The Message

Born a King. Bearing a Kingdom.
When Jesus is born in a small town outside a minor provincial capital, few suspect the destiny awaiting him. But tremors felt among shepherds, kings, and angels foreshadow a seismic shift that will one day ripple across the globe.

Thirty years later, he emerges a dynamic preacher claiming to be the Son of God. In town after town, many attack his audacious claim and conspire to kill him. And when he falls under the harsh glare of one of history’s greatest empires, death will stand between him and his destiny.

In the aftermath, a small group bands together―loyalists following his example and spreading his teaching. As they do, his flesh-and-blood life begins to transform them into a Kingdom that will have no end.

“The story of Jesus and the movement he started is one that we all think we know. The Message brings us back to this story in all its wonderful strangeness.”
―Ian Cron, coauthor of The Road Back to You

"Peterson shines in his breathtaking translation of the cadence and eloquence of Biblical poetry in particular, bringing it alive with vitality, wisdom, and hope."
―Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author

“A fabulous resource for teaching busy young people in contemporary terms and bringing scripture into a modern age.”
―Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

“It returns us to the humble language of ordinary people. It invites us to stumble not over language but over Jesus, that he might become the capstone of our lives.”
―Amy Julia Becker, author of A Good and Perfect Gift and White Picket Fences

“Both poetic and prophetic, penetrating the spirit in a powerful way.”
―Mark Batterson, New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker

EUGENE H. PETERSON is a pastor, scholar, writer, and poet. He has authored more than twenty books, including A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, The Contemplative Pastor, and Leap Over a Wall. He is Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Eugene founded Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he was the pastor for twenty-nine years. He lives with his wife, Jan, in Montana. They have three children and six grandchildren.