Publisher's Synopsis
There are 2.2 billion Christians today who revere Jesus as the Savior of the world and another 1.6 billion Muslims who honor him as a prophet of God. It is hard to imagine who else could be called "the most honored man who ever lived." This, of course, doesn't prove anything, but it does suggest spending a little time learning about Jesus could be good. During Jesus' life, the Roman Empire was at its peak. Rome was the world's largest city and only superpower. The Pax Romana had begun a generation before the birth of Jesus and would continue after his death for two centuries. The exception to this Roman stability was the Mideast, a powder keg of unrest. Jewish-Roman wars erupted about thirty years after Jesus died, and continued on and off for sixty years until every remnant of the Jewish temple had been obliterated, Jerusalem was in ruins, and the majority of the Jews who survived were dispersed throughout the world. For decades before the wars began, the Jewish people had difficulty thinking of themselves as God's Chosen People when God was allowing them to be ruled by emperors who outrageously proclaimed themselves divine, taxed everyone endlessly and sold the office of chief priest each year to the highest bidder. With the exception of those who benefited from Roman rule, the Jews longed for the days when prophets like Elijah proclaimed God's judgment on evildoers, priests like Aaron interceded for them with God, and kings like David ruled with righteousness and justice. This was the world to which Jesus came as a new kind of prophet, priest and king, who declared himself to be the fulfillment of ancient prophecies. He raised the hopes of those who longed for a better world, and incurred the wrath of those who had power and privilege in the world as it was. The revolution Jesus proclaimed was not what anyone expected. He lived a simple and humble life, but was accused of partying too much and spending too much time with the most outrageous social outcasts. He was wildly popular because of the people he healed and the miracles he performed, but he made lots of enemies by refusing to abide by accepted rules and customs. His revolution was totally out of step with the world because he advocated outrageous love (even for enemies!) and humble service. He said a day was coming when the rich and powerful would be judged for all their misdeeds, and those who were victims of oppression and abuse would finally see justice done. Not surprisingly, the powers that be decided Jesus could not be allowed to continue promoting such a revolution. They determined he must be silenced. Permanently. The chosen form of punishment, crucifixion, was notorious for its humiliation and cruelty. The death of Jesus should have been the end of the story. It wasn't. The resurrection Jesus experienced was even more unexpected than the revolutionary kingdom he proclaimed. It demonstrated nothing less than the power of God to defeat the forces of evil and death. The resurrection of Jesus re-energized his band of followers who had given up all hope. Within a matter of days they went from being afraid to be seen in public, to boldly proclaiming the resurrection. They eventually sacrificed their lives rather than recant their testimony. In many ways, the story of Jesus began long before the gospels were written and continued long after his crucifixion and resurrection. The scope of this book, though, is the period covered by the Bible's four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It begins with stories of his birth and ends with appearances to his disciples in the days following the resurrection. Encountering Jesus Today: Revolution and Resurrection blends the Bible's four gospels into one story. Each section contains a text box with information to help readers encounter Jesus through what they read.
