Who is Jesus? That’s arguably the most important question a person can answer. And that is exactly what Rebecca McLaughlin seeks to answer in Confronting Jesus. Throughout her book, Rebecca walks the reader through the 4 gospel narratives and takes an in-depth look at 9 different aspects of who Jesus is. She explores Jesus as a Jew and Son, as King and Lord, but also as a healer, servant, sacrifice, and more.
Rebecca uses a lot of pop-culture references (I’m pretty sure she had Hamilton on in the background while she wrote it and I’m not complaining.) that help illustrate the message and make it a fun read. That, along with her quick and to-the-point writing style, makes this a very accessible book. But this book shines its brightest when Rebecca uses her personal stories that demonstrate the beauty of following Jesus.
Confronting Jesus is carefully written and well-researched, but it’s also compelling. As you read each page you find Jesus attractive and wonderful. It hits you that THIS is why he is the person that history hinges on and why so many people love and follow him. Jesus isn’t just the path, he’s also the destination. And he is glorious.
Another aspect of this book that I appreciated is that it doesn’t shy away from difficult questions. And let’s face it, as we read the Bible in 2022 we have a lot of them. But instead of ignoring those, Rebecca tackles them head-on. One of my favorites is at the end of chapter 8 which looks at Jesus's sacrifice. It says…
“Talk of God's wrath and blood and sacrifice offends our modern ears. We like the idea of a God of love. But a God who grasps a cup of wrath and pours it out upon his Son feels like an ancient aberration. And yet we live in a world of unspeakable horrors of war and rape and murder and abuse. If there is a God, we wonder, why hasn't he come down to judge and put the world to rights?
The Gospels tell us that he has. He's come down in the person of his Son, who came to save the world by taking all the judgment we deserve upon himself, and to start a moral revolution that is bending us toward justice….He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. And he'll take our sin too if we will only put our trust in him.”
This book would be great to give to someone who is seeking to learn more about Christianity or Jesus. In it, they will learn who he is, why he matters, and why he is worth following. You can get your copy from Amazon (affiliate link) or directly from Crossway below.
I received a copy of Confronting Jesus: 9 Encounters with the Hero of the Gospel from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.