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The Jesus You Can't Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ
Best-selling author John MacArthur gives readers a fresh look at how Jesus addressed attacks against the truth.
Meek and mild. Politically correct. A great teacher. These are the popular depictions of Jesus. But they aren't the complete picture. Maybe because it's uncomfortable, or maybe because it's inconvenient, Christians and non-Christians alike are overlooking the fierceness of the Savior, His passionate mission to make the Gospel clear and bring people into the Kingdom of God. A mission that required he sometimes raise his voice and sometimes raise a whip.
In the much-needed message in The Jesus You Can't Ignore, renowned Bible teacher and best-selling author John MacArthur reintroduces the compelling and often unsettling passion of Jesus' ministry. MacArthur points to the picture of the real Jesus the world is so eager to gloss over. And he calls readers to emulate Jesus' commitment to further the kingdom by confronting lies and protecting the truth of God.
Meek and mild. Politically correct. A great teacher. These are the popular depictions of Jesus. But they aren't the complete picture. Maybe because it's uncomfortable, or maybe because it's inconvenient, Christians and non-Christians alike are overlooking the fierceness of the Savior, His passionate mission to make the Gospel clear and bring people into the Kingdom of God. A mission that required he sometimes raise his voice and sometimes raise a whip.
In the much-needed message in The Jesus You Can't Ignore, renowned Bible teacher and best-selling author John MacArthur reintroduces the compelling and often unsettling passion of Jesus' ministry. MacArthur points to the picture of the real Jesus the world is so eager to gloss over. And he calls readers to emulate Jesus' commitment to further the kingdom by confronting lies and protecting the truth of God.
218 pages, Hardcover
First published July 28, 2009
180 people are currently reading
760 people want to read
About the author
John F. MacArthur Jr.
1,344 books1,916 followersJohn F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
June 3, 2025
"But where God's Word speaks clearly, we have a duty to obey, defend, and proclaim the truth He has given us, and we should do that with an authority that reflects our conviction that God has spoken with clarity and finality. This is particularly crucial in contexts where cardinal doctrines of biblical Christianity are under attack." (p. xxv)
"(T)he spiritual warfare every Christian is engaged in is first of all a conflict between truth and error, not merely a competition between good and wicked deeds." (p. xxv)
Much of Christianity has become spiritually mushy. We have imbibed the falsehood that Jesus was a nice guy, instead of the truth that He was a passionate defender of His Father and of true faith. Dr. John MacArthur points out that truth in this book.
The Lord Jesus's kindness and mercy go beyond "nice" in His treatment of the poor, sick, needy, and outcasts of His society. His harshest denunciations He saved for the religious leaders of His time. MacArthur highlights these interactions in which Jesus was NOT a nice guy. He explains the issues involved, how the religious leaders had twisted Judaism into a religion for the elite, and what Jesus meant with His denunciations. He takes us through Christ's major sermons which reflect on the rulers of Israel. He then applies Jesus's dedication to the truth to us today, challenging us to follow in Jesus's steps.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. MacArthur's writing is clear and vigorous, his logic unassailable. Highly recommended.
"(T)he spiritual warfare every Christian is engaged in is first of all a conflict between truth and error, not merely a competition between good and wicked deeds." (p. xxv)
Much of Christianity has become spiritually mushy. We have imbibed the falsehood that Jesus was a nice guy, instead of the truth that He was a passionate defender of His Father and of true faith. Dr. John MacArthur points out that truth in this book.
The Lord Jesus's kindness and mercy go beyond "nice" in His treatment of the poor, sick, needy, and outcasts of His society. His harshest denunciations He saved for the religious leaders of His time. MacArthur highlights these interactions in which Jesus was NOT a nice guy. He explains the issues involved, how the religious leaders had twisted Judaism into a religion for the elite, and what Jesus meant with His denunciations. He takes us through Christ's major sermons which reflect on the rulers of Israel. He then applies Jesus's dedication to the truth to us today, challenging us to follow in Jesus's steps.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. MacArthur's writing is clear and vigorous, his logic unassailable. Highly recommended.
November 8, 2016
If you had asked me to describe Jesus prior to reading this book, I would have answered merciful, without sin, loving - pretty much how I think a lot of Christians would describe him. If you asked me if He ever got angry, I would have said, "Well, there was this one time where He overturned some tables in a temple but He was usually calm, peaceful."
Then I read The Jesus You Can't Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ by John F. MacArthur Jr. and realized that Jesus took the Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' approach, at least when it came to the Pharisees.
Let's take a look at some examples.
The verses here refer to Luke Chapter 6.
Matthew Chapter 6
Sermon on the Mount
John Chapter 6
The Bread of Life Discourse
There is a section where the author is describing Jesus' last sermon, Wednesday of his final week, and he's talking about the boldness of the Pharisees now where they're no longer hanging around on the fringe of the crowd or the crowds that would gather to hear Jesus speak. For this sermon the Pharisees actually employ people and spies to infiltrate the crowds and act like "sympathetic hearers". The author paints a picture for us so that we can come to understand that by this point the plan was already in motion to kill Jesus Christ. The religious elite were just waiting for Jesus to say or do anything that could prompt them to take action and turn Him over to the power and authority of the governor:
There is a section that I'll mention just because I love the title, How to Lose Friends and Inflame Enemies, classic.
I'll leave you with one last quote from the book:
So when asked to describe Jesus, I can start with gentle, merciful, but I won't stop there for He is so much more.
Then I read The Jesus You Can't Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ by John F. MacArthur Jr. and realized that Jesus took the Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' approach, at least when it came to the Pharisees.
Let's take a look at some examples.
The verses here refer to Luke Chapter 6.
Once again Jesus deliberately did something He knew would cause friction. Fully aware that the Pharisees were watching Him closely and that they would be deeply offended if He healed this man on the Sabbath, Jesus brought the man to the front of the synagogue and made the healing as emphatically public as He could. He even proceeded the healing by openly challenging the Pharisees' error. "I will ask you one thing," He said. "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" (v.9). Luke suggests that Jesus then made deliberate eye contact with each of his ecclesiastical adversaries just before He healed the man: 'When he had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand" (v.10).
Matthew Chapter 6
Sermon on the Mount
He also portrayed them as sounding a trumpet before them when they did charitable deeds (v. 2). There's no record in any of the literature from that era where anyone actually held a parade with trumpets when they did their alms. Jesus was painting a colorful word picture, actually making a humorous parody of the Pharisees' spiritual flamboyance. He was using sanctified mockery to expose the silliness of their system. By the standards of today's overtolerant evangelical subculture, such satire would be deemed a mercilessly cruel way to point out the faults of one's adversaries. But again we see that Jesus was not bound by postmodern scruples.
John Chapter 6
The Bread of Life Discourse
There were clearly aspects of the Pharisees' doctrine Jesus could have singled to declare He had some "common ground" with them. There was much positive energy in the initial eagerness of the crowds who followed Jesus. He might have harnessed that and doubled or tripled the size of his congregation.
He did not do that. He did the exact opposite - deliberately. Again, He was not interested in increasing the ranks of half-hearted disciples. His preaching had one aim: to declare truth, not to win accolades from the audience. For those who were not interested in hearing the truth, He did not try to make it easier to receive. What He did instead was make it impossible to ignore.
There is a section where the author is describing Jesus' last sermon, Wednesday of his final week, and he's talking about the boldness of the Pharisees now where they're no longer hanging around on the fringe of the crowd or the crowds that would gather to hear Jesus speak. For this sermon the Pharisees actually employ people and spies to infiltrate the crowds and act like "sympathetic hearers". The author paints a picture for us so that we can come to understand that by this point the plan was already in motion to kill Jesus Christ. The religious elite were just waiting for Jesus to say or do anything that could prompt them to take action and turn Him over to the power and authority of the governor:
Of course, Jesus still knew their thoughts, and He confronted them more directly than ever before. He used some of the sharpest language He ever employed. He called them names. He let loose with waves of condemnation against their hypocrisy, their scripture-twisting, and their self-righteousness. He pronounced woe after woe against them. And the expression "woe" was no mild imprecation; it was the strongest conceivable prophetic curse. And you can be certain it's meaning was not lost on them.
There is a section that I'll mention just because I love the title, How to Lose Friends and Inflame Enemies, classic.
I'll leave you with one last quote from the book:
We can learn a lot from observing how Jesus dealt with false religion and its purveyors. The boldness with which He assaulted error is very much in short supply today, and the church is suffering because of it.
So when asked to describe Jesus, I can start with gentle, merciful, but I won't stop there for He is so much more.
March 30, 2021
Finally! A title that actually explains what the book is about! In this book, MacArthur is a dressing the incorrect belief that Christians should be only kind and nice and never confrontational because that's what Jesus was like. MacArthur does a great job pointing out example after example after example of Christ confronting harshly and strongly any mistruths or lies. Much like his preaching, he takes an exegetical approach to every passage. If you are not used to this it can feel a little slow, but I think when addressing a topic like this it was beneficial to take the time to point out all the little details. The four stars is for pacing and my general enjoyment, not for content.
February 6, 2011
How do you handle people you disagree with?
An honest answer would be "it depends." If it's a trivial issue, then often you ignore it. Othertimes you negotiate, or acquiesce. We often hear that the wisest and most productive path is to find common ground, to engage, to dialogue, to fully understand the other person so that they will try to fully understand you.
But what do you do when the issue concerns God, concerns worldview or religion? Many Christians would say the path of gentle dialogue is not only the most productive but is certainly the most loving, considerate, and "Christian" approach.
But in The Jesus You Can't Ignore, John MacArthur literally asks, "What did Jesus do?" How did Christ actually interact with people and religious leaders who differed from Him? Did He choose dialogue, discourse, & common ground? How did Christ handle the touchy, thorny areas?
In The Jesus You Can't Ignore, MacArthur examines the Biblical record carefully & exhaustively, & concludes that Christ did exactly the opposite: He chose bold confrontation of theological error; He went out of his way to expose hypocrisy; He deliberately provoked the wrath of leaders who would not acknowledge His truth claims.
This book is classic MacArthur: readable, well-structured, on-target, and full of sound Biblical exposition. However, I don't think I enjoyed or benefited from it as much as some of his previous works, just because I didn't need 200 pages to convince me that theological error can't be molly-coddled. For most people, I think a single article would have been all they needed to read on this subject, but having an entire book that is solidly written is still a welcome addition to my library.
An honest answer would be "it depends." If it's a trivial issue, then often you ignore it. Othertimes you negotiate, or acquiesce. We often hear that the wisest and most productive path is to find common ground, to engage, to dialogue, to fully understand the other person so that they will try to fully understand you.
But what do you do when the issue concerns God, concerns worldview or religion? Many Christians would say the path of gentle dialogue is not only the most productive but is certainly the most loving, considerate, and "Christian" approach.
But in The Jesus You Can't Ignore, John MacArthur literally asks, "What did Jesus do?" How did Christ actually interact with people and religious leaders who differed from Him? Did He choose dialogue, discourse, & common ground? How did Christ handle the touchy, thorny areas?
In The Jesus You Can't Ignore, MacArthur examines the Biblical record carefully & exhaustively, & concludes that Christ did exactly the opposite: He chose bold confrontation of theological error; He went out of his way to expose hypocrisy; He deliberately provoked the wrath of leaders who would not acknowledge His truth claims.
This book is classic MacArthur: readable, well-structured, on-target, and full of sound Biblical exposition. However, I don't think I enjoyed or benefited from it as much as some of his previous works, just because I didn't need 200 pages to convince me that theological error can't be molly-coddled. For most people, I think a single article would have been all they needed to read on this subject, but having an entire book that is solidly written is still a welcome addition to my library.
September 11, 2021
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Excellent teaching! Jesus didn’t pull any punches…
I never equated the 8 Beatitudes with being the polar opposite of the 8 Woes that He aimed at the Pharisees and religious leaders of the time. And calling them a “brood of vipers” relates to the “serpents in the wilderness” during the days of Moses, killing God’s chosen people… It’s no wonder that the self-righteous Jews hated Jesus, because He exposed their Hypocrisy!
Every chapter addresses our perception of Jesus and how He interacted with humanity… Imagine how He would address society today…?
Excellent teaching! Jesus didn’t pull any punches…
I never equated the 8 Beatitudes with being the polar opposite of the 8 Woes that He aimed at the Pharisees and religious leaders of the time. And calling them a “brood of vipers” relates to the “serpents in the wilderness” during the days of Moses, killing God’s chosen people… It’s no wonder that the self-righteous Jews hated Jesus, because He exposed their Hypocrisy!
Every chapter addresses our perception of Jesus and how He interacted with humanity… Imagine how He would address society today…?
February 9, 2020
The slightly sarcastic and fairly critical author (I like that) delves into the "harsh" teachings of Jesus ("do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."). Just the types of truths that feel-good preachers/evangelists avoid so as not to scare people. He (the author) really hates that type of watered down preaching, and made no bones about it in this book.
March 10, 2022
Looks at scriptural examples of Jesus standing against false doctrine and going against the falsehoods of the Pharisees. MacArthur discusses the avoidance of evangelicals to talk about the 'wrath' of god or pushing for 'positivity' over standing for truth and against false preaching.
avoiding conflict isn't always the right thing, sometimes it is downright sinful
A classic MacArthur book (sermon).
avoiding conflict isn't always the right thing, sometimes it is downright sinful
A classic MacArthur book (sermon).
January 20, 2015
One of the things we tend to do is have an unbalanced view on pretty much everything, and the person and life of Jesus Christ is no exception. Yes, Jesus loves us, but He had some pretty harsh things to say to the religious hypocrites of His day. This book serves as an excellent reminder of the side of Jesus that we tend to dislike and ignore.
September 12, 2021
Illuminating the True life of Christ
I found this to text to be so encouraging in that it was a bit ‘in your face’ as was Christ and His teachings. It helps support me to further seek Christ and become His servant, even when it doesn’t seem easy or popular in today’s society. Thanks to John F. MacArthur’s commitment also.
I found this to text to be so encouraging in that it was a bit ‘in your face’ as was Christ and His teachings. It helps support me to further seek Christ and become His servant, even when it doesn’t seem easy or popular in today’s society. Thanks to John F. MacArthur’s commitment also.
April 5, 2020
Looking at the bold confrontations of Jesus against the Pharisees and scribes, MacArthur shows Jesus wasn't necessarily "meek and mild" and when it comes to hypocrisy and false doctrine in our churches, neither should we be.
April 9, 2023
Interessant exposició d’un pastor evangelista sobre la claretat amb que es va expressar Jesús especialment per denunciar la hipocresia i la falsetat farisaica.
Fa reflexionar sobre el sentit profund de la vertadera religió i sobre la coherència i honestedat de vida.
Fa reflexionar sobre el sentit profund de la vertadera religió i sobre la coherència i honestedat de vida.
November 29, 2010
What would you think if you were told,”Harsh words are not always inappropiate. Unpleasant and unwelcome truths sometimes need to be voiced. False relgions always needs to be answered. Love may cover a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), but the gross hypocrisy of false teachers desperately needs to be uncovered-lest our silence faciliate and perpetuate a damning delusion. The truth is not always “nice.” (John MacArthur, The Jesus You Can’t Ignore, pg. 171)
Probrably for many, react with that is so offensive or not political correct or judgemental or harsh or unloving,but as John MacArthur would share, the Jesus that we sometimes don’t want to face, did that with the Pharisees and at the temple and to those who were sinning and called it what it was, not out of hate, but out of love and desire for them to not continue on.
Proverbs 28:26 (NKJV) cautions us to,”He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.”
No one likes to be told they are or might be doing something wrong. It hurts our pride and it hurts our self-image and we bristle when confronted and react defensively, but in “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore”, we see a Jesus who was loving, but also firm and sometimes, harsh to speak the truth that He knew needed to be spoken and not hidden away.
In, “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore”, MacArthur shares a side of the Saviour that is often swept under the wrong, because it hurts our personal image of Him, more than what He truly was.
MacArthur goes so far to challenge that Jesus doesn’t preach softly but rather practice hard teaching, even for their time.
At one point, this convicting book shares how the Beautitudes was an rebuke to the Pharisee’s whole system and any Pharisee at the time might have felt both publically humiliated and personally attacked.
Sound familiar?
Publically humiliated and personally attacked.
“The Jesus You Can’t Ignore” is a fascinating read that has us rethinking what type of faith are we really praciting and are we practicing one that is based more on pleasing men or one that is pleasing to our Father? (Ref Galatians 1:10)
Well written and easy for the layman to read and backed by relevant scripture, “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore”, brings Him as He is and not as we sometimes try to paint Him as.
MacArthur is daring in writing, “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore”, because it brings to light why He says in Matthew 7:21-27 (NKJV):
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
When you take a step back, Matthew 7:21-27 lays out that many will enter the kingdom of Heaven. A very challenging thought in itself, but a reality that Jesus try to bring forth that not everyone will be able to enter the kingdom of Heaven.
As MacArthur shared on page 150,”Jesus, by contrast, quoted no authority other than the Word of God itself. He gave its interpretation wihtout buttressing His point of view with endless quotations from earlier writers”.
If you are wanting a hard hitting book, that will challenge you, convict you and have you thinking, what is it that Jesus really meant, I encourage you to read, “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore” and discover yourself someone who in His time and culture was considered as shocking as He would be in today’s world.
Publisher’s Note about Book
Best-selling author John MacArthur gives readers a fresh look at how Jesus addressed attacks against the truth.
Meek and mild. Politically correct. A great teacher. These are the popular depictions of Jesus. But they aren’t the complete picture. Maybe because it’s uncomfortable, or maybe because it’s inconvenient, Christians and non-Christians alike are overlooking the fierceness of the Savior, His passionate mission to make the Gospel clear and bring people into the Kingdom of God. A mission that required he sometimes raise his voice and sometimes raise a whip.
In the much-needed message in The Jesus You Can’t Ignore, renowned Bible teacher and best-selling author John MacArthur reintroduces the compelling and often unsettling passion of Jesus’ ministry. MacArthur points to the picture of the real Jesus the world is so eager to gloss over. And he calls readers to emulate Jesus’ commitment to further the kingdom by confronting lies and protecting the truth of God.
Probrably for many, react with that is so offensive or not political correct or judgemental or harsh or unloving,but as John MacArthur would share, the Jesus that we sometimes don’t want to face, did that with the Pharisees and at the temple and to those who were sinning and called it what it was, not out of hate, but out of love and desire for them to not continue on.
Proverbs 28:26 (NKJV) cautions us to,”He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.”
No one likes to be told they are or might be doing something wrong. It hurts our pride and it hurts our self-image and we bristle when confronted and react defensively, but in “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore”, we see a Jesus who was loving, but also firm and sometimes, harsh to speak the truth that He knew needed to be spoken and not hidden away.
In, “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore”, MacArthur shares a side of the Saviour that is often swept under the wrong, because it hurts our personal image of Him, more than what He truly was.
MacArthur goes so far to challenge that Jesus doesn’t preach softly but rather practice hard teaching, even for their time.
At one point, this convicting book shares how the Beautitudes was an rebuke to the Pharisee’s whole system and any Pharisee at the time might have felt both publically humiliated and personally attacked.
Sound familiar?
Publically humiliated and personally attacked.
“The Jesus You Can’t Ignore” is a fascinating read that has us rethinking what type of faith are we really praciting and are we practicing one that is based more on pleasing men or one that is pleasing to our Father? (Ref Galatians 1:10)
Well written and easy for the layman to read and backed by relevant scripture, “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore”, brings Him as He is and not as we sometimes try to paint Him as.
MacArthur is daring in writing, “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore”, because it brings to light why He says in Matthew 7:21-27 (NKJV):
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
When you take a step back, Matthew 7:21-27 lays out that many will enter the kingdom of Heaven. A very challenging thought in itself, but a reality that Jesus try to bring forth that not everyone will be able to enter the kingdom of Heaven.
As MacArthur shared on page 150,”Jesus, by contrast, quoted no authority other than the Word of God itself. He gave its interpretation wihtout buttressing His point of view with endless quotations from earlier writers”.
If you are wanting a hard hitting book, that will challenge you, convict you and have you thinking, what is it that Jesus really meant, I encourage you to read, “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore” and discover yourself someone who in His time and culture was considered as shocking as He would be in today’s world.
Publisher’s Note about Book
Best-selling author John MacArthur gives readers a fresh look at how Jesus addressed attacks against the truth.
Meek and mild. Politically correct. A great teacher. These are the popular depictions of Jesus. But they aren’t the complete picture. Maybe because it’s uncomfortable, or maybe because it’s inconvenient, Christians and non-Christians alike are overlooking the fierceness of the Savior, His passionate mission to make the Gospel clear and bring people into the Kingdom of God. A mission that required he sometimes raise his voice and sometimes raise a whip.
In the much-needed message in The Jesus You Can’t Ignore, renowned Bible teacher and best-selling author John MacArthur reintroduces the compelling and often unsettling passion of Jesus’ ministry. MacArthur points to the picture of the real Jesus the world is so eager to gloss over. And he calls readers to emulate Jesus’ commitment to further the kingdom by confronting lies and protecting the truth of God.
August 24, 2010
This book has a intriguing title. One that I'm sure will draw both the interested and many who are just curious. Written by Pastor John MacArthur, this new book entitled "The Jesus You Can't Ignore" seems to pick up where one of his previous books, "The Truth Was" left off. Only this one has what could be called a "how-to" book style. The subtitle bears this out--"What You Must Learn From the Bold Confrontations of Christ."
I found the Prologue and Introduction to be essential to understanding the purpose, focus and structure of this book. MacArthur seems to have taken a lot of time building a road map in these two sections, so failure to take the time to read and grasp his purpose could lead to a complete misunderstanding of what he wants the reader to know prior to entering chapter one. After reading a number of the book reviews and comments, I can see there is a lot of confusion and scratching of heads going on. My guess is they failed to read or carefully read the Prologue and Introduction before jumping into the first chapter. As an extreme example, one reviewer selected this book without knowing anything about John MacArthur and only because he liked the book cover. It should come as no surprise that he was extremely confused and offended by this book.
MacArthur takes a systematic approach in presenting his material. In chapter one he introduces the main characters of the book by providing information about the Pharisees, Sadducees and Sanhedrin, as well as an introduction to a modern day equivalent, the postmodern churches. According to MacArthur, each of the two groups represents the predominant false teachers of their age. I think this is one time in this book that he uses a specific group as representative of the postmodern church--the Emergent Church, specifically Brian McLaren.
Quite a number of readers seem to lose MacArthur's usage of these two groups--one ancient and the other a modern portrait of false teachers. He weaves these two throughout the rest of the book. If you don't catch that point early you may come away thinking, as more than one reviewer did, that MacArthur seems to arbitrarily throw in rude and "snippy" criticism of the postmodern group. Not so; his inclusion of this group is both intentional and carefully placed into the text as a warning to this generation.
According to MacArthur, this group of false teachers, like their predecessors the Pharisees during Jesus' earthly ministry, look like, sound like and teach like the real Christian church, but in reality are wolves in sheep's clothing. Instead of preaching the unvarnished Gospel, they have striped away the powerful heart of the message and tailored it into their own, more appealing and less confrontational friendship style of evangelism.
After introducing the cast of characters, MacArthur lays out in the next few chapters a chronological look at how Jesus confronted the false teaching of the Pharisees and other religious leaders. He begins with the first recorded contact when Jesus was just 12 years old and proceeds through each recorded encounter up to his illegal arrest and trial. At one point, MacArthur zeros in on Jesus' complete denunciation of the Pharisees in the Sermon on the Mount. That section is especially detailed and shows just how confrontational Jesus became in putting his finger on the very pulse of their self-righteous religiosity.
MacArthur uses Jesus as a model of how to confront false teaching with the scriptures. A number of readers seem to think MacArthur was saying this is the abrupt and militant approach the modern church should use with everyone we encounter. I thought he was very clear that this was a model for challenging false teachers and false religious systems. The everyday folks who were drawn to Jesus and his teachings, who knew they were sinners and needed a savior always received his most tender compassionate approach. According to MacArthur, this is also our model for this group.
There were several sections that I found especially helpful. I recall one in particular, a short study of Jesus' secret nighttime encounter with Nicodemus, which he humorously calls "Nic at Night," in John chapter 3. MacArthur's explanation of the unusual statements from both Jesus and Nicodemus during this well-known "you must be born again" interview is helpful and dismissed many of the explanations I have heard in the past.
As usual, MacArthur has written another in a line of controversial books. I'm sure he will draw a significant amount of criticism and even a little denunciation himself over his highlighting the dramatic comparative differences between the post-modern church today and The Jesus You Can't Ignore."
I found the Prologue and Introduction to be essential to understanding the purpose, focus and structure of this book. MacArthur seems to have taken a lot of time building a road map in these two sections, so failure to take the time to read and grasp his purpose could lead to a complete misunderstanding of what he wants the reader to know prior to entering chapter one. After reading a number of the book reviews and comments, I can see there is a lot of confusion and scratching of heads going on. My guess is they failed to read or carefully read the Prologue and Introduction before jumping into the first chapter. As an extreme example, one reviewer selected this book without knowing anything about John MacArthur and only because he liked the book cover. It should come as no surprise that he was extremely confused and offended by this book.
MacArthur takes a systematic approach in presenting his material. In chapter one he introduces the main characters of the book by providing information about the Pharisees, Sadducees and Sanhedrin, as well as an introduction to a modern day equivalent, the postmodern churches. According to MacArthur, each of the two groups represents the predominant false teachers of their age. I think this is one time in this book that he uses a specific group as representative of the postmodern church--the Emergent Church, specifically Brian McLaren.
Quite a number of readers seem to lose MacArthur's usage of these two groups--one ancient and the other a modern portrait of false teachers. He weaves these two throughout the rest of the book. If you don't catch that point early you may come away thinking, as more than one reviewer did, that MacArthur seems to arbitrarily throw in rude and "snippy" criticism of the postmodern group. Not so; his inclusion of this group is both intentional and carefully placed into the text as a warning to this generation.
According to MacArthur, this group of false teachers, like their predecessors the Pharisees during Jesus' earthly ministry, look like, sound like and teach like the real Christian church, but in reality are wolves in sheep's clothing. Instead of preaching the unvarnished Gospel, they have striped away the powerful heart of the message and tailored it into their own, more appealing and less confrontational friendship style of evangelism.
After introducing the cast of characters, MacArthur lays out in the next few chapters a chronological look at how Jesus confronted the false teaching of the Pharisees and other religious leaders. He begins with the first recorded contact when Jesus was just 12 years old and proceeds through each recorded encounter up to his illegal arrest and trial. At one point, MacArthur zeros in on Jesus' complete denunciation of the Pharisees in the Sermon on the Mount. That section is especially detailed and shows just how confrontational Jesus became in putting his finger on the very pulse of their self-righteous religiosity.
MacArthur uses Jesus as a model of how to confront false teaching with the scriptures. A number of readers seem to think MacArthur was saying this is the abrupt and militant approach the modern church should use with everyone we encounter. I thought he was very clear that this was a model for challenging false teachers and false religious systems. The everyday folks who were drawn to Jesus and his teachings, who knew they were sinners and needed a savior always received his most tender compassionate approach. According to MacArthur, this is also our model for this group.
There were several sections that I found especially helpful. I recall one in particular, a short study of Jesus' secret nighttime encounter with Nicodemus, which he humorously calls "Nic at Night," in John chapter 3. MacArthur's explanation of the unusual statements from both Jesus and Nicodemus during this well-known "you must be born again" interview is helpful and dismissed many of the explanations I have heard in the past.
As usual, MacArthur has written another in a line of controversial books. I'm sure he will draw a significant amount of criticism and even a little denunciation himself over his highlighting the dramatic comparative differences between the post-modern church today and The Jesus You Can't Ignore."
February 17, 2014
Published a few years ago, I’m finally getting around to finishing John MacArthur’s book The Jesus You Can’t Ignore. I’ve owned the book since it was published in 2009, but it’s through no fault of the book or its content that it took me so long to read it. Instead, you can chalk that up to my own distraction & disinterest in reading physical books of late. That being said, now that I have finished the book, it was well worth the read and I want to share some of my thoughts on it.
With a title like The Jesus You Can’t Ignore and a subtitle that reads, “What you must learn from the bold confrontations of Christ,” you don’t expect for this to be your typical book about Jesus Christ. At the very least, the title is catching & sparks intrigue for wanting to read the book. Instead of giving us a book that portrays Jesus as a pacifist, philanthropist, or docile teacher; MacArthur gives us a different look at the cornerstone of our faith. While Jesus was indeed a man who healed the sick and spoke of goodwill, he was also a man that was headstrong in confronting the dysfunctional religious system of his day: the teaching of the Pharisees (and the Sadducees). Since there are already any number of books that look at the gentler side of the Messiah, this book’s sole focus is on the many confrontations & encounters that Jesus had with the religious leaders of his day.
One of the things that has happened over time is that Evangelical Christianity has made Jesus out to be very sissified. In many respects, because we look at him as such a pacifist who taught his followers to turn the other cheek, this view gets ingrained in our thinking. This is not who our savior was and that is not how we should think of him. As you read this book, your perception of Jesus becomes drastically altered for the better as you can combine the softer side of Jesus with his zealous side. Personally, after having read this book, Jesus commands a new respect from me because I now see that was not a man who idly sat by and allowed the corrupt religious system of the Pharisees to continue as it was.
In The Jesus You Can’t Ignore we get introduced to the real Jesus and his opponents, the Pharisees. This book walks us through many of their encounters and how Jesus was working at every turn to destroy their incorrect interpretation & application of the Law of Moses. Now, one of the things that we are often taught in churches is that the Pharisees were the ones that were instigating and stirring up trouble; but, in reading this book you see, instead, that it was Jesus who was doing the instigating when it came to his encounters with the religious leaders of his day. If it wasn’t coming in his denunciation of their practices & teaching, it came in his response to their questions & rebuttals. Unlike the view we typically have of Jesus, here we have a man who boldly and unashamedly attacked the status quo of his day in the name of sound biblical teaching, and had no problem denouncing those who were teaching falsely.
This is a great book and one that is firmly rooted in the Scriptures. This isn’t a book that is trying to portray Jesus in a negative light; no, instead, you walk away with a fuller picture of who Jesus really was during his earthly ministry. What’s more, this book serves as a pattern for us to mimic in the church today; we should not idly sit by and allow the church to get caught up in heresy in the name of unity & ecumenism. We need to be the voice of truth and reason, just like Jesus was.
With a title like The Jesus You Can’t Ignore and a subtitle that reads, “What you must learn from the bold confrontations of Christ,” you don’t expect for this to be your typical book about Jesus Christ. At the very least, the title is catching & sparks intrigue for wanting to read the book. Instead of giving us a book that portrays Jesus as a pacifist, philanthropist, or docile teacher; MacArthur gives us a different look at the cornerstone of our faith. While Jesus was indeed a man who healed the sick and spoke of goodwill, he was also a man that was headstrong in confronting the dysfunctional religious system of his day: the teaching of the Pharisees (and the Sadducees). Since there are already any number of books that look at the gentler side of the Messiah, this book’s sole focus is on the many confrontations & encounters that Jesus had with the religious leaders of his day.
One of the things that has happened over time is that Evangelical Christianity has made Jesus out to be very sissified. In many respects, because we look at him as such a pacifist who taught his followers to turn the other cheek, this view gets ingrained in our thinking. This is not who our savior was and that is not how we should think of him. As you read this book, your perception of Jesus becomes drastically altered for the better as you can combine the softer side of Jesus with his zealous side. Personally, after having read this book, Jesus commands a new respect from me because I now see that was not a man who idly sat by and allowed the corrupt religious system of the Pharisees to continue as it was.
In The Jesus You Can’t Ignore we get introduced to the real Jesus and his opponents, the Pharisees. This book walks us through many of their encounters and how Jesus was working at every turn to destroy their incorrect interpretation & application of the Law of Moses. Now, one of the things that we are often taught in churches is that the Pharisees were the ones that were instigating and stirring up trouble; but, in reading this book you see, instead, that it was Jesus who was doing the instigating when it came to his encounters with the religious leaders of his day. If it wasn’t coming in his denunciation of their practices & teaching, it came in his response to their questions & rebuttals. Unlike the view we typically have of Jesus, here we have a man who boldly and unashamedly attacked the status quo of his day in the name of sound biblical teaching, and had no problem denouncing those who were teaching falsely.
This is a great book and one that is firmly rooted in the Scriptures. This isn’t a book that is trying to portray Jesus in a negative light; no, instead, you walk away with a fuller picture of who Jesus really was during his earthly ministry. What’s more, this book serves as a pattern for us to mimic in the church today; we should not idly sit by and allow the church to get caught up in heresy in the name of unity & ecumenism. We need to be the voice of truth and reason, just like Jesus was.
June 5, 2015
This ain't yer Sunday School Jesus
MacArthur attacks the notion that Jesus was always the soft, meek, and mild Teacher we learned about as children and who is the face of evangelic Christianity today. MacArthur, a widely-read and respected Christian author and pastor, mines the four New Testament gospels for events from Jesus' life when he confronted sinners with strong words.
MacArthur first spends time making clear that he is not calling for belligerent Christians to hector passers-by on the street. However, he does decry the tendency of "post-modern" evangelicals to offer soft words and accommodation to those who challenge fundamental doctrines of Christianity. MacArthur uses the examples of Jesus given in the Gospels: while he consorted with common sinners to speak of forgiveness and love with them, he confronted the religious leaders of his day to challenge their practices This practice of confrontation in defense of truth is a key part of Jesus' ministry, says MacArthur: "The struggle between truth and error is spiritual warfare, and truth has no way to defeat falsehood except by exposing and refuting lies and false teaching. That calls for candor and clarity, boldness and precision--and sometimes more severity than congeniality."
The confrontations arose, and continue, because Jesus Christ as the God-man has always been the lightening rod of the Bible and Christianity. Christianity in the spiritual realm, not the denominational or "religious" realm, is a relationship with a man who claims to be God, who claims to be alive after death, who claims to be the one path of salvation. MacArthur says it this way: "There are only two possible conclusions we can make with regard to Christ: He is either God incarnate, or He is a blasphemer and a fraud. There is no middle ground, and that is precisely the situation Jesus was aiming for."
The religious leaders of his place and time (Pharisees, Sadducees, the Jewish Sanhedrin, the Roman government presence in Palestine) had come down on the side of blasphemy and fraud, so Jesus' mission of clearing the middle ground was directed at them. Most of MacArthur's book is a study of those confrontations. While he uses and quotes New Testament passages, this is not a verse-by-verse exegesis; MacArthur says several times that there isn't room for that, although with barely 200 pages in the book, I was left thinking that he had room for more explanation and wishing he had availed himself of the opportunity to say more about some of these events.
The final event MacArthur describes is the vitriolic outpouring of "woes" on the Pharisees in Matthew 23, which is one of the great recorded religious rants in history. As we might say today with cool irony: "Wow. Tell us how you really feel, Jesus." The Pharisees knew; they would have him arrested and crucified within the week.
Interestingly, at the end of the diatribe, as his anger cools and he looks over Jerusalem with regret, Jesus says, in Matthew 23:38, "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate." As MacArthur points out, the spiritual battle of words is over, and Jesus was declaring victory as he carried God's power out of the temple and into the new covenant of Christianity. The Pharisees were left with a powerless temple that would be torn down by Roman armies in a few short decades and never be rebuilt.
MacArthur attacks the notion that Jesus was always the soft, meek, and mild Teacher we learned about as children and who is the face of evangelic Christianity today. MacArthur, a widely-read and respected Christian author and pastor, mines the four New Testament gospels for events from Jesus' life when he confronted sinners with strong words.
MacArthur first spends time making clear that he is not calling for belligerent Christians to hector passers-by on the street. However, he does decry the tendency of "post-modern" evangelicals to offer soft words and accommodation to those who challenge fundamental doctrines of Christianity. MacArthur uses the examples of Jesus given in the Gospels: while he consorted with common sinners to speak of forgiveness and love with them, he confronted the religious leaders of his day to challenge their practices This practice of confrontation in defense of truth is a key part of Jesus' ministry, says MacArthur: "The struggle between truth and error is spiritual warfare, and truth has no way to defeat falsehood except by exposing and refuting lies and false teaching. That calls for candor and clarity, boldness and precision--and sometimes more severity than congeniality."
The confrontations arose, and continue, because Jesus Christ as the God-man has always been the lightening rod of the Bible and Christianity. Christianity in the spiritual realm, not the denominational or "religious" realm, is a relationship with a man who claims to be God, who claims to be alive after death, who claims to be the one path of salvation. MacArthur says it this way: "There are only two possible conclusions we can make with regard to Christ: He is either God incarnate, or He is a blasphemer and a fraud. There is no middle ground, and that is precisely the situation Jesus was aiming for."
The religious leaders of his place and time (Pharisees, Sadducees, the Jewish Sanhedrin, the Roman government presence in Palestine) had come down on the side of blasphemy and fraud, so Jesus' mission of clearing the middle ground was directed at them. Most of MacArthur's book is a study of those confrontations. While he uses and quotes New Testament passages, this is not a verse-by-verse exegesis; MacArthur says several times that there isn't room for that, although with barely 200 pages in the book, I was left thinking that he had room for more explanation and wishing he had availed himself of the opportunity to say more about some of these events.
The final event MacArthur describes is the vitriolic outpouring of "woes" on the Pharisees in Matthew 23, which is one of the great recorded religious rants in history. As we might say today with cool irony: "Wow. Tell us how you really feel, Jesus." The Pharisees knew; they would have him arrested and crucified within the week.
Interestingly, at the end of the diatribe, as his anger cools and he looks over Jerusalem with regret, Jesus says, in Matthew 23:38, "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate." As MacArthur points out, the spiritual battle of words is over, and Jesus was declaring victory as he carried God's power out of the temple and into the new covenant of Christianity. The Pharisees were left with a powerless temple that would be torn down by Roman armies in a few short decades and never be rebuilt.
August 11, 2011
I have long respected John MacArthur for his passion for God's sovereignty, his devotion to biblical studies, and his love for the truth. His tenacity for the truth, however, became a repeated Achilles' heel in this book.
I agreed with many of MacArthur's premises in The Jesus You Can't Ignore in principle: Jesus did not shy away from conflict, in fact he seems to pursue it often with the religious leaders of his day. Jesus did not soft-pedal around his points of disagreement with them. Many Christians today are afraid to step on any toes in defense of the Gospel.
However, there was one distinction that I felt was not made clear enough often enough. Jesus did not handle all his conflicts in the same manner, he did not treat all his audiences with the same aggression. In fact, Jesus reserved his fiercest combativeness solely for the religious leaders of the Jews. Jesus held those who "were entrusted with the oracles of God" to a higher standard. Many others (the woman at the well, Nicodemus, Pilate, the disciples) had wrong beliefs that Jesus addressed in a manner far different from the manner he used with the Pharisees and their ilk. While the Gospel essentials were worth fighting for, both his audience and subject matter influenced the response that Jesus delivered.
The Jesus You Can't Ignore fails to make this distinction often enough and reads like a overly reactive response to the new postmodern, permissive, and passive Christian stereotype. MacArthur's battleground seems to revolve around "the truth" rather than the Gospel and fails to make some important distinctions (i.e. Gospel essentials vs. non-essentials, Christians vs. non-Christians, sincere but mistaken believers vs. malicious twisters of the Gospel). It would be a great mistake to tell Christians to handle each and every confrontation with the same aggression as Jesus did in his disagreements with the Pharisees.
Unfortunately, when we shift from contending for the Gospel to fighting for the truth, the battle lines we draw exclude everyone we disagree with and every disagreement becomes grounds for a fight. Everyone would be much better off taking the whole counsel of Jesus' example in addressing conflict both as bold and gentle, at times harsh and other times cordial.
I agreed with many of MacArthur's premises in The Jesus You Can't Ignore in principle: Jesus did not shy away from conflict, in fact he seems to pursue it often with the religious leaders of his day. Jesus did not soft-pedal around his points of disagreement with them. Many Christians today are afraid to step on any toes in defense of the Gospel.
However, there was one distinction that I felt was not made clear enough often enough. Jesus did not handle all his conflicts in the same manner, he did not treat all his audiences with the same aggression. In fact, Jesus reserved his fiercest combativeness solely for the religious leaders of the Jews. Jesus held those who "were entrusted with the oracles of God" to a higher standard. Many others (the woman at the well, Nicodemus, Pilate, the disciples) had wrong beliefs that Jesus addressed in a manner far different from the manner he used with the Pharisees and their ilk. While the Gospel essentials were worth fighting for, both his audience and subject matter influenced the response that Jesus delivered.
The Jesus You Can't Ignore fails to make this distinction often enough and reads like a overly reactive response to the new postmodern, permissive, and passive Christian stereotype. MacArthur's battleground seems to revolve around "the truth" rather than the Gospel and fails to make some important distinctions (i.e. Gospel essentials vs. non-essentials, Christians vs. non-Christians, sincere but mistaken believers vs. malicious twisters of the Gospel). It would be a great mistake to tell Christians to handle each and every confrontation with the same aggression as Jesus did in his disagreements with the Pharisees.
Unfortunately, when we shift from contending for the Gospel to fighting for the truth, the battle lines we draw exclude everyone we disagree with and every disagreement becomes grounds for a fight. Everyone would be much better off taking the whole counsel of Jesus' example in addressing conflict both as bold and gentle, at times harsh and other times cordial.
January 31, 2019
For some odd reason, I didn't initially finish reading this book, a book I started a couple of years ago. I realized earlier this month that I had started the book, read a couple of pages, then it has sat on my shelves for a couple of years. So I dove in to read through this book. Oh, I am so grateful that I did.
The world we live in is loaded with false religions. Christianity itself is inundated with so much false teaching, watered down gospel messages, etc. In an effort to appease the natural man, to avoid being offensive, to avoid standing on truth in a post-modern era, the church has compromised. The voices that say, "You can't be dogmatic. You can't stand squarely on truth. You can't confront false doctrine. You can't speak confidently when you use the Bible," have obviously never truly penetrated into an indepth look at how Jesus Christ spoke at times. We are comfortable with the tender, gentle, forgiveness-granting Jesus. But did He ever lower the boom on people? Oh yes. Many times. Besides the bookends of His ministry being the cleansing of the temple, Jesus spoke bluntly to the religious leaders of Israel. He even called them names. And what a cutting message He spoke. But what He spoke and how He spoke it would not land in good favor with many today who claim to be Christians.
In the pages of this book, MacArthur does what MacArthur does best, and that is, he shows the other side of Jesus that most people ignore because we get uncomfortable with the idea of tables being turned over, money scattering across the temple floor, animals scattering in fear. We get uncomfortable with the Jesus who spoke bluntly confronting the self-righteous, hypocrites of His time period. It is intirely possible that, out of fear of offending others, we've become just like the Pharisees who loved the praise of man, more than the favor of God.
Perhaps, if there is ever a time in our lives, in the history of the church in America, where the message of, "The Jesus You Can't Ignore," needs to be heard, it is now. Sadly, I believe that for the most part, the people who need to read this book, won't. But my prayer is that perhaps one will be challenged to read it, will take the message seriously, and will not be afraid to be emboldened to defend truth, to defend the truth of the Gospel. I'm so grateful that I read this book.
The world we live in is loaded with false religions. Christianity itself is inundated with so much false teaching, watered down gospel messages, etc. In an effort to appease the natural man, to avoid being offensive, to avoid standing on truth in a post-modern era, the church has compromised. The voices that say, "You can't be dogmatic. You can't stand squarely on truth. You can't confront false doctrine. You can't speak confidently when you use the Bible," have obviously never truly penetrated into an indepth look at how Jesus Christ spoke at times. We are comfortable with the tender, gentle, forgiveness-granting Jesus. But did He ever lower the boom on people? Oh yes. Many times. Besides the bookends of His ministry being the cleansing of the temple, Jesus spoke bluntly to the religious leaders of Israel. He even called them names. And what a cutting message He spoke. But what He spoke and how He spoke it would not land in good favor with many today who claim to be Christians.
In the pages of this book, MacArthur does what MacArthur does best, and that is, he shows the other side of Jesus that most people ignore because we get uncomfortable with the idea of tables being turned over, money scattering across the temple floor, animals scattering in fear. We get uncomfortable with the Jesus who spoke bluntly confronting the self-righteous, hypocrites of His time period. It is intirely possible that, out of fear of offending others, we've become just like the Pharisees who loved the praise of man, more than the favor of God.
Perhaps, if there is ever a time in our lives, in the history of the church in America, where the message of, "The Jesus You Can't Ignore," needs to be heard, it is now. Sadly, I believe that for the most part, the people who need to read this book, won't. But my prayer is that perhaps one will be challenged to read it, will take the message seriously, and will not be afraid to be emboldened to defend truth, to defend the truth of the Gospel. I'm so grateful that I read this book.
August 19, 2010
Right from the beginning, MacCarthur shows through explanation, the lessons which must be learned from the ‘Bold Confrontation of Christ.’ This is noted prominently on the cover, as well as the title page.
“The Jesus You Can’t Ignore,” by John MacCarthur, is a premier explanation of God’s love for us. MacCarthur’s depiction and clear cut explanation of Jesus’ time on earth should convince even the hardest heart that He came to earth as the Savior of all mankind. I would venture to say that even the hardest heart would be transfixed and softened by the descriptions and the Scripture used throughout this Study Guide. If the Preface and Introduction don’t convince the reader of the power of God, all they need to do is begin reading Chapter One, ‘When It’s Wrong to Be Nice.’
This chapter begins with Scripture from Luke 20:45-46 – Then in the audience of all the people He said unto His disciples, “Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the market, and the highest seats in the synagogues. And the chief rooms at feasts. (KJV). In this portion of the Scripture, Jesus is speaking of the Sanhedrin and the Sadducees, not to mention the Pharisees themselves.
Jesus came to earth to teach and of course take away our sin. The question which arises here is whether we as sinners are going to accept Jesus as our Savior.
In “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore,” the reader is confronted with the Truth. Jesus was not always kind or gentle in His teachings. Sometimes He needs to be blunt, as evidenced with His conversations, battles and confrontations with the Pharisees. MacCarthur explains how the religious leaders tended to add rites and rituals beyond what God intended, and when Jesus confronted them with it, the Pharisees rebelled. Such a waste on their part.
I could go on for quite a long time, but, I strongly urge everyone to purchase and read/study the manuscript of John MacCarthur’s “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore.”
“The Jesus You Can’t Ignore,” by John MacCarthur, is a premier explanation of God’s love for us. MacCarthur’s depiction and clear cut explanation of Jesus’ time on earth should convince even the hardest heart that He came to earth as the Savior of all mankind. I would venture to say that even the hardest heart would be transfixed and softened by the descriptions and the Scripture used throughout this Study Guide. If the Preface and Introduction don’t convince the reader of the power of God, all they need to do is begin reading Chapter One, ‘When It’s Wrong to Be Nice.’
This chapter begins with Scripture from Luke 20:45-46 – Then in the audience of all the people He said unto His disciples, “Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the market, and the highest seats in the synagogues. And the chief rooms at feasts. (KJV). In this portion of the Scripture, Jesus is speaking of the Sanhedrin and the Sadducees, not to mention the Pharisees themselves.
Jesus came to earth to teach and of course take away our sin. The question which arises here is whether we as sinners are going to accept Jesus as our Savior.
In “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore,” the reader is confronted with the Truth. Jesus was not always kind or gentle in His teachings. Sometimes He needs to be blunt, as evidenced with His conversations, battles and confrontations with the Pharisees. MacCarthur explains how the religious leaders tended to add rites and rituals beyond what God intended, and when Jesus confronted them with it, the Pharisees rebelled. Such a waste on their part.
I could go on for quite a long time, but, I strongly urge everyone to purchase and read/study the manuscript of John MacCarthur’s “The Jesus You Can’t Ignore.”
Read
July 24, 2011Forceful reminder that Jesus is far from only meek and mild. MacArthur uses extensive biblical passages to show that Jesus is more assertive than passive and in fact provokes confrontations with those most opposed to His actual mission -- the religiously comfortable.
Whether this book changes you will depend upon which side of the confrontational horse you fall off on. If you feel safest being passive and use your portrait of Jesus as an excuse, watch out. But if you, as I suspect is the case with MacArthur, relish confrontation and do not feel you are doing your biblical duty unless someone is offended, this book will excuse you from gentleness and compassion.
Whether this book changes you will depend upon which side of the confrontational horse you fall off on. If you feel safest being passive and use your portrait of Jesus as an excuse, watch out. But if you, as I suspect is the case with MacArthur, relish confrontation and do not feel you are doing your biblical duty unless someone is offended, this book will excuse you from gentleness and compassion.
September 9, 2021
Finally! A title that actually explains what the book is about! In this book, MacArthur is addressing the incorrect belief that Christians should be only kind and nice and never confrontational because that's what Jesus was like. MacArthur does a great job pointing out example after example after example of Christ confronting harshly and strongly any mistruths or lies. Much like his preaching, he takes an exegetical approach to every passage. If you are not used to this it can feel a little slow, but I think when addressing a topic like this it was beneficial to take the time to point out all the little details.
April 26, 2013
The writer challenges contemporary Christians to be strong advocates of their faith based on examples taken from the encounters that Jesus had with the Pharisees and others. He emphasizes the necessity for confrontations at times in order to maintain the purity of faith, and he shows how the confrontations between Jesus and His enemies can be inspirational for contemporary Christians.
The writing style is conversational, focused, and light.
The writing style is conversational, focused, and light.
March 1, 2015
A good read. It really makes you look at the bible and Jesus in a different light. This author really highlights a side of Jesus you don't hear a lot of preachers/pastors speaking on. John MacArthur makes you take a closer look at Jesus to discover He wasn't just meek and mild. I believe if He lived in our society today He would be controversial and excommunicated out of the church. This book is an excellent addition to my library.
October 6, 2010
Very awesome how MacArthur can shed light on the stories in Scripture and bring them alive. One of the BEST books I have ever read. Bottom line: Christians are to war against false teaching which refutes pure, authentic Christianity. It is what Jesus spent much time doing during his years on earth, and it is one of our roles as His followers.
November 29, 2014
I have never studied the righteous anger side of Jesus, because frankly it is scary to think of the Lord being angry. But it was definitely worth looking at, as it gave me a more in-depth look at his ministry. What I didn't enjoy about the book were the author's strongly worded opinions, because I didn't agree with them. Overall though, it did help my knowledge of Jesus grow.
July 23, 2011
In a society when most people perceive Jesus as some hippie with long-flowing hair, rosy cheeks, and very very good looking, John MacArthur takes to the Scriptures to give people a more accurate description of Yeshua. One of the first books I read when I got saved in 2009. It helped me to open my eyes and really gaze upon the true Son not Western culture's perception of him. Great read
May 7, 2015
Livraço!
Um estudo minucioso do tratamento dado por Jesus aos líderes judeus em seus vários confrontos públicos. Interessantemente, MacArthur mostra, nos Evangelhos, como Jesus não apenas não evitava conflitos com os fariseus e escribas mas, na verdade, em muitas ocasiões, provocava tais conflitos.
Um "tapa na cara" dos cristãos pós-modernos influenciados pelo politicamente correto.
Recomendo!
Um estudo minucioso do tratamento dado por Jesus aos líderes judeus em seus vários confrontos públicos. Interessantemente, MacArthur mostra, nos Evangelhos, como Jesus não apenas não evitava conflitos com os fariseus e escribas mas, na verdade, em muitas ocasiões, provocava tais conflitos.
Um "tapa na cara" dos cristãos pós-modernos influenciados pelo politicamente correto.
Recomendo!
December 17, 2015
Catching up on my 2014 reviews! Oh my, another must read. Christ is God and King - which shines through this book. His gospel was meant to divide: those seeking Christ's righteousness vs. those who rely on self-righteousness. Christ did not mince words, as our modern churches often do.
October 26, 2019
This book is a must read. Well written, excellent explanations and Biblical insight. I appreciate how well he put you in the thick of the action and his honest potrayl of the leagalisticness of the day. This was the second of his works I have read and just as good.
June 9, 2021
An urgent reminder, through careful exegesis, that as Jesus confronted the false teachers of His day, we need to confront the false teachers of our day. We can't succumb to the belief that we need to be nice and gentle when confronting those who are teaching a different gospel.
June 13, 2010
The chapters read like sermons....but they're good sermons, anyway. I always appreciate a tonic to the Hippie Jesus that is floating around out there.
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