The Jesus I Never Knew [Paperback]

Philip Yancey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2002

'There is no writer in the evangelical world that I admire and appreciate more.' Billy Graham Philip Yancey helps reveal what two thousand years of history covered up What happens when a respected Christian journalist decides to put his preconceptions aside and take a long look at the Jesus described in the Gospels? How does the Jesus of the New Testament compare to the 'new, rediscovered' Jesus---or even the Jesus we think we know so well? Philip Yancey offers a new and different perspective on the life of Christ and his work---his teachings, his miracles, his death and resurrection---and ultimately, who he was and why he came. From the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem, Yancey presents a complex character who generates questions as well as answers; a disturbing and exhilarating Jesus who wants to radically transform your life and stretch your faith. The Jesus I Never Knew uncovers a Jesus who is brilliant, creative, challenging, fearless, compassionate, unpredictable, and ultimately satisfying. 'No one who meets Jesus ever stays the same,' says Yancey. 'Jesus has rocked my own preconceptions and has made me ask hard questions about why those of us who bear his name don't do a better job of following him.'

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An old adage says, "God created man in His own image and man has been returning the favor ever since." Philip Yancey realized that despite a lifetime attending Sunday school topped off by a Bible college education, he really had no idea who Jesus was. In fact, he found himself further and further removed from the person of Jesus, distracted instead by flannel-graph figures and intellectual inspection. He determined to use his journalistic talents to approach Jesus, in the context of time, within the framework of history.

In The Jesus I Never Knew, Yancey explores the life of Jesus, as he explains, "'from below,' to grasp as best I can what it must have been like to observe in person the extraordinary events unfolding in Galilee and Judea" as Jesus traveled and taught. Yancey examines three fundamental questions: who Jesus was, why he came, and what he left behind. Step by step, scene by scene, Yancey probes the culture into which Jesus was born and grew to adulthood; his character and mission; his teachings and miracles; his legacy--not just as history has told it, but as he himself intended it to be.

Yancey is not alone in his examination of the "real" Jesus. Publishing today is replete with writers committed to setting the story "straight,quot; joining countless others who, over the past 2,000 years, have determined to discover the truth about Jesus. But where others would deconstruct and discount, Yancey disarms and discloses. We become colleagues with him as he examines the accounts of the life of Jesus. And among the things that we discover is that Jesus himself leaves us few options: either he was who he said he was or he was nuts.

Philip Yancey was awarded the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year award for this book in 1996 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. It's not the first, nor the last, award Yancey has won for his writing. But the writing is not necessarily the great gift of this book. Yancey allows the reader to discover, along with him, The Jesus I Never Knew. --Patricia Klein --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

The Jesus I Never Knew and What's So Amazing About Grace? have influenced the Christian church in a way few other books ever have. Both have ascended to the ranks of ongoing best-sellers. Both have won the Gold Medallion Book of the Year Award--fitting recognition for what may well be Philip Yancey's two most significant books to date. And now the previously abridged audio editions of these two remarkable works come unabridged. Read by professional narrator Bill Richards, here are Yancey's complete, passionate, personal insights into the person of Jesus and the nature of grace--with the convenience and flexibility of Zondervan Audio Pages. Andrew Lloyd Webber cast him as a rock-n-roll rebel in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, many Christians see him as a handsome European-looking man, and social justice groups place him next to Ghandi in his defense of the downtrodden. But, says Philip Yancey, the real Jesus would have left most people scratching their heads along with the disciples and asking, "Who is this guy?"

This is exactly the question Yancey asks in his new book The Jesus I Never Knew. Yancey's search for the real Jesus collides with the calm, cool, collected, and "loving hippie" notions of Jesus he saw in modern American culture. Instead, he finds a Galilean Jew born into apparent scandal making the most daring of claims: that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Light.

The Jesus I Never Knew developed out of a class Yancey led at LaSalle Street Church in Chicago, but finding the real Jesus has been Yancey's passion since childhood.

Yancey saw Him as a cardboard cut-out in Sunday School and a "cosmic Christ" in Bible college. Today he sees a world that marks its calendar around Jesus' birth and uses His name to intensify a curse. (Wouldn't it be odd to center a calendar around Napoleon's birth or to scream "Thomas Jefferson" in a shocking situation?).

"And yet," says Yancey, "I am not writing a book about Jesus because he is a great man who changed history. I am not tempted to write about Julius Caesar or the Chinese emperor who built the great wall. I am drawn to Jesus, irresistibly, because he has positioned himself at the dividing point of life-my life."

The Jesus I Never Knew looks at who Jesus was, why he came, and what he left behind. More than historical speculation or doctrinal recitation, Yancey asks the questions out of a personal desire to truly know Jesus.

"The Jesus I Knew has to be the greatest book I've read on the subject." Mark O. Hatfield, U.S. Senator, Oregon --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031021923X
• ISBN-13: 978-0310219231
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (196 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Jesus
  • #100 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Theology

More About the Author

I worked for 10 years as an Editor and then Publisher for Campus Life magazine. There I learned journalistic skills (there's no tougher audience than teenagers), but every year it seemed I wrote fewer and fewer words. In 1980 my wife Janet and I moved to downtown Chicago where I began a career as a freelance writer. (She has worked as a social worker and hospice chaplain--which gives me plenty of material to write about!) We lived there until 1992, when we moved to the foothills of Colorado. I've written around 20 books, most of them still in print, thankfully. Three of them I coauthored with Dr. Paul Brand, who influenced me more than any single person. My own favorites are "Soul Survivor" and "Reaching for the Invisible God" because both of them forced me to dig deep and get personal. I'm a pilgrim, still "in recovery" from a bad church upbringing, searching for a faith that makes its followers larger and not smaller. I feel overwhelming gratitude that I can make a living writing about the questions that interest me.

Please visit my website at www.philipyancey.com for more information, essays, events, travel notes, and a blog.

There is also an official Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/PhilipYancey?v=wall

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

140 of 156 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book - but not Yancey's best, June 7, 2000

By 

Rosemary Thornton "Niece of Addie Hoyt Fargo ... (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jesus I Never Knew (Hardcover)

But I still rate it at 5 stars.

I see a progression of thought in Yancey's works from "The Jesus I never Knew" to his later work "What's so amazing about Grace." If you only have time to read one Yancey book, I'd recommend "What's so amazing about Grace" high above this book.

"The Jeus I never knew" is full of anecdotes and great quotes and interesting stories. It's also filled with thoughtful insights that make you go "Wow, I never thought of that Bible verse in that light before."

For that reason, I give it five stars. Any book that gives you a deeper love of God (as this book does) is surely worth five stars.

But his more recent book "What's So Amazing About Grace" seems like it plumbs the depth of spirituality a bit more. Kind of like the comparison of Mark's Gospel and John's Gospel. Mark's writings are strong and clear, but John's message is so deeply metaphysical you fear you may never glean all the spiritual nuggets contained therein.

Not to irreverantly compare Yancey to John..., but Yancey's books are always a joy to read. I just preferred "What's so Amazing About Grace."

However, after borrowing and reading "The Jesus I Never Knew" I immediately bought my own copy. It is a good foundational item for every Christian's bookshelf.

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thousands Have A Priceless Gift But Will Never Discover It, June 12, 2003

By 

Michael Naumann (Milwaukee Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jesus I Never Knew (Paperback)

The renowned Christian book author, Philip Yancey, deserves "five gold stars" for his thought-provoking book, The Jesus I Never Knew. Yancey's training and experience as a journalist is evident in his exploration and historical detailed life analysis of the human being we call "Jesus." His book tells the story of this great Man who changed history, but that's not why he wrote it. As explained in Part One, "Who He Was," Jesus was the dividing point in Yancey's life. Although Jesus lived over 2,000 years ago, Yancey and Jesus have a very personal relationship. He states: "Nothing, not even the murder of God's own Son-can end the relationship between God and human beings." Yancey reminds us "too easily we forget what it cost Jesus to win for us all-ordinary people, not just priests-immediate access to God's presence. How important is that? Yancey states, "According to Jesus, what I think about Him and how I respond will determine my destiny for all eternity." I'd say it's the most important decision you could ever make.

As I read his book, I began to wonder, should this be a Wiley Publishing, Jesus For Dummies book? The Jesus we learned about while growing up, the typical Sunday school stereotype is a humble, soft-spoken, longhaired, modest Man. This is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of all creation? This is the man that battled Satan? This is the man that hung on the cross by nails pounded into his flesh? Through extensive use of biblical references, Yancey explains how our preconceived ideas about Jesus' personality and looks may be misconceptions. Yancey also explains that Jesus purposefully walked through life and was comfortable meeting folks from every walk of life. Would you be comfortable associating with prostitutes, leprosy victims, and thieves? Jesus was, and still is. Yancey reminds us: "In God's kingdom there are no undesirables."

Yancey's work opens our eyes to the circumstances encompassing the birth of Jesus. He asks, "If Jesus came to reveal God to us, then what do I learn about God from that first Christmas?" How about a God that is a humble, approachable, courageous underdog? Yancey's questions regarding the birth cause us to ponder why God would send His Son to earth as a tiny infant human being. God could have sent Jesus to earth in a fire engulfed chariot surrounded by legions of angels, but He didn't. Yancey further explores the Jewish connection and how "Jesus failed to meet the expectations of Messiah the Jews were awaiting." Reading the book helps you to discover why God chose the Virgin Mary, and the challenging circumstances surrounding the birth of the Messiah. Although, it wasn't clear to me why God chose that time and place for the birth of Jesus.

Does Yancey create a paradigm shift in thinking? Yes. In the chapter, Mission: A Revolution of Grace, he asks: "Why do so few of the millions of prayers for physical healing get answered?" Humans afflicted with mental and physical woes daily ask, "Why me God?" When tragedy strikes my life, I ask God, "Why?" Yancey's response is simply, "I don't know." Yancey refers to a bible passage when Jesus is asked a similar question. Jesus responded, "...this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his [recipient's] life." In my youth, when something bad happened to my mom or dad, I would promise Jesus I would "be good" and "never do <something bad> ever again. I knew God was punishing me for my bad deeds. I would pray extra hard, maybe even kneel by the side of the bed. I never heard God tell me everything was going to be ok. I prayed and prayed for miracles but the angels never came down to help me. How can I believe in God if he doesn't help me when I need it? Yancey illustrates that: "Although faith may produce miracles, miracles do not necessarily produce faith." Why did Jesus perform only a few miracles? They "give us a glimpse of what the world was meant to be and instill hope that one day God will right its wrongs."

Yancey's book will open your eyes and mind to a new way of thinking. He will challenge your stereotypes and expose you to uncomfortable views. He supports his observations with evidence and builds his case like Lieutenant Columbo; except, Yancey doesn't bumble through the bible. Yancey is an expert communicator and articulates well his beliefs. I think you will find this book to be a good investment, monetarily and eternally.

Reviewer's note: The title for this book review is officially listed in The Top 100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written. I thought it was applicable to this review since Yancey helps readers to discover the gift they already have, the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking Book about Jesus, July 1, 2001

By 

D. Keating (Bristow, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Jesus I Never Knew (Hardcover)

This is the first Philip Yancey book that I have read, and I must say that I am impressed. The main reason I like this book is the straight-forward, honest approach that the author uses to find out more about Jesus, Christianity, and the Church. An endeavor that I am currently undergoing myself.

For the book, the author did an enormous amount of research looking for the answers to the questions about Jesus that plagued him most. He looks at questions like: What was Jesus really like? How does the Church (and many Americans) view him now? How should we respond to His message? All valid questions that I think many people struggle with at some point. To answer these questions, Mr. Yancey follows the life of Jesus here on earth from start to finish, and gives his thoughts (and many others) and conclusions about Jesus.

He draws his material from many sources, but I like the fact that he always goes back to the Gospels as the "measuring stick" for everything. I also like his conclusion that after writing a book about Jesus, that he has even more questions than when he started. I feel the same way. It seems the more I learn about Jesus, the more I feel that I don't know or understand. Luckily, this book has helped answer some questions that I had about Jesus, and gave me some fresh insight into what Jesus was all about.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a deeper relationship with Jesus, and wants to find out more about Him. This book will probably challenge your current view and opinions about Jesus, which hopefully will wet your appetite to know Him better, like it has with me.