Jesus the Stranger: A Daily Lenten Reader

Cultural conceptions of Jesus today present a man who is virtually unrecognizable. He is not known, above all, for whom he loves or how he loves. In contrast to this misconfiguration, the Jesus of the Gospels is far more beautiful, and loves more broadly and deeply, than many have imagined. The humble, suffering love of Jesus is uncanny, radiantly beautiful, and in the end transformative. There is nothing like it across the religious landscape or current ideological offerings.
In Jesus the Stranger: The Man from Galilee and the Light of the World, Ken Collins invites the reader to see Jesus in a new way. One that focuses on his humanity, especially in terms of his suffering, rejection, and ostracism by numerous oppositional characters and groups drawn from the pages of the Gospels. From hometown folk to family members, from religious leaders to those who will ultimately seek his death, what emerges from this new vista is a more humane and approachable Jesus, one who can commiserate with the pain and sorrow of our own lives and one who can offer rich and abundant healing, the healing of holy love.
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"In Ken Collins's probing new book, we see various sides of who Jesus actually was through the eyes of both friend and foe, disciples and onlookers, the ill and the apparently well, the elite and the ordinary, the rich and the poor. Like touring an art gallery and seeing Jesus through the eyes of all these eyewitnesses, we are surprised, again and again at what we find. This book has both storytelling power, and also theological and spiritual depth while being accessible to all sorts of readers who want to know more about Jesus. Be prepared to be intrigued, be prepared to be challenged, be prepared to be caught up in love, wonder and praise of 'the Stranger.' Highly recommended."
Ben Witherington III, Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary; Emeritus Doctoral Faculty, St. Andrews University, Scotland