Simply Jesus

If you've never read N. T. Wright, you're missing out on the greatest pastor and theologian alive right now. No other pastor is so respected in the academic world, and no other academic can write and speak so accessibly to those who don't have the formal training of a seminary or graduate program. So when he published a book called Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did and Why He Matters, I was excited.In Simply Jesus, Wright has somehow distilled his academic study and pastoral experience of Jesus of Nazareth into a profound, challenging meditation.Using the analogy of the Perfect Storm, Wright identifies three disparate storms that converge to make any discussion of Jesus precarious: Rationalistic Skepticism, the Conservative/Fundamentalist Christian reaction, and the actual, factual complexity of the "historical Jesus" questions themselves.If anyone is equipped to captain us through this storm, it's Wright, with his sharp academic mind and large pastoral heart.From the midst of this Perfect Storm, Wright asserts thatThere emerges a sense, which is central to the New Testament itself, that Jesus's way of running the world here and now is, however surprisingly, through his followers.Wright rightly begins with how poorly we all understand Jesus today. He observes that asking what Jesus was really about"...Isn't about "religion" in the sense the Western world has imagined for over two hundred years. This is about everything: life, art, the universe, justice, death, money. It's about politics, philosophy, culture, and being human."He takes us back into the first century and introduces us to the world of Jesus: under the heel of the Roman Empire, but totally saturated in the Hebrew Scriptures. Wright teases out a picture of the Hebrew Salvation story, grounded in the Exodus, centered on the Temple and having survived the Exile.Wright introduces us to various religious and political leaders who lived both before and after Jesus, showed how the Exodus paradigm shaped their actions and the beliefs of their followers.Wright masterfully paints a clear picture of Jesus' Israel that provides compelling context for Jesus' own understanding of his mission and activity.Wright then moves into Jesus' actual life and ministry. (Those skeptical about how Wright handles the Gospel materials would do well to explore his more academic works. In Simply Jesus, he assumes you've either done your homework or that you trust his.)Investigating Jesus' teachings and activity within the context he established, Wright demonstrates that Jesus saw himself as the replacement for the Temple, as the culmination and fulfillment of the entire Jewish story to this point."The best historical analysis we can offer of what we can only call Jesus's "vocation" is that he believed, through his prayerful study of the scriptures and his reading of what he himself called the "signs of the times," that the full force of this great combined river would accomplish the purposes for which Israel itself had been called in the first place; and that it would do so in him, in his willing obedience to this vast and terrifying purpose. Israel's God had promised to return and establish his kingdom. He would do this in and as the Messiah, the servant. In and as Jesus of Nazareth."For Jesus, and for us, his vocation had far more than just "religious" implications:"The whole point of Jesus's public career was not to tell people that God was in heaven and that, at death, they could leave "earth" behind and go to be with him there. It was to tell them that God was now taking charge, right here on "earth"; that they should pray for this to happen; that they should recognize, in his own work, the signs that it was happening indeed; and that when he completed his work, it would become reality."At every step, from his baptism through the cross and resurrection to the ascension, Wright engages Jesus' life and teachings, demonstrating how Jesus' every action, every word, pointed towards fulfilling this vocation Wright has sketched out.The book concludes with an outstanding reflection on what it means to say that Jesus is King today, what it means to live in the time between Jesus' ascension and the Second Coming. Here Wright's discussion of Heaven and Earth not as two separate physical places, but as overlapping (but not yet joined) modes of existence is particularly helpful.In the end, Jesus' rule is lived out through his Church. We are responsible to bear witness to the reign of Jesus. In every nook and cranny of our culture."In between resurrection and ascension, on the one hand, and the second coming, on the other, Jesus is the one who sends the Holy Spirit, his own Spirit, into the lives of his followers, so that he himself is powerfully present with them and in them, guiding them, directing them, and above all enabling them to bear witness to him as the world's true Lord and work to make that sovereign rule a reality."Wright calls us to ground our kingdom-living in worship, prayer and Scripture. But it can't stop there. Just as Jesus' ministry was, our vocation is to be lived out in public. Wright's vision of what the Church could be is exciting and energizing. By the end of the book, I was underlining every sentence, restraining myself from jumping up and cheering.Yes, it's that good. Go read it right now.Bottom Line: An accessible, exciting and enlightening book, Simply Jesus is a must read for anyone trying to take seriously what it means to follow Jesus today.

Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He MattersPart 1 of review: Content-What was most important or interesting?The story of Jesus is the story about how God became King on earth as it is in heaven, argues first century historian, pastor, professor and former Bishop Tom Wright. Jesus was and is a first century Jew and therefore we must see him for who he is and not study him from our own cultural view. Wright uses the analogy of two perfect storms to describe first, the modern day view of Jesus and then the storm to which Jesus entered into the eye of during his day. The latter I found most interesting and learned the most from. Israel's story is in the exodus and they believed the time was right for God to come and fulfill Biblical prophecy. He will come to his house, the temple in Jerusalem, riding on a cloud of fury to rescue his people from the tyrant Rome. Yes Israel was correct, "the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15 NASB). Fifteen hundred or so years before, Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land. God had delivered his people Israel from the tyrant of Egypt through a miraculous series of plagues. Now Jesus is being baptized by his cousin John in the Jordan, symbolizing his anointing as king (pg. 170). Israel's King had arrived to deliver them from the real tyrant, Satan, and from the power of sin and death. Yes the "time" is right, for the kingdom has come on earth as in heaven, but not in the way you thought it would come. Heaven and earth have come together alright, but not at the "space" at which you thought it would come (the temple in Jerusalem). Heaven and earth have come together in me, the Word made flesh! God had arrived in space, time and matter. Then Jesus showed them what that kingdom looks like-it looks like celebration, healing and forgiveness. "Matter" was transformed by Jesus as he did miracles. Jesus gave a poke in the eye to both Herod Antipas, the unofficial "king of the Jews" (pg. 68) and to the chief priests, who ruled the temple; both of whom tried to kill Jesus, Herod failed, but the chief priests succeeded. This too was to fulfill prophecy and signify Jesus's kingdom, as he was enthroned on the cross.Part 2 of review: My assessment based on the author's objectives.In the preface Wright asks the following questions about Jesus: Who exactly was he? What did he think he was up to? What did he do and say, why was he killed, and did he rise from the dead? Since he called people to follow him, and since people have been trying to do that ever since, what might "following him" entail? How can we know if we are on the right track?I think Bishop Wright did a great job of answering his own questions. Who exactly was Jesus? Jesus is the new temple-the place where heaven and earth meet. He replaced the old incarnational symbol, as Wright puts it (pg.133). Jesus is the jubilee, the time when God's kingdom is coming on earth as it is in heaven (pg. 137). As Jesus said, "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15 KJV); the kingdom of God is already among you" (Luke 17:21 NLT). Jesus was up to being King on earth as it is in heaven and everything he did was to fulfill that calling, "the kingdom project," as Bishop Wright states. Jesus baptism is his anointing as King and the miracles he did show how heaven and earth have come together in his person. This is why Jesus died and ascended to heaven, because in doing so he gained the victory over death, sin and Satan (pg. 126). His resurrection is the beginning of the new creation. Jesus's followers are an extension of the temple-where heaven and earth meet and thus should be about the work of the kingdom-helping, loving, serving the oppressed, impoverished and the sick (pg. 218). Jesus is working in and through spirit filled followers to advance the kingdom of God on earth (pg. 215).Part 3 of review: My assessment based on my own criteria. 1) What have I learned?2) What areas are helpful to me in the ministry and how is it helpful? 3) I'm not convinced with...?Simply Jesus was a very interesting book, which I read on Kindle for PC. Yes Jesus was a first century Jew and I've learned from Wright that we need to place greater emphasis on what this means. Salvation comes through Israel and its history is in the exodus story. Wright states that Jesus fulfilled the exodus story: the tyrant, the new leader, the sacrifice, the victory, the way of life, the inheritance, and the presence of God (pg.64, 174). Jesus defeated sin, death and Satan. He is the Passover sacrifice who provided the victory in his death and resurrection. He offers us a new spirit filled life. He gives us a new creation - heaven and earth as an inheritance and he is the presence of God in the flesh. Yes the kingdom of God is a present reality which will be concluded at Jesus' second coming. This point helps me to understand the Biblical narrative. It also helps me to see our inclusion in what God is doing. As was stated earlier, followers of Jesus are an extension of the temple and this is how God's kingdom has come on earth as in heaven.Although Jesus was a first century Jew, and the time was fulfilled for him to come as God in the flesh so that the kingdom would come on earth as in heaven, I'm not convinced that Jesus now looks at the world from that standpoint any longer. Jesus has become the reality of all of the signposts, declares Wright. Long before Jesus was a Jew, he was the Word God (John 1). For it wasn't a first century Jew who came to die for our sins, it was God himself. He said, "Before Abraham was I am (John 8:58). Jesus's consciousness of who he was and is as God is greater than the consciousness that he has of being a Jew.Buy the Kindle version of this book. Kindle allows you to do a word search, save notes, highlighted sections and bookmarks conveniently in a column on the left. It also has a built in dictionary that allows you to quickly look up an unfamiliar word by highlighting it and get its meaning. If you don't have a Kindle, download Kindle for PC for free.