The Jesus You Can't Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ

The Jesus You Can't Ignore John MacArthur ISBN-10: 140020206X ISBN-13: 978-1400202065 A dozen years have passed since I first began reading books by John MacArthur. I have never failed to be blessed by them. This is no exception. I shall first mention that, to be honest, it was a little less engaging and took me longer to read than a book normally does. It didn't seem to be typical MacArthur. The book, however, is a very good book. The subject matter is of great importance today. Evangelicals do not seem to confront evil and false doctrine much at all. The idea is that Jesus was meek and mild. MacArthur skillfully exegetes the Scriptures and expounds to us the fact that Jesus was often rough and tough. Jesus was quite the confrontational teacher. Jesus confronted sin wherever He encountered it. In the temple, the synagogue, homes- wherever. He called a spade a spade and did not hold back. This does not mean that He was unmerciful. He indeed was very merciful. When Jesus encountered sinners He was kind and merciful. He was patient and loving. Jesus was most confrontational when He faced the religious sinners-the Pharisees and Sadducees. He simply could not abide their flaunting their traditions and ignoring His Word. The hypocrisy and false teaching were not things that Jesus would tolerate. Thus Jesus boldly confronted them about their sins. Many times people consider this unloving. MacArthur explains that confrontation is sometimes the most loving and merciful thing, because it allows a person to see that they are wrong and need to repent. So it was in Jesus' day. Though it led to His crucifixion, Jesus was confrontational in a loving way. It is necessary to distinguish between confrontation in a loving way and an angry, vindicative confrontation. Jesus was always loving. Let us follow His example in wisdom and in love that we may uphold truth and honor Him.

This book was a revelation for me. For some reason, I always thought of Jesus as mild and meek but I guess that is the Hollywood Jesus. I have read the gospels many times but until I read this book didn't grasp the real personality of Jesus. The author did a very good job in defending Jesus Christ as God incarnate and brought out the true personality of Jesus. Thank you for this eye-opening read!

I don't particularly like John MacArthur's speaking voice or radio persona. Seemed a tad too aggressive and know-it-all'ish I got in a tiff over my perception of his apparent too predestined, too Calvinistic philosophy about the elect of God and who's chosen. But... and it's a big But, a forgive me But: It's my problem. I'm a relatively new Christian, and thank God, I've had an epiphany of sorts(is that the right word?), and I'm maturing. Similar to his preaching, John MacArthur's presentation of doctrine in this book is very well thought out and scripturally defended; slightly, but satisfyingly so, it's written in an intellectual style that's compelling but not difficult. I couldn't stop reading. For example, I enjoyed his discussion on John Chapter 3 about "being born of the Spirit" and "being born of water and the Spirit". He explains in fascinating terms this whole interaction between a well-meaning, somehwat open Nicodemus and a straight shooting, telling it as it is, Jesus. Jesus didn't waste words or actions. Indeed, Jesus is often glossed over simply as a great loving, meek guru by the world. He is great, and He is loving, but He also talks more about hell than anybody in the Bible; He is very confrontational. God's personality is immensely diverse, but to me, it seems to revolve around 3 categories- loving kindness, judgment, righteousness. (Jer. 9:24) This book is obviously written for Christians or by chance, a curious and open non- Believer. The author isn't telling us to bash others over the head with condemnation or doctrine of what Jesus really was about. Instead, his book strenghtens our perception of Christ as leader and lover. I really want to stress that love to those around as well as the need for the Savior.

This is one of the most enlightening and refreshing books on Jesus that I've read in a very long time (other than the Bible, of course). There seems to be an almost overbearing trend within the Christian community that has been steadfastly working to create a new Jesus - one who is always politically correct, is the epitome of pacifism, avoids conflict at all costs, and is just plain "nice." In other words, the milquetoastifcation of Jesus by many evangelicals who appear to be working tirelessly to avoid confronting the subject of evil (because, that simply wouldn't be "nice"). At the same time, these evangelicals have been promoting a Christianity whereby now-taboo topics such as Satan, Hell, sin, conflict, and evil have been stricken from the pulpit out of fear that these might offend potential "customers" (i.e., "new believers") and ruffle the feathers of the latest politically correct special interest groups. Hmmm . . . for some reason, the Purpose-Drivel © Life marketed by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church seems to come to mind . . . I digress though; the author of this book grabs the current trend to whitewash Jesus' ministry by the horns and takes readers through a wonderful journey of what the Bible really tells us. As shocking as this may be to many Christians, MacArthur cogently elucidates the fact that Jesus was not a pacifist wuss who bent over backwards to avoid confronting evil, rather the author provides indisputable examples from the Bible that demonstrate Jesus went out of his way to stir the pot - and did so in order to let those who were willing to hear His truth. Jesus did not hold "love-ins" or speak gently to those who spoke or promoted evil, rather he initiated direct confrontations with them in order to expose hypocrisy, false prophets, and corruption. Jesus did what was right, not what was politically correct, in order to win souls for the Lord. MacArthur boldly asserts what is already obvious to those that have really read the Bible (without rose colored glasses) - that Jesus created tensions, conflict, and discord because it was the right thing to do, not because it made anyone "happy." In other words, Jesus was an activist for righteousness.

This is my second MacArthur book. I found his Truth War book a much harder read. This book has a great feel is very easy to follow along. It is full of scripture as only a master expositor like MacArthur could achieve. I read this book in 3 sittings and wanted more! The Jesus You Can't Ignore flies in the face of the Emerging/Emergent Church. It reveals how Jesus was not mild in any situation. MacArthur parallels the passionate confrontations Jesus conquered with modern day situational protocol. The amount of scripture in the book, both referenced and printed, keeps your mind focused on the true Word of God and not some mundane pastoral belief or spin. This is what MacArthur does best and why I am intrigued and inspired with his writings and sermons. Get this book! It is too informative to pass up.