The Real Jesus
CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1 The Birth of Jesus: The Greatest Story Never
Told
Chapter 2 Jesus the Creator--His Former Life
Chapter 3 Jesus’ Childhood, Education and Early Life
Chapter 4 Jesus and His Family
Chapter 5 Jesus in
Chapter 6
What Jesus Looked Like
Chapter 7 Jesus and John the Baptist: Incongruous?
Chapter 8
Choosing His Disciples
Chapter 9
Water into Wine
Chapter 10 Encounter with Satan
Chapter 11 Jesus’ Faith
Chapter 12 Miracles and Healings-- Signs of His
Messiahship
Chapter 13 Demons
Chapter 14 “That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit”
Chapter 15 The Kingdom Parables
Chapter 16 Confronting the Pharisees and Sadducees
Chapter 17 Was Jesus a Lawbreaker?
Chapter 18 Satan and Judas--The Mental Perversion
Chapter 19 The Day the Earth Shook
Chapter 20 A Step Through Stone
Introduction:
Meet
the Real Jesus
It’s time you met the real Jesus.
It’s time you knew Him as He was: sometimes
brusque, abrupt and authoritative. Always thoughtful, philosophical and
profound.
It’s time you knew that Jesus could be the
kindest and most gentle human being on earth, showing boundless love, mercy and
forgiveness to those who genuinely asked for it and were in a repentant spirit.
But it is time to recognize that Jesus could also radiate blazing anger and
could hurl swift, incisive indictments at all posturing egotists,
self-righteous religionists, simpering crowd followers, or even at His own
beloved disciples when they got out of line.
It’s time you knew that Jesus perspired just as
you do; that He grew desperately hungry and tired; that He almost starved to
death on one terrible occasion; that He suffered through the entire panorama of
human temptations, passions and emotions which are common to us all; that He
enjoyed food and drink; that He appreciated feminine beauty.
It’s time you knew that Christ could cry, shout,
laugh and sing; that He could enjoy the rough camaraderie of men of His own age
in an out-of-doors camp, or appreciate the glittering setting of fabulous
feasts in the most palatial of estates.
It’s time that you realized that Jesus was not a
vagabond; that He was a professional builder in the construction business,
combining the technology of “modern,” first-century engineering with the art of
the skilled craftsman.
It’s time you knew the Jesus who was admired by
officers high in the Roman army, who became a puzzle to Pilate, who was hated
by the Pharisees, greatly beloved by His disciples, held in awe by the masses,
detested by Judas, deeply admired by a proud mother, intensely loved by John,
rebuked by Peter, and who was just as intensely human as you are.
Few know that Jesus was not born on or anywhere
near December 25;
--that, as a boy, Jesus learned a profession;
that He became the senior member in a construction partnership; that He owned
at least one and probably two homes of His own; that He paid taxes.
--that Jesus slept indoors most of His life and
frequently spent the night in the homes of very wealthy people, including
Romans as well as religious opponents.
--that He was a personal friend of con artists,
soldiers, fishermen, cheats, liars, thieves, crooked politicians, religious
leaders and prostitutes.
--that Jesus did not come to save the world some two thousand years ago, that He has
not been trying to save it since, and
that He is not trying to save it
today.
--that Jesus did not die of a broken heart; that
He was not crucified on “Good Friday”; that He was not resurrected on “Easter
Sunday”; that neither Jesus nor His disciples ever celebrated (or taught anyone
to celebrate) Christmas or Easter.
--that Jesus had to prove to doubting disciples
by incontrovertible evidence that He had truly been resurrected.
--that Jesus Christ is alive today, is planning
to return to earth and has actually begun His “countdown” from heaven!
If your own values are those of the common person, the real Jesus may insult you, shock you, please you, challenge you, inspire you, surprise you, make you wonder. But He will never bore you.
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| The Real Jesus is an official publication of The Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association, world headquarters Tyler, Texas U.S.A. Copyright © 1977, 2006 The Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association. All rights reserved. |