Jesus Behaving Badly, Mark L. Strauss
Jesus Behaving Badly, Mark L. Strauss
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Jesus Behaving Badly
The Puzzling Paradoxes of the Man from Galilee

Author: Mark L. Strauss

Narrator: Mark L. Strauss

Unabridged: 6 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/11/2015

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 templeHe 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 Mark L. Strauss

Mark L. Strauss (PhD, Aberdeen) is university professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary, where he has served since 1993. His books include Four Portraits, One Jesus; How to Read the Bible in Changing Times; The Essential Bible Companion; and commentaries on Mark and Luke. He also serves as vice chair of the Committee on Bible Translation for the New International Version translation.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bob on March 20, 2017

Summary: Explores some of the disturbing acts and statements of Jesus, that actually reveal his counter-cultural message and mission. A number of years ago I was leading a Bible discussion with a group of students on Mark 7:25-30, where a Syrophoenician woman asks Jesus to drive a demon out of her da......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on November 11, 2015

Why do people like Jesus so much? Mark Strauss thinks that if they read the New Testament a little more carefully, they might not. After all, Jesus “told people to hate their families, to cut off body parts, and to eat his flesh and drink his blood. He . . . upheld the special status of the Hebrews i......more

Goodreads review by Christy on February 04, 2017

Jesus Behaving Badly explores the apparent contradictions in the life of Jesus. How can it be that some people view Jesus as a revolutionary and others view Him as a pacifist? Some people view Him as angry and others view him as loving. Some people consider Jesus an environmentalist and other claim......more

Goodreads review by Peter on February 21, 2019

This is my first time reviewing a book that was a gift from the author. Mark Strauss provides a stimulating discussion of some of the more challenging elements of the life and ministry of Jesus. His discussions are grounded in sound exegetical methodology, and he displays humility in presenting diff......more

Goodreads review by Tom on May 03, 2016

Whether you've read the Bible for years and find certain statements of Jesus out- of- character or you're new too it and are struggling with who Jesus is, Strauss has produced a good starting place for working through some if the more difficult passages. He doesn't waste words and at times leaves po......more

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