Chapter One
Week One
The Jesus
I Thought I Knew
I first got acquainted with Jesus when I was a child, singing
"Jesus Loves Me" in Sunday school, addressing bedtime prayers to
"Dear Lord Jesus," watching Bible club teachers move cutout figures
across a flannelgraph board. I associated Jesus with Kool-Aid
and sugar cookies and gold stars for good attendance.
Later, while attending a Bible college, I encountered a different
image. A painting popular in those days depicted Jesus, hands
outstretched, suspended in a Dalí-like pose over the United
Nations building in New York City. In 1971 the film The Gospel
According to St. Matthew, by Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini,
again helped to force a disturbing revaluation of my image of Jesus.
In Pasolini's portrayal, in physical appearance Jesus favored those
who would have been kicked out of Bible college and rejected by
most churches. Among his contemporaries, the Bible says he
somehow gained a reputation as a "winebibber and a glutton."
Those in authority, whether religious or political, regarded him as
a troublemaker, a disturber of the peace.
I have studied Jesus extensively in Catholic, liberal Protestant,
and conservative evangelical seminaries. For two years I
taught a class on the life of Jesus, using a variety of movies about
his life as a springboard for discussion. In all of my study, I learned
that whenever I returned to the Gospels, the fog that accompanied
an academic approach seemed to lift. The films about Jesus helped
restore Jesus' humanity. Jesus, I found, was far less tame than the
Jesus I had met in Sunday school and Bible college. He seemed more
emotional than the average person, not less. More passionate, not
less. How is it, then, that the church has tamed such a character?
I have not written a book about Jesus because he is a great
man who changed history. I am drawn to Jesus, irresistibly, because
he positioned himself as the dividing point of life-my life. He
said, "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of
Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God" (Luke
12:8). According to Jesus, what I think about him and how I
respond will determine my destiny for all eternity. Can I resolve
my own inner tension between doubter and lover?
Viewing Jesus on Film, Optional, 10 Minutes
Note: In the introduction to this guide, you will find information
about how to use movies as a study aid in your weekly
groups or classes. In addition, in the back of this guide I have
included a section titled "Movie Appendix," which lists some of
the movies I've used for my teaching purposes, summarized in
order of their potential usefulness.
Consider using clips from the following films as an opening
to your time together.
Oh, God!: At the twenty-five-minute mark, God, played
by George Burns, answers some of the most troubling questions
about him, with surprising answers.
Godspell: Begins with a buoyant "Prepare ye the way of
the Lord" scene.
Jesus of Nazareth, tape 3: Jesus blasts the Pharisees, at the
fifteen-minute mark. Also, five minutes after this scene, a
member of the Sanhedrin debates who Jesus really is.
Heaven: See the segment "What Is God Like?" around
the thirty-minute mark, but be sure to avoid the profanity.
Also see a depiction of how Christians come across in the
debate on "Can You Prove There's a Heaven?" around the
fifty-three-minute mark.
Jesus of Montreal: Confused, modern actor on quest for
Jesus, at the ten-minute mark.
King of Kings I: Classic portrayal of "Jesus meek and
mild" healing a little girl's Roman soldier doll (!) at the thirty-five-minute
mark.
Seeing Jesus through Scripture
Read together the following passage: Mark 6:1-6
Looking at Jesus Within and Without, 25 Minutes
You may be studying in a small group (less than twelve
people) or in a larger group. For this section, break into groups of
four to six people. Introduce yourselves to one another and tell
about your family. How many siblings do you have? Where did you
grow up? Are you married? Do you have children?
1. What did the people in Jesus' hometown think of him?
Imagine your brother or cousin or friend suddenly
beginning to teach, with no formal training, in the city's
biggest church. Imagine this person performing miracles.
What would you think? What would people say?
2. Have you had someone close to you who really didn't
know or understand you? How did this make you feel? Share as you feel comfortable. Do you think Jesus felt
something similar?
3. How did the lack of understanding by Jesus' own people
affect his use of his power through miracles?
My friend isn't attending church, because she says
Christians give Jesus a bad name. She claims the church
could be the most powerful movement in the world if
Christians would really get to know Jesus. What do you
think of her opinion of Christians?
4. Do you think people today have any clearer picture of
who Jesus is than did the people in his day? How do you
think Jesus feels about the confusing portrait presented
in today's church or by some individuals?
5. The vision of Christ that thou dost see
Is my vision's greatest enemy: Thine has a great hook nose like to mine
Both read the Bible day and night, But thou read'st black where I read white. William Blake
In your mind's eye, what did Jesus look like? Tall? Short? Handsome? Curly hair or straight? Dark- or
light-complected? Where did you get this picture of
him (films, paintings, books, Sunday school)? Can you
describe specific images from the past?
6. I mention several images of Jesus from my past. Which
of these do you identify with?
A Victorian nanny who pats the heads of children and
advises kindness to mummy and daddy
An ever friendly Mister Rogers-kind, gentle, and soft-spoken
A Star Trek Vulcan-calm, cool, and collected among
excitable human beings on spaceship earth
A cosmic Christ hovering over the United Nations
building
A radical hippie concerned with politics and peace-making
A televangelist type-always spiritual, full of God-talk, and eager to prove his identity through miracles
Other:
Who or what prompted this vision? Talk about the
church or religious environment in which you grew up.
Has your vision of Jesus changed much?
7. What scares you about coming to know the real Jesus?
8. With the help of Jesus and this group, what do you most
want to understand about Jesus?
Do you have any prayer needs to share with the group?
No one who meets Jesus ever stays the same.
Being Seen by Jesus, 5-10 Minutes
This last section of each study will give you a few minutes to
personally invite Jesus into your study. It will be a time of silence,
giving you a chance to share with him your questions, your needs,
your thanks. You may not be accustomed to sharing quiet time
together, but give it a try. This is a time to sit in the presence of
Jesus as a corporate body and receive from him in a personal way.
As you become comfortable, you'll find it a rich experience. Spend
the time today in quiet, individual prayer. Feel free to add to the
following prayer in the space provided. You may choose to keep a
journal throughout the study. Bring it to class and use it during this
time, to write your prayers, record your thoughts, or make notes on
the discussion.
Dear Jesus, I am setting out on a journey that will bring
me to a place of clearer vision, a place where I can better see you.
A part of me wants only to close my eyes and stay where I am.
But a part of me needs to know you better, needs to gaze on
nothing but you. Enter the eyes of my mind, my heart. Help me
along
Further Glimpses of Jesus
Look for art in your home that portrays Jesus. Bring
some to class next week, including wall hangings, necklaces, pocket cards, and pictures in books.
Look for old Christmas cards. Bring what you find to
class next week.
Gazing on Jesus This Week, Optional
You can integrate this study into your life throughout the
week by using the following Scripture passages and book excerpt
in your quiet moments. Reflect on these readings as your time
allows.
Day 1: Isaiah 8:13-15; 9:1-7
Day 2: Matthew 1:18-2:23
Day 3: Mark 10:13-16; Luke 13:10-17
Day 4: Luke 11:37-54
Day 5: Luke 15:1-7
The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused Him of being a bore-on the contrary; they
thought Him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for
later generations to muffle up that shattering personality
and surround Him with an atmosphere of tedium. We
have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified Him "meek and mild," and recommended Him
as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old
ladies. To those who knew Him, however, He in no way
suggested a milk-and-water person; they objected to Him
as a dangerous firebrand. True, He was tender to the
unfortunate, patient with honest inquirers, and humble
before Heaven; but He insulted respectable clergymen by
calling them hypocrites; He referred to King Herod as
"that fox"; He went to parties in disreputable company and
was looked upon as a "gluttonous man and a winebibber, a
friend of publicans and sinners"; He assaulted indignant
tradesmen and threw them and their belongings out of the
Temple; He drove a coach-and-horses through a number
of sacrosanct and hoary regulations; He cured diseases by
any means that came handy, with a shocking casualness in
the matter of other people's pigs and property; He showed
no proper deference for wealth or social position; when
confronted with neat dialectical traps, He displayed a
paradoxical humour that affronted serious-minded people, and He retorted by asking disagreeably searching questions
that could not be answered by rule of thumb. He was
emphatically not a dull man in His human lifetime, and if
He was God, there can be nothing dull about God either.
But He had "a daily beauty in His life that made us ugly,"
and officialdom felt that the established order of things
would be more secure without Him. So they did away with
God in the name of peace and quietness.
Continues.
Chapter One
Week One
The Jesus
I Thought I Knew
I first got acquainted with Jesus when I was a child, singing
"Jesus Loves Me" in Sunday school, addressing bedtime prayers to
"Dear Lord Jesus," watching Bible club teachers move cutout figures
across a flannelgraph board. I associated Jesus with Kool-Aid
and sugar cookies and gold stars for good attendance.
Later, while attending a Bible college, I encountered a different
image. A painting popular in those days depicted Jesus, hands
outstretched, suspended in a Dalí-like pose over the United
Nations building in New York City. In 1971 the film The Gospel
According to St. Matthew, by Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini,
again helped to force a disturbing revaluation of my image of Jesus.
In Pasolini's portrayal, in physical appearance Jesus favored those
who would have been kicked out of Bible college and rejected by
most churches. Among his contemporaries, the Bible says he
somehow gained a reputation as a "winebibber and a glutton."
Those in authority, whether religious or political, regarded him as
a troublemaker, a disturber of the peace.
I have studied Jesus extensively in Catholic, liberal Protestant,
and conservative evangelical seminaries. For two years I
taught a class on the life of Jesus, using a variety of movies about
his life as a springboard for discussion. In all of my study, I learned
that whenever I returned to the Gospels, the fog that accompanied
an academic approach seemed to lift. The films about Jesus helped
restore Jesus' humanity. Jesus, I found, was far less tame than the
Jesus I had met in Sunday school and Bible college. He seemed more
emotional than the average person, not less. More passionate, not
less. How is it, then, that the church has tamed such a character?
I have not written a book about Jesus because he is a great
man who changed history. I am drawn to Jesus, irresistibly, because
he positioned himself as the dividing point of life-my life. He
said, "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of
Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God" (Luke
12:8). According to Jesus, what I think about him and how I
respond will determine my destiny for all eternity. Can I resolve
my own inner tension between doubter and lover?
Viewing Jesus on Film, Optional, 10 Minutes
Note: In the introduction to this guide, you will find information
about how to use movies as a study aid in your weekly
groups or classes. In addition, in the back of this guide I have
included a section titled "Movie Appendix," which lists some of
the movies I've used for my teaching purposes, summarized in
order of their potential usefulness.
Consider using clips from the following films as an opening
to your time together.
Oh, God!: At the twenty-five-minute mark, God, played
by George Burns, answers some of the most troubling questions
about him, with surprising answers.
Godspell: Begins with a buoyant "Prepare ye the way of
the Lord" scene.
Jesus of Nazareth, tape 3: Jesus blasts the Pharisees, at the
fifteen-minute mark. Also, five minutes after this scene, a
member of the Sanhedrin debates who Jesus really is.
Heaven: See the segment "What Is God Like?" around
the thirty-minute mark, but be sure to avoid the profanity.
Also see a depiction of how Christians come across in the
debate on "Can You Prove There's a Heaven?" around the
fifty-three-minute mark.
Jesus of Montreal: Confused, modern actor on quest for
Jesus, at the ten-minute mark.
King of Kings I: Classic portrayal of "Jesus meek and
mild" healing a little girl's Roman soldier doll (!) at the thirty-five-minute
mark.
Seeing Jesus through Scripture
Read together the following passage: Mark 6:1-6
Looking at Jesus Within and Without, 25 Minutes
You may be studying in a small group (less than twelve
people) or in a larger group. For this section, break into groups of
four to six people. Introduce yourselves to one another and tell
about your family. How many siblings do you have? Where did you
grow up? Are you married? Do you have children?
1. What did the people in Jesus' hometown think of him?
Imagine your brother or cousin or friend suddenly
beginning to teach, with no formal training, in the city's
biggest church. Imagine this person performing miracles.
What would you think? What would people say?
2. Have you had someone close to you who really didn't
know or understand you? How did this make you feel? Share as you feel comfortable. Do you think Jesus felt
something similar?
3. How did the lack of understanding by Jesus' own people
affect his use of his power through miracles?
My friend isn't attending church, because she says
Christians give Jesus a bad name. She claims the church
could be the most powerful movement in the world if
Christians would really get to know Jesus. What do you
think of her opinion of Christians?
4. Do you think people today have any clearer picture of
who Jesus is than did the people in his day? How do you
think Jesus feels about the confusing portrait presented
in today's church or by some individuals?
5. The vision of Christ that thou dost see
Is my vision's greatest enemy: Thine has a great hook nose like to mine
Both read the Bible day and night, But thou read'st black where I read white. William Blake
In your mind's eye, what did Jesus look like? Tall? Short? Handsome? Curly hair or straight? Dark- or
light-complected? Where did you get this picture of
him (films, paintings, books, Sunday school)? Can you
describe specific images from the past?
6. I mention several images of Jesus from my past. Which
of these do you identify with?
A Victorian nanny who pats the heads of children and
advises kindness to mummy and daddy
An ever friendly Mister Rogers-kind, gentle, and soft-spoken
A Star Trek Vulcan-calm, cool, and collected among
excitable human beings on spaceship earth
A cosmic Christ hovering over the United Nations
building
A radical hippie concerned with politics and peace-making
A televangelist type-always spiritual, full of God-talk, and eager to prove his identity through miracles
Other:
Who or what prompted this vision? Talk about the
church or religious environment in which you grew up.
Has your vision of Jesus changed much?
7. What scares you about coming to know the real Jesus?
8. With the help of Jesus and this group, what do you most
want to understand about Jesus?
Do you have any prayer needs to share with the group?
No one who meets Jesus ever stays the same.
Being Seen by Jesus, 5-10 Minutes
This last section of each study will give you a few minutes to
personally invite Jesus into your study. It will be a time of silence,
giving you a chance to share with him your questions, your needs,
your thanks. You may not be accustomed to sharing quiet time
together, but give it a try. This is a time to sit in the presence of
Jesus as a corporate body and receive from him in a personal way.
As you become comfortable, you'll find it a rich experience. Spend
the time today in quiet, individual prayer. Feel free to add to the
following prayer in the space provided. You may choose to keep a
journal throughout the study. Bring it to class and use it during this
time, to write your prayers, record your thoughts, or make notes on
the discussion.
Dear Jesus, I am setting out on a journey that will bring
me to a place of clearer vision, a place where I can better see you.
A part of me wants only to close my eyes and stay where I am.
But a part of me needs to know you better, needs to gaze on
nothing but you. Enter the eyes of my mind, my heart. Help me
along
Further Glimpses of Jesus
Look for art in your home that portrays Jesus. Bring
some to class next week, including wall hangings, necklaces, pocket cards, and pictures in books.
Look for old Christmas cards. Bring what you find to
class next week.
Gazing on Jesus This Week, Optional
You can integrate this study into your life throughout the
week by using the following Scripture passages and book excerpt
in your quiet moments. Reflect on these readings as your time
allows.
Day 1: Isaiah 8:13-15; 9:1-7
Day 2: Matthew 1:18-2:23
Day 3: Mark 10:13-16; Luke 13:10-17
Day 4: Luke 11:37-54
Day 5: Luke 15:1-7
The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused Him of being a bore-on the contrary; they
thought Him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for
later generations to muffle up that shattering personality
and surround Him with an atmosphere of tedium. We
have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified Him "meek and mild," and recommended Him
as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old
ladies. To those who knew Him, however, He in no way
suggested a milk-and-water person; they objected to Him
as a dangerous firebrand. True, He was tender to the
unfortunate, patient with honest inquirers, and humble
before Heaven; but He insulted respectable clergymen by
calling them hypocrites; He referred to King Herod as
"that fox"; He went to parties in disreputable company and
was looked upon as a "gluttonous man and a winebibber, a
friend of publicans and sinners"; He assaulted indignant
tradesmen and threw them and their belongings out of the
Temple; He drove a coach-and-horses through a number
of sacrosanct and hoary regulations; He cured diseases by
any means that came handy, with a shocking casualness in
the matter of other people's pigs and property; He showed
no proper deference for wealth or social position; when
confronted with neat dialectical traps, He displayed a
paradoxical humour that affronted serious-minded people, and He retorted by asking disagreeably searching questions
that could not be answered by rule of thumb. He was
emphatically not a dull man in His human lifetime, and if
He was God, there can be nothing dull about God either.
But He had "a daily beauty in His life that made us ugly,"
and officialdom felt that the established order of things
would be more secure without Him. So they did away with
God in the name of peace and quietness.
(Continues.)
