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Jesus: Mystic, Healer, and Prophet
Who do you say Jesus is?
In his answer to this age-old question, Bruce Epperly brings us a new vision of Jesus of Nazareth, the healer, mystic, and prophet who is always more than we can imagine. This Jesus embraces all times and places with his mystical union with God, his healing presence, and his transforming prophetic challenge.
Rather than requiring supernatural intervention from outside our reality, the Jesus of the Gospels is present in the natural, ordinary-yet-amazing world we too inhabit. The energy of his love opens up new realms of unexpected possibilities within our daily lives. At the same time, he points the way to meeting the challenges of our broken world. He calls us to venture out beyond the safe boundaries of doctrines and institutions, into new adventures of spiritual growth and inclusive ethical imagination. The quest to know Jesus never ends—and yet at the same time, he lives in us, inspiring us to embrace the ever-present God and transform the world.
In his answer to this age-old question, Bruce Epperly brings us a new vision of Jesus of Nazareth, the healer, mystic, and prophet who is always more than we can imagine. This Jesus embraces all times and places with his mystical union with God, his healing presence, and his transforming prophetic challenge.
Rather than requiring supernatural intervention from outside our reality, the Jesus of the Gospels is present in the natural, ordinary-yet-amazing world we too inhabit. The energy of his love opens up new realms of unexpected possibilities within our daily lives. At the same time, he points the way to meeting the challenges of our broken world. He calls us to venture out beyond the safe boundaries of doctrines and institutions, into new adventures of spiritual growth and inclusive ethical imagination. The quest to know Jesus never ends—and yet at the same time, he lives in us, inspiring us to embrace the ever-present God and transform the world.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 24, 2023
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6 people want to read
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October 17, 2023
Who is Jesus? That is a perennial question that people have been pondering since the first century. When Jesus asked his disciples what they were hearing they gave several answers. Then, when he asked them who they thought he was, Peter boldly declared him to be the Messiah and son of God (Mt. 16:16). When Bruce Epperly reflected on that question he answered with "Mystic, Healer, and Prophet." Thus, the subtitle of this brief reflection on Jesus' identity.
Bruce is a UCC/Disciples minister and Process Theologian. He has written widely on Process Theology and Christian Spirituality. He has been very effective in bringing together Process Theology, which can be very philosophical in orientation, with Christian mysticism, together with a bit of that Baptist/Evangelicalism that formed him in his earliest years. I think it's that last piece of Bruce's identity that makes him different from many liberal theologians. It serves as an anchor that allows him to explore the boundaries of Christian spirituality. In the very first paragraph of the book, he makes note of the fact that at age nine he accepted Jesus as his "personal Savior." Looking back over the six decades since that day, he realizes that this was just the beginning of his spiritual journey (p. 9-10). We see that spiritual journey reflected in this meditation on the identity of Jesus. So, he reflects that today, after all these years, Jesus remains alive to him in his day-to-day activities.
In the first chapter, Epperly introduces us to Christian mysticism and how Jesus fits into it. He provides here a brief summation of how he views Jesus. This is his vision of the quest to know Jesus --- not just the historical Jesus, but the Jesus who can be encountered in the present. Thus he tells us that in this book he "will be exploring the insights of the Gospel portraits of Jesus---both canonical and noncanonical---as guideposts for our spiritual healing, and prophetic quests as Jesus' companion in healing ourselves and the world." He notes that he does this both as a scholar and as a believer committed to the way of Jesus (pp. 23-24). The invitation here is to encounter the living Christ.
In Chapter 3, titled "One with God," we get a better sense of the vision of Jesus being a mystic that is central to Epperly's Christology. He envisions Jesus being a spirit person who experienced full unity with God, which in turn inspired his healing ministry and prophetic faith. Thus, we learn more about mysticism and its relationship to Christology. This includes both his earthly existence as one who is one with God and his continuing presence with us. In that way, Jesus is the "ultimate spiritual person," who "enables us to also become spirit persons. His continuing presence is manifest in our vocations as mystics, healers, and prophets in our time" (p. 62).
The first descriptor used by Epperly is that of the mystic. The second is healer. Bruce is himself a practitioner of Reiki, an alternative healing process. Thus, he is very interested in the way the Gospels portray Jesus' healing ministry. In Chapter 3, Epperly introduces us to Jesus the healer, inviting us to consider how he might have engaged in that work, looking at the Gospel healing stories, as well as stories from his own experience.
The fourth chapter --- "Prophetic Spirit" ---explores that third dimension of Jesus' ministry/identity. As you can see this vision is different from the traditional doctrine of the three-fold ministry of Jesus as being prophet, priest, and skiing. Though they needn't be mutually exclusive. In defining the prophetic dimension of Jesus' ministry, Epperly notes that Jesus' prophetic ministry was focused on justice and empowerment of others. We see this aspect of Jesus' identity reflected in his message from Isaiah as to his own prophetic calling as one filled with the Spirit (Luke) and the message of the Sermon on the Mount. He wants to make it clear that this work of Jesus, a work passed on to us, must be done in community.
Having explored Jesus' three-fold identity as Mystic, Healer, and Prophet, he concludes with an invitation to us the readers. This invitation comes in the form of Jesus' proclamation that we can do even greater things than he did. In other words, Jesus didn't hoard power, he shared it with his followers and continues to share it.
If you are looking for a traditional portrayal of Jesus, this is probably not the book for you. Remember that he is a Process Theologian with an interest in what one might call esoteric things. However, if you are looking for a book that will offer a vision of Jesus that is inclusive and empowering then this might be the right book. I expect my Christology is a bit more "traditional" than Bruce's, but even if you don't accept the entire package there is much here that will inspire the reader to embrace Jesus in his fullness. Remember that while Bruce may venture to the edges, he has that old Baptist anchor keeping him centered.
Bruce is a UCC/Disciples minister and Process Theologian. He has written widely on Process Theology and Christian Spirituality. He has been very effective in bringing together Process Theology, which can be very philosophical in orientation, with Christian mysticism, together with a bit of that Baptist/Evangelicalism that formed him in his earliest years. I think it's that last piece of Bruce's identity that makes him different from many liberal theologians. It serves as an anchor that allows him to explore the boundaries of Christian spirituality. In the very first paragraph of the book, he makes note of the fact that at age nine he accepted Jesus as his "personal Savior." Looking back over the six decades since that day, he realizes that this was just the beginning of his spiritual journey (p. 9-10). We see that spiritual journey reflected in this meditation on the identity of Jesus. So, he reflects that today, after all these years, Jesus remains alive to him in his day-to-day activities.
In the first chapter, Epperly introduces us to Christian mysticism and how Jesus fits into it. He provides here a brief summation of how he views Jesus. This is his vision of the quest to know Jesus --- not just the historical Jesus, but the Jesus who can be encountered in the present. Thus he tells us that in this book he "will be exploring the insights of the Gospel portraits of Jesus---both canonical and noncanonical---as guideposts for our spiritual healing, and prophetic quests as Jesus' companion in healing ourselves and the world." He notes that he does this both as a scholar and as a believer committed to the way of Jesus (pp. 23-24). The invitation here is to encounter the living Christ.
In Chapter 3, titled "One with God," we get a better sense of the vision of Jesus being a mystic that is central to Epperly's Christology. He envisions Jesus being a spirit person who experienced full unity with God, which in turn inspired his healing ministry and prophetic faith. Thus, we learn more about mysticism and its relationship to Christology. This includes both his earthly existence as one who is one with God and his continuing presence with us. In that way, Jesus is the "ultimate spiritual person," who "enables us to also become spirit persons. His continuing presence is manifest in our vocations as mystics, healers, and prophets in our time" (p. 62).
The first descriptor used by Epperly is that of the mystic. The second is healer. Bruce is himself a practitioner of Reiki, an alternative healing process. Thus, he is very interested in the way the Gospels portray Jesus' healing ministry. In Chapter 3, Epperly introduces us to Jesus the healer, inviting us to consider how he might have engaged in that work, looking at the Gospel healing stories, as well as stories from his own experience.
The fourth chapter --- "Prophetic Spirit" ---explores that third dimension of Jesus' ministry/identity. As you can see this vision is different from the traditional doctrine of the three-fold ministry of Jesus as being prophet, priest, and skiing. Though they needn't be mutually exclusive. In defining the prophetic dimension of Jesus' ministry, Epperly notes that Jesus' prophetic ministry was focused on justice and empowerment of others. We see this aspect of Jesus' identity reflected in his message from Isaiah as to his own prophetic calling as one filled with the Spirit (Luke) and the message of the Sermon on the Mount. He wants to make it clear that this work of Jesus, a work passed on to us, must be done in community.
Having explored Jesus' three-fold identity as Mystic, Healer, and Prophet, he concludes with an invitation to us the readers. This invitation comes in the form of Jesus' proclamation that we can do even greater things than he did. In other words, Jesus didn't hoard power, he shared it with his followers and continues to share it.
If you are looking for a traditional portrayal of Jesus, this is probably not the book for you. Remember that he is a Process Theologian with an interest in what one might call esoteric things. However, if you are looking for a book that will offer a vision of Jesus that is inclusive and empowering then this might be the right book. I expect my Christology is a bit more "traditional" than Bruce's, but even if you don't accept the entire package there is much here that will inspire the reader to embrace Jesus in his fullness. Remember that while Bruce may venture to the edges, he has that old Baptist anchor keeping him centered.
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