Last month I finished Who Is This Man by John Ortburg on audio. And last week I listened to it again. It must be one of the best books I've ever read on the historical life of Jesus of Nazareth and the world-wide, eternal impact of Jesus the Christ.
Honestly, I tend to not finish the majority of books I start. I loose interest, or I get the main point and skip around for the supporting points and I'm on to another one. (Habits I learned in college, I guess.) I also tend to read several books at once. (A product of my short attention span, I'm sure.) But something in Ortburg's book grabbed hold of me like seeing a beautiful sunset after being blind all my life. I found myself saying out-loud several times, "How 'come I never knew that?!?"
The scope of this book is so broad but still so well organized. There are no gaps. No page fillers. No over-your head theology. No ongoing anecdotes. Just pure, page-turning, life-changing facts about Jesus Christ and the world He changed, the world we live in. By becoming "like one of the children" and coming to "do the Father's will," God changed not only the fallen nature of mankind but every single area of human existence. Medicine. Economics. Charity. Civil-rights. Women's rights. Politics. You name it. It's all vastly different than it would be had God not stepped foot on the Earth He created.
Finally, and most importantly to me, Ortburg leaves you asking yourself, if you've never done so, "What IF this man truly is the Son of God?!" He does this without an alter call in a book method. It's more subtle, and so powerful. It's just hard to deny the touch of the divine, given the scope of impact on the world. And once you take a close look at that touch, you realize it is at its core a touch of love on the human heart.
Jesus was not just "a man" in "the right place at the right time" in history. There's just no way. Jesus IS in fact the Son of God, born of a virgin, creator of all things. Yet he voluntarily humbled Himself to death. Jesus did in fact come to save us from our sins and give us new LIFE in Him.
Who is this man?
HE is the Savior, Redeemer, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, and Lord of Lords. Jesus IS the Christ.
Check it out. Great, great book. Your Faith will likely grow. At least mine sure did.
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