Next Door Savior: Near Enough to Touch, Strong Enough to Trust

by Max Lucado

We applaud men for doing good things. We enshrine God for doing great things. But what about a man who does God things? One thing is certain. We can't ignore him. If these moments are factual, if the claim of Christ is actual, then he was, at once, man and God. The single most significant person who ever lived. Forget MVP. He is the entire league. The head of the parade? Hardly. No one else shares the street. Who comes close? Humanity's best and brightest fade like dime-store rubies next to him. Dismiss him? We can't. Resist him? Equally difficult. Why would we want to? Don't we need a God-man Savior? A just-God Jesus could make us, but not understand us. A just-man Jesus could love us, but never save us. But a God-man Jesus? Near enough to touch. Strong enough to trust. A next door Savior.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Christianity, Religion, Faith, Christian Non Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 29, 2000

About the author

With more than 150 million products in print and several NYT bestsellers, Max Lucado is America's bestselling inspirational author. He serves the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Denalyn, and their mischievous mutt, Andy. His most recent book published in August 2024 and is titled What Happens Next.

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Reviews

[Jeff Randleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the first books I ever read to build my spiritual life were books by Max Lucado. For a long time, he was one of my favorite authors. His more recent works have been slightly disappointing, and have left me feeling like there could have been more.

However, Next Door Savior is not like that. This book was very encouraging, and reading it felt like some of the older books by Lucado that I enjoyed so much.

Next Door Savior is simple in concept. The gospels give us several impressions of Christ, but two distinct characteristics stand out: He was God. And he was man.

So how in the world do we mix those two ideas, that are opposite in almost every way? Lucado answers that question and more in Next Door Savior. Looking at several events in the life and ministry of Jesus, he shows just how close Christ was to us as humans, and yet how extraordinary he was as God in the flesh.

Next Door Savior is divided into two sections. The first is No Person He Won't Touch. In these chapters, Lucado looks at the people Christ touched, and made a difference in their lives, such as the discouraged, the suffering, the spiritually weary. And if Christ can change these lives in the Bible, he can touch us in the same ways, helping us through our difficult times.

The second half of the book is called No Place He Won't Go, and shifts from the people Christ touched to the places Christ went. Lucado writes about such places as the ordinary, the unexpected, the stormy places that Christ visited. And he shows how Jesus wants to visit us in our own difficult places as well.

I was very encouraged by reading Next Door Savior. This book came into my hands just when I needed to be reminded of Christ's ability and willingness to step into my life and lift me up, time after time.

I loved the book, and was helped tremendously by reading it. I recommend you pick up a copy and read it. You'll be reminded just how close to home God really is.

Have you read any of Max Lucado's works? If so, which was your favorite? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I learned...all too often, we place Jesus on such a pedestal that we cannot imagine Him doing the things we do; hanging out with the people we would. We think of Him as being so above us all, He would not want to relate to us as we are on a daily basis; yet the people we fear we could not introduce Him to, the places we cannot imagine taking Him, are the very people and places He embraces. There is NO ONE He won't meet; He wants to be in every part of our lives, not just the holy parts. We don't have to wait to be "good enough"; just invite Him along for the ride (life); the "good" parts AND the not-so-good. I was touched to tears, reading this book; well worth the read!

[Carina Shephard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars // read May 2022

I appreciated the way this book presented stories and people from the Bible in a fresh new way; however, it didn’t impact me significantly or leave me with any new insights.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just more great Max!

Love him, love his work, and have never really been disappointed. Max is always there to help me understand, to convict me when I need it, and to inspire me. This book is no different.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Lucado has a way of putting the impact of ancient history and the cross into a modern day scenario. His style is confident, a little humorous, and somewhat demanding as he gets his point into the reader's mind. He succeeds in this, leaving the reader to gather the impact of the events in ancient times and the effects it has on mankind. I always leave his books feeling immensely humbled. Many religious zealots believe that they earn their way to God by their own invented reality of good deeds, which gives them a false sense of conceit. "I will be standing next to God," is a claim that many make in the triumph of judging themselves in a narcissistic declaration. Lucado sets the record straight and puts this kind of mindset where it belongs; in the garbage. We aren't in a competition to get to Heaven. It doesn't work that way. Lucado brings truth to Christianity through unconditional love and understanding of truth.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Lucado with a fanciful touch that brings Jesus even closer, taking him out of the Bible and putting him right next door. I'd like to do this as a study, not just a reading, using the extras at the back of the book.

[Savannah Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!! The descriptions are very helpful and visual. The message is so powerful to remind us that God is so personal and powerful.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of good thoughts...but also a lot of wasted space.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something about the way Max Lucado writes that is just as a writer should be. Maybe it is just his style in general, but I found it particularly noticeable in this book. Sometimes he ends a chapter much like it began. Somehow he takes even a familiar concept or story and puts it in such a way that it pierces my heart in a very good way.

Here's an example in this heavily downsized chapter from the book:

"Abandon. Such a haunting word.

On the edge of a small town sits a decrepit house. Weeds higher than the porch. Boarded windows and a screen door bouncing with the wind..... Abandoned.....

A social worker appears at the door of an orphanage. In her big hand is the small dirty one of s six-year-old girl.... As the adults speak, she hears the worker whisper "Abandoned. She was abandoned."....

But nothing compares to being abandoned by God

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lemasabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). (Matthew 27:45-46)....

Christ carried all our sins in his body....

Suppose your past was made public? Suppose you were to stand on a stage while a film of every secret and selfish second was projected on the screen behind you?

Would you not crawl beneath the rug? Would you not scream for he heavens to have mercy?

See Jesus? Embezzler. Liar. Bigot. See the crucified carpenter? He's a wife-beater. Porn addict and murderer.... Call him by his other names--Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden....

Hold it, Max! Don't you dare lump his name in with theirs.

I didn't. He did.... He placed himself in their place. And yours.

In an act that broke the heart of the Father, yet honored the holiness of heaven, sin-purging judgment flowed over the sinless Son of the ages.

"My God, my God, why did you abandon me?" Why did Christ scream these words?

So you'll never have to.

With nearly every chapter I was crying and smiling. Like Max, I was going to finish like I began. I bought the book at a thrift store and I had planned to give it away once I finished it. But I've decided to keep it and do something I rarely do--(thanks, Mom, for teaching me not to write in books)--I'm going to highlight it.

[Shola · Rating 2 out of 5]

A first time reader of Max Lucado, and am writing this review out of obligation.....I have read the Bible cover to cover numerous times and i am quite convinced with the work of Christ and the testimony it brings, but this writer just turns the whole story into a fantasy tale. If you have never read the bible before and lazy at getting to it then you might appreciate the illustrations in his writing. The Bible is complete and it written well,nothing to be added or taken away. All the illustration just makes it boring to me, cos if this book is to minister to the lost for Christ, it will fail, in the aspect of preaching the undiluted word of God. The word of God is not FICTION!

That been said, the book does not have a story line, each chapter talks about something totally different from the previous chapter which is not engaging to me. you will have to read and take breaks between each chapters. This writer did not catch my attention but a few of his illustrations did stick a bit without the fiction. Like the story of peter when he first met Jesus and after his Resurrection when he went fishing, he could not catch any fish without Jesus despite his years of experience as a fisherman. He needed Jesus to be fulfilled in his secular profession. Now that is something to write home about, as a Doctor ,Lawyer or Teacher or even a Stay at Home Parent ,whatever your profession might be you need Jesus to be fulfilled, to be accomplish.
I would recommend this book for anyone who finds it tedious in reading the bible or does not understand the stories and the parables in the Bible. Middle school and High School students, teenagers in general will appreciate this book and Hopefully they will pick up the Bible and get the message of the undiluted word of God.
I receive this book for free from the publisher through BookSneeze,blogger program. I am not required to write a positive review.The opinion i express are my own.

[The Book Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ "When she saw Him, she forgot about herself. When you see Him, you will too."

~ "Can't stop worrying? Christ can. And He lives within you.
Can't forgive the jerk, forget the past, or forsake your bad habits? Christ can! And He lives within you."

~ "Apply God's antivirus. 'Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Col.3:2)'. Give Him your best, thoughts, and see if He doesn't change your mind."

YES, HE IS IN HEAVEN. YES, HE RULES THE UNIVERSE. BUT, YES, HE HAS WALKED YOUR STREETS. HE'S STILL THE NEXT DOOR SAVIOR. NEAR ENOUGH TO TOUCH. STRONG ENOUGH TO TRUST.

[David Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Next Door Savior is an excellent read for anyone. Have you ever felt disconnected from Jesus? Have you ever wondered if he really understands what we go through? Max Lucado does a great job at answering those questions in this book.

[Marie Moreton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way this guy writes, almost as if he is talking personally to you. He certainly brought The Saviour closer than next door to me, he brought him right by my side in such a gentle way. I was encouraged and drawn closer to my Saviour as I read this book.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

So you know how you start thinking of books about Jesus to scout out and obtain to help you get the stories of Jesus into your kids' hands enough? You look at all the little storybooks for toddlers/books worded well enough to get the scriptures across to anyone under 18, perhaps? Etc. etc. My mom's story back in the day (early 1990s) was that she discovered that some of the books with stories of Jesus that her tiny little kids were hearing from really came from the perspective that Jesus was just a man, not actually divine; and this made her get rid of some of our books, which I had learned from, and liked pretty well as a 3 year old! And it took me years to figure out to ask her whatever happened to those books, and she told me.

Anyway, so of course you plan to read straight from the scriptures to your kids from day one, and you plan to get them started reading them for themselves straight from the scriptures as they're learning to read, right? But you kind of think sometimes there's got to be some good helps, and you'd like there to be some book coming from other than a parent's voice, for your children to hear from or pick up and read and ponder from. And you just don't know, out of all the books you've read, how they could fit into your life or your family's life? You're not really seeing it.

But this is a book where I could see it. As at least one other reviewer said, Max is a fine man in general, and he's well-beloved by plenty of people in so many way for various reasons, and those are deserved, and his way with words can be very helpful and bring us joy; but not everything he's written is created exactly equal...so some things you read from him, you might consider bringing into your own children's lives, and in spite of it all, you wouldn't end up doing it.

But this book I would! I will. This is a book I could see myself reading straight out of, probably not every single word on every single page, but even for toddlers, I would love to share certain things from this book, and it could also give food for thought all the way up.

[Maggie Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twenty-two chapters, each 3-4 pages long, with coinciding study guide in the back. The lessons take about half an hour to do.

I had several problems with this book, almost all of them to do with the structure of it. First, I would have called it Potpourri Jesus since there was no real theme uniting the narrative. It was not sequential, nor did it seem intent on teaching anything specific from the life of Christ but was instead a series of vignettes which Lucado loosely strung together to prove the Lord's divinity and humanity. The overly folksy, hyperbolic style of writing would often draw my attention away from whom the primary character was supposed to be - Jesus - and instead leave me focused on a howling dog, an extremely disabled child,the lonely old woman with the tired hand. For me, the lesson was often lost in the adjective laden modern tale meant to make it more accessible. The study guide was where most of the teaching was contained and I found this frustrating. Rather than inviting us to think our way through passages of scripture, the questions often simply asked us to regurgitate what we had just read. I'm certain this was done so that the author could point us towards what he wanted us to see in that passage but I would have preferred he do that within the chapter narrative. The teaching level here is what many will have learned in Sunday school and rarely provokes deep contemplation.

The community improvement section was useful but almost physically impossible to do. For example, John Piper's book, recommended here, is meant to be read over the course of 31 days not raced through between weekly lessons. To sign up to volunteer with Prison Fellowship, also recommended is at least a two week process. Both worth doing but not easily manageable as part of a weekly study.

I can't fault most of Lucado's doctrine but the setup made this text a disappointing look at the most extraordinary life ever lived.

[Murlene Leech · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book this morning and just finished it. I love Max Lucado. I realize that a lot of reformers don’t love him and I assume it’s because he takes a lot of liberties that aren’t proven in the Bible. But I love his imagery and his imagination. This book was just breathtaking. It brought me to tears more than once. Here are some passages I loved: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell… You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can sit at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let’s not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S Lewis. “See Christ on the cross? That’s a gossiper hanging there. See Jesus? Embezzler. Liar. Bigot. See the crucified carpenter? He’s a wife beater. Porn addict and murderer. See Bethlehem‘s boy? Call him by his other names – Adolph Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Jeffrey Dahmer. Hold it, Max. Don’t you lump Christ with those evildoers. Don’t you place his name in the same sentence with theirs! I didn’t. He did.” And one that caused me to laugh - “What would we do without Peter? The guy has no idea what he is saying, but that doesn’t keep him from speaking.” I love Peter.

[Ian Minielly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time i read this book. I am not sure how it made it back into my "to be read" list, but I decided it was worth the time to read again. I enjoy Lucado's sermonettes and stories wrapped around a scriptural theme.

This is a quick read, but it is also enjoyable. I imagine most Christians would enjoy this book. I also imagine a person would have to be a real sour puss to dislike 2-4 page stories with something positive to say and teach.

The only thing I found alarming was the number of footnotes and references that relied on John MacArthur and John Piper. I dropped the rating to a "4" based on this. One thing the world does not need more of is Reformed theology being spread explicitly or behind the scenes through validation.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes biblical accounts and puts them in a modern-day setting, to a degree. I particularly enjoyed the calling of Matthew the tax collector. Lucado allows us to look at a possible conversation that could have occurred between Jesus and Matthew but is not specifically mentioned in Scripture. This allows readers to see Christ as I think He wishes to be seen, approachable to anyone who is willing to come to Him.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed another easy read, and this book did not disappoint. Just as an acorn gives birth to a mighty oak, this easy-to-read, unassuming book burst forth with a powerful message. The sentences were simple, but the message was pregnant with meaning. The book appeared to be composed of chapters from the author's other books. No complaint as the message probably needed to be heard once again. Repitition is always good. Definitely recommend along with the author's other books.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a typical Max Lucado book, but I mean that in the best way possible. I absolutely love the way Max explains Biblical truth by weaving in real-life examples, and his conversational tone always makes me feel so calm and peaceful.

[Amulya N Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max lucado never disappoints. Initially, I picked the book because I found the title interesting. However, Max lucado has this knack of keeping the readers hooked to the book. I often go back to the notes I underlined.

[Riley Etter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this book! Helps us see Jesus and the disciples as they were on the earth and helps us visualize the day to day and what the disciples got to experience daily walking with the Lord.

[Liz Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Max Lucado writes for the average person in words we can all understand and quotes from the Bible to back up his words. He has a sense of humor along with giving us Christian advice. I would recommend any of the books he has written.

[Joe Flan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personable

Max has a way to relate ancient scripture with modern concepts. He also challenges the reader to improve the world around them and improve themselves. Great read for Bible study!

[Christine Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Encouraging me to reflect about many things.

[Emma]

DNF / Abandoned book due to some content/Biblical inaccuracy and the author.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was touching. It raised some great points that I would not have thought about.

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything written by Max Lucado. This was a perfect read before Christmas holidays.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and encouraging book about God. I read this in an afternoon and was reminded how God truly manifest himself in our life.

[Desiray Schultz hayner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love his writing and how he transforms the stories into something you can relate with and really understand! Used as an outlook reading book for bedtime.