The Jesus Scandals by David Instone-Brewer

I was unsure of this book when I first saw it, to be truthful.  There was something about the title that made me question what the book was going to be about.  However, since I knew it was from a Christian publisher, I felt that I had better give it a chance! 

It was very interesting to read about how Jesus was caught in scandals during his day.  I never stopped to really think about the cultures at his time, such as why he was single and the disgrace that came with that at the time.  Or how about not having a father....one that everyone could see and say that Jesus came from that family.  Instead, all he could say was that Mary was his mother.  That was disgraceful to take her name.

I never saw what Jesus did as scandalous.  I saw it more as going against the world.  However, when I stopped to think about it, "scandalous" describes how the world viewed him. 

The book itself is an easy read with nice and short chapters.  It's written in a way that is informative and not boring.  I really enjoyed the cultural information that he included in the chapters, as well.  I felt that I better understood more about how Jesus was viewed in the eyes of those who judged him and hated him.

_________________

I received this book free from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest opinion.