israeli incursion. m e eting s think ag ain.
we s hould g io
ho
us e lite w ll e c to rs
to th e re li x co
e s u s s ay s e: “ T he ta f
Afte r all, J n o n eve ry b o d y e ls e K ing d o m a he ad o
o w th
lo o ke d d tute s a re e nte ring d?
n d p ro s ti r w h a t g o t him k ille
a we wo n d e
you.” A nd

24

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 ie nd in the
I h ave a fr at we h ave
y ” — th
b o u t “d ir ty the o lo g li fe a nd he aling
lk s a b ring ke ly
U K who ta lways us ing dir t to up in the m os t unli wit h
is a o w s g in s
a G o d who pti o n, a G o d who s h the who le s to ry b e dir t, a nd
re d e m ft e r a ll , s o m e
and
alous way
s. A g up
e n, p ic k in e mud,
a nd s c a nd g d own fro m he av t, J e s us ta ke s s o m l him.
in in a
G o d re ac h fe into it . At o ne p o d m a n’s eye s to he t h a p py
g li b li n n o
b re athin it o n a o il we re
a nd wip e s u c e rs of a no inting
s p it s in it , d
ts a nd p ro
(T he p ri e s did
th at d ay.) is a b o u t a G o d who the
of J e sus ove s into
c t, th e e ntire s to ry t the re” but who m s aid, “ N othing
In fa “ou whe re fo lk
s a
a nt to s tay d of b e ing
not jus t w o d, a ne ighb o rho o d us who was ac cus e out wit h all
o s g
ne ighb o rh c o m e .” It is this J e -rous e r fo r h a ngin ros s of R o m e
u ld b b le ri c
a l
good co d ru n k a rd a nd rao die d o n the imp e ia hs . T his is why
a n d
glutto n and wh d mess as a trium
ph
’s re je c ts , s a nd fail e
of s o c iety re s e rve d fo r b a ndit p h ove r the c ros s w gly we d o to
the trium ove r eve ry thing u a nd to
ours e lve s othe rs .

p ro mis e is the fin It

It th at love al
in the mid is this J e s us wh wins .
o
jus t as lik dle of a g e no c id e was b o rn in a s ta
e ly to fin . T h at is nk mang
who c an d th e
re d e e m r in the s tre ets as e G o d th at we a r r
the o p p re evo luti o n in the s a e
a n
s av ing s o s s e d a nd the o p p rie s a nd ta x c o ll e c tu a r y,
m re c
s o m e of e of us fro m the s s o r s ... a G o d w to r s ,
us fro m th ghettos o ho is
e ghettos fp
— Shane of we alt h ove r t y, a nd
C laib o rne .

25

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 “I think Jesus is setting us free from an oppressive way of life.
I know plenty of people, both rich and poor, who are suffocating
from the weight of the American dream, who find themselves
heavily burdened by the lifeless toil and consumption put upon
ourselves. This is the life we are being set free from. The new
life is still not easy (it’s a cross, for heaven’s sake), but we carry
it together, and it is good and leads us to rest, especially for the
weariest traveler.” —Shane Claiborne

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7/14/10 1:32:42 PM JESUSVE.25.indd 28
28
Christianity offers
the further insight that true
fullfillment comes not from ego
satisfaction, but through service to
others. If I spend my life searching
for happiness through drugs,
comfort, and luxury it will
elude me.
7/14/10 1:33:03 PM JESUSVE.25.indd 29
29
Jesus
captured succinctly the
paradoxical nature of life in
“Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my
sake will find it.” Such a statement
goes against the search for
“self-fulfillment” in advanced
psychology.
 “michael jordon is living the american

dream,” said the owner of the chicago bulls.

“ the amer ican dr eam is to r each a point in

y o u r l i f e w h e r e y o u d o n ’ t h av e t o d o

any thin g yo u d o n ’ t want to d o and can d o

everything that you d o want to d o.” — that

may be the american dream, but it decidedly is

30

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 n ot j e s u s’ d r e a m as r e v e a l e d i n t h e go s p e ls.

strength, good looks, connections, and the

competitive instinct may bring a person success

in a society like ours, but those very qualities

may block entr ance to the k ingdom of heaven.

d e p e n d e n c e, s o r r ow, r e p e n ta n c e, a lo n g i n g t o

c h a n g e—t h e s e a r e t h e gat e s to go d’s k i n g d o m.

31

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