“If Jesus was the most influential person in history, I’d like to learn more about him.”
“I know people have strong opinions about Jesus, and that’s fine. But I’d like to find out for myself what he said and did so I can come to my own conclusions.”
“Of course I know who Jesus is; who doesn’t? I’ve just never taken the time to read all that the Bible says about him.”
“I’ve heard people say, ‘I’m a follower of Jesus.’ But what does that really mean?”
COMMENTS ABOUT JESUS
NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT JESUS, there’s no denying he is the most influential person in all of human history. And what’s truly amazing is that his path to influence was so unlikely.
Jesus never became a political, military or government leader; he never wanted to. He never owned a multinational corporation or acquired any wealth to speak of; he didn’t need it. He never wrote a book, never staged a concert tour, never appeared on television and never had a radio talk show or even his own blog. He was born in a barn, grew up as a laborer, remained single and childless his entire life, and was executed at the age of thirty-three.
Yet somehow Jesus became the reference point for life ever since—we mark our calendars by his death. He has inspired some of the world’s greatest art, literature, music and architecture. His ethical teachings have been hailed as the world’s greatest—even by those who aren’t his followers. He’s been the subject of countless books, articles, television programs and movies. Today his church has more members than any other religion in the world—and persecution only makes it grow larger. Not only that, the book that gives us the most information about him—the Bible—has sold more copies than any volume ever printed. What’s so special about Jesus?
That’s what I hope you’ll discover inThe Essential Jesus. We’ll take an honest look at what Jesus said and did so we can determine who he really was and is. To do this, we’ll read and reflect on one hundred carefully selected passages from the Bible. And we’ll approach our journey not as theological experts but as open-minded seekers who want to get a true understanding of the most influential person in history. Are you ready?
THE BIBLE’S GREATEST STORY
Most people have a basic knowledge of the Bible. They know it describes how God created the world and how he has been involved with it ever since. Not only that, they’ve read some of the Bible’s most popular stories, like the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and of Abraham and the birth of Israel, and Moses and the exodus, David and Goliath, Jonah and the whale, Daniel in the lion’s den, Peter on day of Pentecost, and Paul on the road to Damascus.
But the one story people seem to know the best is the story of Jesus. Every Christmas we hear the familiar account of Joseph and Mary traveling to the little town of Bethlehem, of Jesus’ birth in a manger and of the angels singing “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV). But why is that story more important than all the rest? Because, as you’ll see, Jesus is the focal point of God’s plan to save the world from sin and to offer people eternal life. The greatest story in the Bible is Jesus; from Genesis to Revelation the Bible is literally “his story.”
So as we follow the story line of Jesus through the Old and New Testaments, we’ll not only get a clear understanding of the essential Jesus, but we’ll also get a good overview of the Bible. Here’s how the hundred readings are organized.
Who is Jesus? We’ll begin our journey with five readings from some contemporaries of Jesus: two of his disciples, Peter and John, and the apostle Paul, a man who had a unique encounter with Jesus soon after his resurrection. Each of these five readings gives us a soaring description of Jesus and his significance. They are some of the most inspiring and memorable passages in the Bible, and together they form a so
