What do you think?
Rate this book
Who Is This Man?: The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus
Jesus' impact on our world is highly unlikely, widely inescapable, largely unknown, and decidedly double-edged. It is unlikely in light of the severe limitations of his earthly life; it is inescapable because of the range of his impact; it is unknown because history doesn't connect dots; and it is doubled-edged because his followers have wreaked so much havoc, often in his name.
He is history's most familiar figure, yet he is the man no one knows. His impact on the world is immense and non-accidental. From the Dark Ages to Post-Modernity, he is the Man who won't go away.
And yet... you can miss him in historical lists for many reasons, maybe the most obvious being the way he lived his life. He did not loudly and demonstrably defend his movement in the spirit of a rising political or military leader. He did not lay out a case that history would judge his brand of belief superior in all future books.
His life and teaching simply drew people to follow him. He made history by starting in a humble place, in a spirit of love and acceptance, and allowing each person space to respond.
His vision of life continues to haunt and challenge humanity. His influence has swept over history, bringing inspiration to what has happened in art, science, government, medicine, and education; he has taught humans about dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and hope.
©2012 John Ortberg (P)2012 Zondervan
He is history's most familiar figure, yet he is the man no one knows. His impact on the world is immense and non-accidental. From the Dark Ages to Post-Modernity, he is the Man who won't go away.
And yet... you can miss him in historical lists for many reasons, maybe the most obvious being the way he lived his life. He did not loudly and demonstrably defend his movement in the spirit of a rising political or military leader. He did not lay out a case that history would judge his brand of belief superior in all future books.
His life and teaching simply drew people to follow him. He made history by starting in a humble place, in a spirit of love and acceptance, and allowing each person space to respond.
His vision of life continues to haunt and challenge humanity. His influence has swept over history, bringing inspiration to what has happened in art, science, government, medicine, and education; he has taught humans about dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and hope.
©2012 John Ortberg (P)2012 Zondervan
Audiobook
First published November 4, 2012
381 people are currently reading
1783 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
November 1, 2012
I love John Ortberg’s writing, and this book has not changed my mind at all about his writing or his teaching. In Ortberg’s new book, Who Is This Man? There were some awesome historical contexts around many of Jesus' stories told in the gospels as well as how radical Jesus' ideas were within those political and social contexts. I always thought I knew my bible but after reading Ortberg’s writing of Who Is This Man? I know in my heart and soul that in fact Jesus was human just like we are and He did make His own mistakes, but ended up paying the ultimate price.
“We often do not live in the way of Jesus. It is strange how our heroes have changed.” (Chapter 6)
“You and I are not morally superior to members of the ancient world. We are no better because we live later. But we live in a world that has changed in this regard. We live in a world where the lowliest of the low are seen differently than they were two thousand years ago.” (Chapter 6)
This book is one you will want to keep in your library to read again and for a great reference book. I highly recommend this book to anyone, Christians, and non-Christians alike, you will love to read the historical context, and it is amazing.
“We often do not live in the way of Jesus. It is strange how our heroes have changed.” (Chapter 6)
“You and I are not morally superior to members of the ancient world. We are no better because we live later. But we live in a world that has changed in this regard. We live in a world where the lowliest of the low are seen differently than they were two thousand years ago.” (Chapter 6)
This book is one you will want to keep in your library to read again and for a great reference book. I highly recommend this book to anyone, Christians, and non-Christians alike, you will love to read the historical context, and it is amazing.
April 9, 2013
The essential premise of John Ortberg's Who Is This Man? The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus, is that Christianity has had a great impact on society. Hardly earth shattering news. Somehow, Ortberg seems to think this legitimizes Jesus for the world, but, of course, it does not. A Christian will not point to the lived out faith as proof that Jesus was Christ, but instead focus on Jesus. Ortberg does show ways the influence of Christianity has spread, but he tends to focus on the all the good ways, instead of the evil. He gives passing mention to some errors, but if you want to focus on the role of Christianity in the world, you have to address the Inquisitions, Christian support for slavery, Christian countries warring, and countless examples of individual misuses of Christ's teachings.
One thinks of Gandhi's reply to why he rejects Christ. "Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It is just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Which is one of the few quotes in the world which does not make it into this book. Ortberg strings quote after quote after quote together, quite often from four or five unrelated sources, on a single page. Sometimes they relate, sometimes they do not, but you want to hear more from Ortberg and less from everyone else. These are broken up by some very bad, classic "preacher" jokes which are often forced into the text.
Clearly, I found this all annoying. What he does have to say of value is what you would pick up in any history of Christianity class or text. Now, let it be known that I'm in the minority here. This is book is very popular and has spawned many study groups. If it succeeds in getting people talking about their faith, there is something going right. And many may argue that I get Ortberg's goal wrong. An arguable point, so feel free to disagree in the comments.
And just when it seems that all hope is lost for the book, I do find some saving grace (pun intended) as Ortberg turns his attention at the end to the three essential days in Christianity: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Here we get a glimpse of what Ortberg has to share if he quits quoting others and writes his own thoughts. His reflections on each of these days are simple, but strong. Especially interesting are his thoughts on the Saturday, when no hope existed. If you are looking for devotional reading for Easter Weekend, use these three chapters.
As for the rest, spend time instead with a good history of Christianity. And never confuse Christians with Christianity -- we are stumbling lot seeking the perfection of Christ, but always falling short.
One thinks of Gandhi's reply to why he rejects Christ. "Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It is just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Which is one of the few quotes in the world which does not make it into this book. Ortberg strings quote after quote after quote together, quite often from four or five unrelated sources, on a single page. Sometimes they relate, sometimes they do not, but you want to hear more from Ortberg and less from everyone else. These are broken up by some very bad, classic "preacher" jokes which are often forced into the text.
Clearly, I found this all annoying. What he does have to say of value is what you would pick up in any history of Christianity class or text. Now, let it be known that I'm in the minority here. This is book is very popular and has spawned many study groups. If it succeeds in getting people talking about their faith, there is something going right. And many may argue that I get Ortberg's goal wrong. An arguable point, so feel free to disagree in the comments.
And just when it seems that all hope is lost for the book, I do find some saving grace (pun intended) as Ortberg turns his attention at the end to the three essential days in Christianity: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Here we get a glimpse of what Ortberg has to share if he quits quoting others and writes his own thoughts. His reflections on each of these days are simple, but strong. Especially interesting are his thoughts on the Saturday, when no hope existed. If you are looking for devotional reading for Easter Weekend, use these three chapters.
As for the rest, spend time instead with a good history of Christianity. And never confuse Christians with Christianity -- we are stumbling lot seeking the perfection of Christ, but always falling short.
May 13, 2015
John Ortberg’s new book, Who Is This Man?, is a biography focused on the unexpected influence Jesus has on the many spheres of our lives. Ortberg writes:
“After his disappearance from earth, the days of his unusual influence began. That influence is what this book is about…Normally when someone dies, their impact on the world immediately begins to recede…Jesus’ impact was greater a hundred years after his death than during his life…after two thousand years he has more followers in more places than ever.” (11).
Talk about influence. Most of us would be happy if our parents and/or kids listened to us.
Ortberg has an eye for details and for things contrary to expectations, either today or in ancient times. For example, in evaluating Jesus as a leader, he outlines his strategy for influencing people. Paraphrasing a pep talk by Jesus for the disciples, he writes:
“Here’s our strategy. We have no money, no clout, no status, no buildings, no soldiers…We will tell them [Jewish and Romans leaders, Zealots, collaborators, Essenes] all that they are on the wrong track…When they hate us—and a lot of them will…we won’t fight back, we won’t run away, and we won’t give in. We will just keep loving them…That’s my strategy.” (107)
Huh? Who would have thought that a group using this strategy would even survive the first century, let alone influence anyone.
John Ortberg is the pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park , California which is part of the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO), a new denomination formed in 2012 . According to the foreword written Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State, this book started out as sermon series. The book is written in 15 chapters, including:
1. The Man Who Won’t Go Away,
2. The Collapse of Dignity,
3. A Revolution in Humanity,
4. What Does a Woman Want?
5. An Undistinguished Visiting Scholar,
6. Jesus Was Not a Great Man,
7. Help Your Friends, Punish Your Enemies,
8. There Are Things That Are Not Caesar’s,
9. The Good Life Versus The Good Person,
10. Why It’s a Small World After All,
11. The Truly Old-Fashioned Marriage,
12. Without Parallel in the Entire History of Art,
13. Friday,
14. Saturday, and
15. Sunday (5).
These chapters are preceded by a foreword and acknowledgments, and followed by an epilogue and references. I was first exposed this this material in a men’s group discussion where we viewed the DVD. There is also a separate study guide.
Ortberg is surprisingly well read drawing on details from a range of resources ancient and modern . For example, describing a bit of his own background from a psychologist’s perspective he writes:
“The quickest and most basic mental health assessment checks to see if people are ‘oriented times three’: whether they know who they are, where they are, and what day it is. I was given the name of Jesus’ friend John; I live in the Bay area named for Jesus’ friend Francis; I was born 1,957 years after Jesus. How could orientation depend so heavily on one life?” (11)
He observes that each of his 3 orientations (who, where, and when) were influenced directly by Jesus. Pretty good influence for someone who lived 2,000 years ago!
One of the chapters that impressed me the most was the chapter called: Saturday. Saturday after Good Friday and before Easter is starting to be celebrated as a religious holiday in itself—I often wondered why. Ortberg describes these 3 days as a typical 3-day story with a specific form: day 1 starts with trouble; day 2 there is nothing; and day 3 comes deliverance . The problem with day 2 is that you do not know if day 3 is coming—faith is required. Saturday is the only day in 2,000 years when not a single person on earth believed that Jesus was alive. It’s only on the third day that you know you are in a 3-day story! (175-177) Next year I think that I will look for a Saturday service to attend.
John Ortberg’s book, Who Is This Man?, offers a fresh description of Jesus, his thinking, and his life. Most Christians today have heard too many bland accounts of Jesus for our own good—so much so that we have trouble hearing God’s voice in these accounts. Ortberg’s insights come in explaining Jesus’ context so artfully that Jesus’ radical contribution is more obvious—Jesus steps out of the picture frame into the room with us. This is the kind of book that, after reading a couple chapters, you will want to buy copies for your family and friends. In other words, drop what you are doing and read this book.
“After his disappearance from earth, the days of his unusual influence began. That influence is what this book is about…Normally when someone dies, their impact on the world immediately begins to recede…Jesus’ impact was greater a hundred years after his death than during his life…after two thousand years he has more followers in more places than ever.” (11).
Talk about influence. Most of us would be happy if our parents and/or kids listened to us.
Ortberg has an eye for details and for things contrary to expectations, either today or in ancient times. For example, in evaluating Jesus as a leader, he outlines his strategy for influencing people. Paraphrasing a pep talk by Jesus for the disciples, he writes:
“Here’s our strategy. We have no money, no clout, no status, no buildings, no soldiers…We will tell them [Jewish and Romans leaders, Zealots, collaborators, Essenes] all that they are on the wrong track…When they hate us—and a lot of them will…we won’t fight back, we won’t run away, and we won’t give in. We will just keep loving them…That’s my strategy.” (107)
Huh? Who would have thought that a group using this strategy would even survive the first century, let alone influence anyone.
John Ortberg is the pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park , California which is part of the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO), a new denomination formed in 2012 . According to the foreword written Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State, this book started out as sermon series. The book is written in 15 chapters, including:
1. The Man Who Won’t Go Away,
2. The Collapse of Dignity,
3. A Revolution in Humanity,
4. What Does a Woman Want?
5. An Undistinguished Visiting Scholar,
6. Jesus Was Not a Great Man,
7. Help Your Friends, Punish Your Enemies,
8. There Are Things That Are Not Caesar’s,
9. The Good Life Versus The Good Person,
10. Why It’s a Small World After All,
11. The Truly Old-Fashioned Marriage,
12. Without Parallel in the Entire History of Art,
13. Friday,
14. Saturday, and
15. Sunday (5).
These chapters are preceded by a foreword and acknowledgments, and followed by an epilogue and references. I was first exposed this this material in a men’s group discussion where we viewed the DVD. There is also a separate study guide.
Ortberg is surprisingly well read drawing on details from a range of resources ancient and modern . For example, describing a bit of his own background from a psychologist’s perspective he writes:
“The quickest and most basic mental health assessment checks to see if people are ‘oriented times three’: whether they know who they are, where they are, and what day it is. I was given the name of Jesus’ friend John; I live in the Bay area named for Jesus’ friend Francis; I was born 1,957 years after Jesus. How could orientation depend so heavily on one life?” (11)
He observes that each of his 3 orientations (who, where, and when) were influenced directly by Jesus. Pretty good influence for someone who lived 2,000 years ago!
One of the chapters that impressed me the most was the chapter called: Saturday. Saturday after Good Friday and before Easter is starting to be celebrated as a religious holiday in itself—I often wondered why. Ortberg describes these 3 days as a typical 3-day story with a specific form: day 1 starts with trouble; day 2 there is nothing; and day 3 comes deliverance . The problem with day 2 is that you do not know if day 3 is coming—faith is required. Saturday is the only day in 2,000 years when not a single person on earth believed that Jesus was alive. It’s only on the third day that you know you are in a 3-day story! (175-177) Next year I think that I will look for a Saturday service to attend.
John Ortberg’s book, Who Is This Man?, offers a fresh description of Jesus, his thinking, and his life. Most Christians today have heard too many bland accounts of Jesus for our own good—so much so that we have trouble hearing God’s voice in these accounts. Ortberg’s insights come in explaining Jesus’ context so artfully that Jesus’ radical contribution is more obvious—Jesus steps out of the picture frame into the room with us. This is the kind of book that, after reading a couple chapters, you will want to buy copies for your family and friends. In other words, drop what you are doing and read this book.
September 22, 2013
Ortberg’s book is a fascinating outline of how the Jesus movement advanced throughout the world despite the often embarrassing actions of the church he founded. From any historical view, it’s amazing that a homeless Jewish construction worker would profoundly influence the entire world for two thousand years. Without ever having written a book, never formed a political action committee, never led a company, never led an army, and never held office, Jesus continues to captivate. More amazing still is that virtually all of his influence came after he was publicly humiliated and executed. Obviously, Ortberg hopes to inspire readers to faith, but he gives no manipulative altar call to this purpose. In the end he offers the same invitation that came from a follower of Jesus, “Come and see.”
September 25, 2012
Enjoyed this witty and well-researched summary of the impact of the life of Christ on humanity and history. The closing three chapters really gave me some very challenging ideas to consider, chew on, and grow around. I found the writing fresh on a well worn topic. Recommend it.
December 29, 2014
Okay so I have to concur with a reviewer who wrote below that this book is a bit aimless. It's hard to follow. There are no citations and it does not really seem to be that convincing for someone who is not a dedicated believer. In other words it will reaffirm faith for those who already believe but is not likely to be able to move mountains for those that are skeptical. I also concur with that review were that good one-liners in some "ah ha" moments but other than that substantively, there's not much to be gained from this book. I had hoped to get a lot more out of it has been on my wish list for two years and was really hoping to just be blown away by it, but I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed. I found myself wanting to be through with it because I knew that if I were trying to convince a skeptic I would not find much intellectual ammunition here. If you decide that you are going to read it I will say that it does have some interesting parts and add some interesting things to think about on there are some excellent nuggets of information in here. Another complaint is that actually if you are not a Christian this book does seem to have some intellectual ammunition for you. For example there are parts of the book that basically say Christians have been and how her that it's been worse for the church than when they have not been in power. I somewhat understand the authors point but he does it in such a way that if you were an 80s reading this book you would be giddy with joy after reading what you just read. Essentially it's an affirmation that Christian should not be in a position to govern and have a shoddy record of doing so. So again he doesn't seem to really be doing Christians any favors here. I don't mean to whitewash history but if you could write a book on why Jesus is so great, this seems to be a little self-defeating. Even as a believer of this was not a very convincing effort. The author is a popular Pastor, but this work could have been the leaps and bounds better than what it is. I am disappointed that I waited years to read a book that I found mostly unconvincing. The author does not hold a candle to such luminaries as as Doctor William Craig or Dinesh D'Souza with respect to elucidating a crystal clear Christian apologetic.
March 29, 2013
Skip this book. I like John Ortberg and have heard him preach, so this book was disappointing.
Ortberg cites many good things that Christians have done to try to show the impact that Jesus had in this world, but many of those things go back to Jews, not Christians. Furthermore, there are a lot of good things that atheists have done (those aren't mentioned), so I found his argument weak. Such things would be good supporting comments but don't stand well on their own.
The style of organization he chose was to go chronologically back in time, sort of like here is C, oh we hit a stopping point, so let's go back to B, oh another stop, OK back to A. Perhaps that's a style many people can deal with but it didn't work for me. (There is a new true-crime murder show on the ID channel that starts with the crime and goes back in time, so maybe this is the new way of story telling.)
I'm not really sure who the audience is for this book: Christian or non-Christian. If Christian, I think Ortberg should have spent some time referencing the gospels of Mark (Christ as Servant) and Luke (Christ as Man) if he was trying to look closer at Jesus as a man. I got the feeling, though, that it was maybe written for curious non-Christians. And yet, not much about Jesus as a good teacher was presented and Ortberg did not take the opportunity, even in an epilogue, to say that Jesus was God and present the gospel of Jesus as Savior.
Ortberg cites many good things that Christians have done to try to show the impact that Jesus had in this world, but many of those things go back to Jews, not Christians. Furthermore, there are a lot of good things that atheists have done (those aren't mentioned), so I found his argument weak. Such things would be good supporting comments but don't stand well on their own.
The style of organization he chose was to go chronologically back in time, sort of like here is C, oh we hit a stopping point, so let's go back to B, oh another stop, OK back to A. Perhaps that's a style many people can deal with but it didn't work for me. (There is a new true-crime murder show on the ID channel that starts with the crime and goes back in time, so maybe this is the new way of story telling.)
I'm not really sure who the audience is for this book: Christian or non-Christian. If Christian, I think Ortberg should have spent some time referencing the gospels of Mark (Christ as Servant) and Luke (Christ as Man) if he was trying to look closer at Jesus as a man. I got the feeling, though, that it was maybe written for curious non-Christians. And yet, not much about Jesus as a good teacher was presented and Ortberg did not take the opportunity, even in an epilogue, to say that Jesus was God and present the gospel of Jesus as Savior.
July 9, 2013
Who is this man? is a well researched and wide ranging look at the effect that Jesus’ followers have had on the world over the last 2,000 years. I found it much heavier going that John Ortberg’s other books. This was due to the content being largely historical. Some of the material is quite depressing as he relates many incidents of massacres that occurred as part of Jewish history and later by Christians.
Some of this information was already known to me. I knew that many aid agencies have Christian roots and hospitals, universities, orphanages and numerous other service organizations have Christian beginnings. Yet what was new to me was the effect Christians have had on people’s thinking. Humility has become a virtue, compassion is now valued and showing dignity and respect to all people regardless of age, status, gender, or ethnicity is now considered normal policy. Yet this was not the case before Jesus’ times.
There was one aspect of this book which didn’t work for me and that was Ortberg’s humour. Generally I enjoy the amusing anecdotes that John includes in his books, but in this one, due to its historical nature, this type of anecdote wasn’t appropriate. Instead Ortberg has sometimes included funny one-liners. However this abrupt change of pace fell flat for me, but I suspect this might just be a personal thing and may not bother other readers.
Overall Who is this man? Is a very interesting and informative read.
Some of this information was already known to me. I knew that many aid agencies have Christian roots and hospitals, universities, orphanages and numerous other service organizations have Christian beginnings. Yet what was new to me was the effect Christians have had on people’s thinking. Humility has become a virtue, compassion is now valued and showing dignity and respect to all people regardless of age, status, gender, or ethnicity is now considered normal policy. Yet this was not the case before Jesus’ times.
There was one aspect of this book which didn’t work for me and that was Ortberg’s humour. Generally I enjoy the amusing anecdotes that John includes in his books, but in this one, due to its historical nature, this type of anecdote wasn’t appropriate. Instead Ortberg has sometimes included funny one-liners. However this abrupt change of pace fell flat for me, but I suspect this might just be a personal thing and may not bother other readers.
Overall Who is this man? Is a very interesting and informative read.
March 14, 2013
Ortberg's book is full of interesting asides and thoughtful one-liners immersed in a disjointed and aimless flow of text. Each chapter stumbles along without any clear indication of where it's going or what point it's making (perhaps he was trying to imitate Hemingway? ;)). Eventually, a chapter ends and another one begins the process all over again.
The book concludes just when it begins to feel like it's going somewhere. If the entire book shared the style and intent of the final two chapters, it would have been a four star book for me.
I picked up this book thinking it would be a history of Christian social justice and how followers of Jesus have positively impacted their societies throughout history. Perhaps my expectations were different than Ortberg's intentions. But with plugs from as diverse and gifted of a group as Condoleezza Rice, Dallas Willard, Shane Claiborne, Richard Mouw, N.T. Wright and Jeff Foxworthy filling up the first couple pages, I do not doubt the possibility that Ortberg did something brilliant here and I just missed it.
The book concludes just when it begins to feel like it's going somewhere. If the entire book shared the style and intent of the final two chapters, it would have been a four star book for me.
I picked up this book thinking it would be a history of Christian social justice and how followers of Jesus have positively impacted their societies throughout history. Perhaps my expectations were different than Ortberg's intentions. But with plugs from as diverse and gifted of a group as Condoleezza Rice, Dallas Willard, Shane Claiborne, Richard Mouw, N.T. Wright and Jeff Foxworthy filling up the first couple pages, I do not doubt the possibility that Ortberg did something brilliant here and I just missed it.
January 15, 2013
This was a refreshing read for me. I love John Ortberg's earlier works and this is the first thing in a while that lives up to his potential.
This is a book about the historical impact of the man Jesus in many areas of our history and culture. It is certainly written from a Christian perspective, but I couldn't help but think that even the open minded skeptic might enjoy some of the historical narrative. He does points out in several places, that Jesus does not have a monopoly on goodness or morals. But the shear impact of his influence is unparalleled.
The material vacillates between factual presentation (but never boring) and devotional style writing. Ortberg has a very practical approach and easily relates to our common struggles and needs. While this is not a scholarly work, it could be. There is a wealth of footnotes for future research.
This is a book about the historical impact of the man Jesus in many areas of our history and culture. It is certainly written from a Christian perspective, but I couldn't help but think that even the open minded skeptic might enjoy some of the historical narrative. He does points out in several places, that Jesus does not have a monopoly on goodness or morals. But the shear impact of his influence is unparalleled.
The material vacillates between factual presentation (but never boring) and devotional style writing. Ortberg has a very practical approach and easily relates to our common struggles and needs. While this is not a scholarly work, it could be. There is a wealth of footnotes for future research.
October 9, 2012
It is amazing how we have forgotten or we are just so blind that we do not see how Jesus has made and continues to make such an impact on this world.He is the only one through history that the whole world revolves around, even when it tries so hard to deny him.
John Ortberg is one my favorite Christian authors. He did not disappoint with this one. Jesus.....he is unpredictable and inescapable. I love how John portrays Him in this book.
John Ortberg is one my favorite Christian authors. He did not disappoint with this one. Jesus.....he is unpredictable and inescapable. I love how John portrays Him in this book.
September 23, 2012
Even though a life-long Christian, I failed to grasp what John Ortberg so eloquently wrote. Powerful story and one which I hope my book club buddies embraced with open mindedness, tolerance and wisdom. "All of the wonders that we have been exploring in this book turned out to find their fullest expression in Him: all roads meet." For me, this book reveals the Divinity of His truth.
June 10, 2015
This is an excellent different perspective on the impact of Jesus. I love Ortberg's writing style, and the way he approaches his subjects. I'm looking forward to re-reading this book soon. This book is recommended for any follower, and especially for those who question the whole story.
March 16, 2013
This is one of those rare books I wish I could give 6 stars. You know that quote “A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.” (Franz Kafka) This is one of those books. Amazing. Very Biblical (mostly), straight-up, clear, and compelling.
October 9, 2013
For Jesus, the categories break down like this: It's not us and them. It's perfect and not perfect. It's holy and sinful. Which puts all of humanity on the same side: the wrong side. But Jesus was determined to make that his side.
February 9, 2013
Excellent book looking at the impact of Jesus on the world. Easy to read, but thought provoking. Would recommend to anyone looking to understand the impact of Jesus.
June 2, 2015
I didn't really care for his writing style, but this book is jam-packed with great information. I just felt like it was all fact after fact, which is info overload for this brain...
July 22, 2015
A must read for anyone on my ministerial staff.
May 17, 2021
Big yes. Great for someone who’s skeptical about Jesus, a new disciple, or even someone who’s looking for a sweet theology book. This covers all the bases. Formerly walking with Dallas Willard and now pouring into John Mark Comer, John Ortberg’s the real deal.
Read
April 6, 2017Great perspectives for looking at the the many influences Jesus has on just about everything.
May 31, 2019
The book is absolutely unpredictable.
September 18, 2019
This book is a delight. Exploring the persona of Jesus and the impact his life and ministry continues to have on humanity.
September 6, 2017
Very informative. I had no idea Jesus was in so much of our lives today and had such a strong impact.
July 3, 2020
Just a few notes and comments I pulled out of this excellent book:
Page 20
"Saint Ambrose of Milan said that the church must care not only for babies, but also for the poor, because poverty often destroys their ability to care for children."
This would be a good thing for us pro-life advocates who also, all too often, are busy advocating for the reduction or elimination for the support programs that are so absolutely necessary for poor single mothers. If we are truly pro-life, we should be seeking the individuals well being from conception to the grave.
Page 38
Interestingly, the woman’s marital history interests Bible scholars much more than it interested Jesus. While his culture (and ours) so often identified women in terms of shame — body shame, character shame, sexual shame — Jesus did not begin by identifying her shame. Often the church’s interpretations of biblical females say more about the church’s (usually male) interpreters than about the characters. (For instance, Mary Magdalene was often assumed to be a prostitute, although there is nothing in the Bible to support this.) In modern-day telling of this story, it is often assumed that the Samaritan was a scandalized woman—a social outcast among her own people. But in the text she was actually listened to in her community: “many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”
It is a sad truth that Jesus and the early New Testament church took major strides towards gender equality and yet historically the institutional church right up to the present all too often does all it can to reverse this impetus.
Page 161
The problem with third-day stories is, you don’t know it’s a third-day story until the third day.
This is an excellent proverb. Somebody should turn it into a meme.
But seriously, I have often wondered what it would have felt like to be one of the Apostles on that Saturday night. Would they have felt betrayed? Would they have viewed themselves as a failure?
I've even preached an Easter Sunday sermon from the perspective of John in prayer just moments before the Resurrection is to take place.
Page 162
In the meantime, we live, in Rob Bell’s memorable phrase, “between the trees.”
I am a bit surprised to see Robb Bell quoted here. Pleasantly surprised. When our heretic theologians are dead and gone (CS Lewis, George MacDonald, Origen, Martin Luther, etc) we love to read and quote them. While they are still living, however, we are more likely to ostracize or ignore them.
Page 20
"Saint Ambrose of Milan said that the church must care not only for babies, but also for the poor, because poverty often destroys their ability to care for children."
This would be a good thing for us pro-life advocates who also, all too often, are busy advocating for the reduction or elimination for the support programs that are so absolutely necessary for poor single mothers. If we are truly pro-life, we should be seeking the individuals well being from conception to the grave.
Page 38
Interestingly, the woman’s marital history interests Bible scholars much more than it interested Jesus. While his culture (and ours) so often identified women in terms of shame — body shame, character shame, sexual shame — Jesus did not begin by identifying her shame. Often the church’s interpretations of biblical females say more about the church’s (usually male) interpreters than about the characters. (For instance, Mary Magdalene was often assumed to be a prostitute, although there is nothing in the Bible to support this.) In modern-day telling of this story, it is often assumed that the Samaritan was a scandalized woman—a social outcast among her own people. But in the text she was actually listened to in her community: “many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”
It is a sad truth that Jesus and the early New Testament church took major strides towards gender equality and yet historically the institutional church right up to the present all too often does all it can to reverse this impetus.
Page 161
The problem with third-day stories is, you don’t know it’s a third-day story until the third day.
This is an excellent proverb. Somebody should turn it into a meme.
But seriously, I have often wondered what it would have felt like to be one of the Apostles on that Saturday night. Would they have felt betrayed? Would they have viewed themselves as a failure?
I've even preached an Easter Sunday sermon from the perspective of John in prayer just moments before the Resurrection is to take place.
Page 162
In the meantime, we live, in Rob Bell’s memorable phrase, “between the trees.”
I am a bit surprised to see Robb Bell quoted here. Pleasantly surprised. When our heretic theologians are dead and gone (CS Lewis, George MacDonald, Origen, Martin Luther, etc) we love to read and quote them. While they are still living, however, we are more likely to ostracize or ignore them.
June 14, 2014
The name of Jesus brings different feelings from fear to awe, to some he was a good teacher to some that in his anger drove out the merchants from the temple declaring it was a house of prayer. We today are still answering that question Whom do you say I am? This read is more of a conversation instead of a study. More of context instead of scripture. From Christ's birth, we see from the word where other's stood. Some in fear, some in hope. I appreciated the context of Herod's time and the significance of the birth of Christ. In Herod's time, God's people did not have a army, or great wealth and no power...what they did have was a book and Jesus was foretold in that book. As we know, Herod took seriously what the Old Testament said about a King greater than David to come.
We come to know who Jesus his thru his miracles. How Jesus treated women, the poor, the sick and the children. We see the heart of God.
And we respond in love and loving God with our mind, means following truth ruthlessly wherever it leads. It means cherishing the truth. God has laid the foundation of the world according to law and order. Because we are created in his image, when truth is not followed, our hearts are hardened to the very things of God.
We come to know who Jesus is thru the Passion week. When he enters Jerusalem, to Passover and in the Garden. Thru the trials, thru his death on the cross and then on Resurrection Sunday. What I gleamed from this was the waiting on Saturday. How significant that was. Friday was pure terror, Saturday was nothing, and Sunday was the hope in who Jesus is.
All in all, I did not find this to be a theology book on who Jesus is but a context of who Jesus is. I think it was written for all
to determine by the context of the time and for us to dig deeper in the bible to answer the question Whom do you Say I am.
We come to know who Jesus his thru his miracles. How Jesus treated women, the poor, the sick and the children. We see the heart of God.
And we respond in love and loving God with our mind, means following truth ruthlessly wherever it leads. It means cherishing the truth. God has laid the foundation of the world according to law and order. Because we are created in his image, when truth is not followed, our hearts are hardened to the very things of God.
We come to know who Jesus is thru the Passion week. When he enters Jerusalem, to Passover and in the Garden. Thru the trials, thru his death on the cross and then on Resurrection Sunday. What I gleamed from this was the waiting on Saturday. How significant that was. Friday was pure terror, Saturday was nothing, and Sunday was the hope in who Jesus is.
All in all, I did not find this to be a theology book on who Jesus is but a context of who Jesus is. I think it was written for all
to determine by the context of the time and for us to dig deeper in the bible to answer the question Whom do you Say I am.
March 19, 2015
Historian Jaroslav Pelikan wrote, “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western Culture for almost twenty centuries. If it were possible, with some sort of super magnet, to pull up out of the history every scrap of metal bearing at least a trace of his name, how much would be left?”
Part biography, history, cultural anthropology, sociology and biblical study, “Who is this Man?” by respected author, speaker and pastor John Ortberg looks at the effects that Jesus has had on our modern world. From the worth of children to the treatment of women to our understanding of what makes someone great to our grasp on what is truly valuable in life, Jesus has affected them all.
“Jesus’ vision of life continues to haunt and challenge humanity. His influence has swept over history like the tail of a comet, bringing his inspiration to influence art, science, government, medicine, and education; he has taught humans about dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and hope (Ortberg p.12).”
What I really loved about this book was the insight Ortberg brought to many Gospel stories that I had heard many times before. For those who have been followers and disciples of Christ for a long time, we are well-versed with the contents of the Gospels. And while God’s Word is living and active, able to bring light to our lives in all situations, we sometimes don’t let it speak to us. We can come to a place where we feel we’ve heard it all before. It was really good for me to reflect on the life and legacy of Jesus Christ from a different angle and to see, once again, that “This man truly was the Son of God! (Matt 27:54)”.
Part biography, history, cultural anthropology, sociology and biblical study, “Who is this Man?” by respected author, speaker and pastor John Ortberg looks at the effects that Jesus has had on our modern world. From the worth of children to the treatment of women to our understanding of what makes someone great to our grasp on what is truly valuable in life, Jesus has affected them all.
“Jesus’ vision of life continues to haunt and challenge humanity. His influence has swept over history like the tail of a comet, bringing his inspiration to influence art, science, government, medicine, and education; he has taught humans about dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and hope (Ortberg p.12).”
What I really loved about this book was the insight Ortberg brought to many Gospel stories that I had heard many times before. For those who have been followers and disciples of Christ for a long time, we are well-versed with the contents of the Gospels. And while God’s Word is living and active, able to bring light to our lives in all situations, we sometimes don’t let it speak to us. We can come to a place where we feel we’ve heard it all before. It was really good for me to reflect on the life and legacy of Jesus Christ from a different angle and to see, once again, that “This man truly was the Son of God! (Matt 27:54)”.
November 18, 2012
This is the second book I have read by John Ortberg (the first was The Life You’ve Always Wanted) and both have been incredible. He has a way of taking information and verses that we think we know well and introducing new ideas about them to make us think differently. This book is full is fun bits of information you probably don’t know or hadn’t thought about before. Who is This Man? is a journey through history, showing the incredible impact Jesus has had on everything from time to art to books. There has never been a king, ruler, or otherwise famous person who has been so remembered, so followed, or so written about as Jesus, all while His life on earth would have been considered by some to be less significant than a great king. The way we think of marriage and treat women today are a direct result of Jesus changing the culture with His actions and teachings. He changed the way we treat money and our enemies and what we consider a “good” person to be. The book ends with a journey through Jesus’ death, the day after, and the day of His resurrection. Again, Ortberg brings to light the things we don’t often think about, such as what the disciples were doing on Saturday—the day when it seemed Jesus had failed. This book is well written, easy to read and enjoyable, and will bring about a new way of thinking of things that can easily become mundane or ordinary to us.
May 9, 2013
Reads like a steady rolling tribute to the incomparable impact of Jesus and Jesus' followers in our world. I saw steady rolling, because Ortberg doesn't always orient the reader to where he's heading, so you just go along for the ride. Probably could have been edited more carefully.
What I love about this book is how clearly and convincingly Ortberg argues that - regardless of what one believes about Jesus - no one has had the impact Jesus had, and we must attribute so much of (particularly) western values and culture to Jesus' movement.
In today's public discourse, we can easily forget how progressive the first Christians were in their world. Progressive on issues of sexuality, gender, individual dignity, health care, etc. Even the belief that God is loving was a progressive idea in the Greco-Roman world.
This is a top-5 book to give someone exploring the Christian faith or interested in learning more about Jesus. Or, just interested in balancing contemporary criticism of Christianity with a more favorable view of Christianity's impact.
What I love about this book is how clearly and convincingly Ortberg argues that - regardless of what one believes about Jesus - no one has had the impact Jesus had, and we must attribute so much of (particularly) western values and culture to Jesus' movement.
In today's public discourse, we can easily forget how progressive the first Christians were in their world. Progressive on issues of sexuality, gender, individual dignity, health care, etc. Even the belief that God is loving was a progressive idea in the Greco-Roman world.
This is a top-5 book to give someone exploring the Christian faith or interested in learning more about Jesus. Or, just interested in balancing contemporary criticism of Christianity with a more favorable view of Christianity's impact.
September 13, 2014
Ortberg always seems to say things that "i've always known" but in a way that is fresh and new. This time he connects "things I've always known" with other things I've always known but never before saw the connection. It is one of those just smile and wonder kind of books.
The basic outline is a list of ways in which our culture has been impacted by a single life: Jesus. It is not a theological book in the sense of "all the things you need to know about Jesus." It is more the practical implications on life and culture as a result of the historical life of Jesus and those that followed him.
Some of the examples seem trivial and perhaps arbitrary. Example: That New Year's day is 8 days after Christmas and that Jewish babies were circumcised and named 8 days after birth seems too much of a stretch to be much more that retrospective alignment of facts.
But most other examples are penetrating and resonate.
For those who need a Christian apologetic, Ortberg offers one in the epilogue. The body of the book, however is more historical than theological.
The basic outline is a list of ways in which our culture has been impacted by a single life: Jesus. It is not a theological book in the sense of "all the things you need to know about Jesus." It is more the practical implications on life and culture as a result of the historical life of Jesus and those that followed him.
Some of the examples seem trivial and perhaps arbitrary. Example: That New Year's day is 8 days after Christmas and that Jewish babies were circumcised and named 8 days after birth seems too much of a stretch to be much more that retrospective alignment of facts.
But most other examples are penetrating and resonate.
For those who need a Christian apologetic, Ortberg offers one in the epilogue. The body of the book, however is more historical than theological.
February 4, 2015
Overall, I enjoyed and benefited from this book. Ortberg does an impressive job of showing how large of an impact Jesus and his followers have made in the world around various domains.
Also, being reminded of the sacrificial love that identified a lot of earlier followers of Christ was powerful, and made me rethink my own priorities.
That being said, it was extremely difficult to trust what he said, due to his relative lack of citations. Sure, there's a list of sources in the back of the book, but an attempted academic work like this really needs in-text citations and an annotated bibliography if the author hopes to convince those skeptical of his occasional sweeping generalizations.
So, I'm happy I read it, and it gave me food for thought, but it's lack of academic rigour makes it difficult to wholeheartedly recommend to anyone I know that doesn't already agree with its conclusions.
Also, being reminded of the sacrificial love that identified a lot of earlier followers of Christ was powerful, and made me rethink my own priorities.
That being said, it was extremely difficult to trust what he said, due to his relative lack of citations. Sure, there's a list of sources in the back of the book, but an attempted academic work like this really needs in-text citations and an annotated bibliography if the author hopes to convince those skeptical of his occasional sweeping generalizations.
So, I'm happy I read it, and it gave me food for thought, but it's lack of academic rigour makes it difficult to wholeheartedly recommend to anyone I know that doesn't already agree with its conclusions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews