Surprised by Jesus: His Agenda for Changing Everything in A.D. 30 and Today

by Tim Stafford

We all know who Jesus is--or think we do. We see children flock to him and gentle wisdom lovingly pour from him. We see the kindest man in the world. But these pictures are deceptively familiar. In the Gospels Jesus says and does many puzzling things--like shriveling a fig tree or telling followers to keep his miracles a secret. He is hard on his opponents, the Pharisees, but also makes extreme demands on his followers--like urging them to be as perfect as the Father in heaven. Tim Stafford, informed by acclaimed New Testament scholars such as N. T. Wright, takes us behind such two-dimensional images by unearthing the specific historical and cultural situation of Jesus' day. What Jesus said about the kingdom of God, about sin, about Satan, about prayer, about the temple, about Israel and the people of God were all profoundly affected by his being a Jew in a land dominated by the ancient Romans. In fact, through his message and actions he meant to change things far more profoundly in his day and ours than we can ever imagine.

Genres: Christianity, Christian Living

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[John Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stafford points out that Jesus submitted to baptism not because of any individual sin, but rather because he identified, as a first century Jew, with the sins of the nation of Israel. Likewise, today baptism shouldn't be viewed as an individual act; it is identifying with a group: the Church. We, like Jesus, need to be baptized as an early step of faith.
To truly follow Jesus, Stafford says, Christians must endure other followers who might displease us: self-important preachers, bad musicians, and our congregation enduring budget crunches. If we are attempting to follow Jesus' mission, we will be targeted by Satan. As evident by the devil taunting Jesus in the wilderness, temptation will be the natural outgrowth of baptism in the Holy Spirit. We should follow the Lord's pattern when tempted by Satan Don't order him to go away or argue with him; quote the truths of Scripture.
Stafford asserts that Christians miss the boat when they believe salvation is about how God can enrich them personally instead of how they can build the kingdom of God. the problem with the long-accepted "four spiritual laws" is that it places the "decision" made by humans above God's sovereignty. Again, following in Jesus' steps is not an individual matter. Stafford points out that the Lord's Prayer is about community in God's Kingdom, not a roadmap to finding the right job, the best marriage partner, or the key to recovering from illness

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shot onto my top ten list--and my admiration grew with every chapter. As I've been learning about N. T. Wright's bombshell revelations of Jesus' actual first-century historical and political context, I felt there was a desperate need for a readable, non-massive book that would make much of his work available to the average Bible reader and teacher. Thank you, Tim Stafford--here it is! I devoured it, learned a lot, and plan to reread it, probably more than once. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say every Christian leader and teacher should read this--probably most disciples of Jesus. And most skeptics who have any interest in clearing away the cobwebs of myth, legend, and popular Christian culture. (Along these lines I also recommend Jesus Without Religion by Rick James.) But judge for yourself--and let us know what you think!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stafford helps the reader understand the life and significance of Jesus in his cultural/historical context, and in doing so gives a fresh and helpful angle on a familiar story. What's the big deal with John the Baptist? Why did Jesus get baptized? Many such questions are answered well. His style is readable and engaging. The only point where I found myself frustrated with the book was in chapter 9, "Works of Power." In this chapter Stafford acknowledges the importance of modern miracles to the Christian faith, but then takes a pretty cautious view towards them. His theories about the lack of abundance of modern miracles were not well-grounded in scripture and were unconvincing. Also, his description of the significance of John Wimber's prayer movement, while attempting to be fair-minded, leaves a lot to be desired. Apart from this one chapter, though, the book is very good.

[Clara Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another book I had difficulty in putting down. Stafford covers in 238 pages Gods plan as he changed the world in A.D. 30 and still does so today. Stafford reminds us that "Jesus' agenda is the kingdom of God." Also he points out that "the resurrection was extraordinary viindication of Jesus' claim that he was the Messiah". Jesus was the first to be reurrected and those of us who have accepted Jesus as saviour will be ressurrected when Jesus comes back for those who belong to Him.

[Abby]

I really enjoyed this book. It was more than just facts, but appealed to my emotional side as well. I like books that give you applications for life.

[Sean-david · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which one of the classes I teach is using.