Book Review: To Know Christ Jesus by Frank Sheed

To Know Christ Jesus by Frank Sheed

Modern Christians have a challenge when it comes to learning about Jesus Christ. The primary texts about Him and His life were written almost two thousand years ago in a style that is not familiar to today's readers. Even a contemporary translation that eschews "thees" and "thous" has an uphill battle with what seems to be choppy texts that do not share the sort of chronological through-line that we expect from history or biography. Literature has changed a lot; so has politics and technology. A quick glance would easily separate contemporary cities from classical cities, if one could see them side by side. The twenty-first century Christian has little context with which to imagine or identify with the first century world. Sheed puts his finger on the problem:

"Too many of us tend to think of our Lord as moving, and acting, and speaking in a sort of luminous vacuum called Palestine, with towns in it which are names but hardly places, of which no more need be known than that they were filled with Jews and ruled by Romans. For many Christians a kind of unreality attaches to our Lord, a though he were a figure in one of his own parables. It makes his words and deed more real to us if we see them in the place of their happening." [pp. 153-154]

Sheed bridges the gap for his readers with a highly readable text. He takes the story of Jesus from the four gospels and orders it out a bit more. He also provides the larger context of life way back then, filling in the details that the authors naturally assumed their contemporary audiences already knew. He explains the geographical connections of places. He gives some detail to what the Pharisees, Sadducees, Jews, Samaritans, Romans, royalty, peasants, lepers, tax collectors, and everyone else thought of themselves and of other groups. Sheed is also delightfully down to earth: "What of Peter? We cannot, for instance, imagine that born activist doing nothing at all when twice our Lord's enemies were on the point of stoning him. Surely, we feel, he must have punched somebody." [P. 302]

Sheed is also very cognizant of not going beyond the texts and re-weaving the story according to his own pattern. He admits candidly when he speculates or makes educated guesses and cautions the reader to use their own judgement. He refers back to the gospels often, sometimes even asking the reader to read a chapter or two before Sheed gives his own analysis and commentary. His honesty and faithfulness to the evangelists' words is refreshing and inspiring.

Of course, if you want to know Christ Jesus, you should read the gospels (and the rest of the New Testament too). Sheed would say the same thing. This book is a great supplement and well worth reading after (or along with) the gospels.

Highly recommended.