All posts in Unvarnished Jesus

  • September 19, 2023

    Jesus’ Most Scandalous Parable

    Jesus’ Most Scandalous Parable
    Brian Zahnd

    The parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) may be Jesus’ most scandalous parable — at least for Americans formed in the cowboy myth of rugged individualism. If told this parable came from anyone else, most American Christians would dismiss it as Marxist propaganda. But there it is, right in the middle of the Gospel of Matthew, a parable from Jesus featuring a radical egalitarianism that will no doubt offend the sensibilities of a convinced capitalist. What this parable reveals is how unlike the kingdom of God most of us tend to be in our thinking and especially in our economics. We are never more prone to put a softening varnish on Jesus than when he broaches the subject of money.
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  • March 14, 2022

    War Is Hell

    War Is Hell
    Brian Zahnd

    At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
    —Luke 13:1-5

    One of the themes of Jesus’ prophetic ministry that becomes more and more prominent the closer he gets to Jerusalem is his dire warning about the impending fate of Jerusalem. In our Gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus is informed about some Galilean pilgrims who were probably involved in a political uprising against the Roman occupation and were subsequently put to death by Roman soldiers in the Temple complex — thus mingling their blood with the sacrifices. Jesus’ response is to tell them not to imagine that these Galilean victims were worse sinners than any other Galileans. Instead, Jesus says if they don’t rethink their intentions they will all perish in the same way. Jesus then brings up an incident of a recent building collapse in Jerusalem that had resulted in eighteen fatalities and comments on it by saying, “Do you think that they were more blameworthy than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you! Unless you repent, you will all be destroyed in the same way.”
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  • February 11, 2021

    Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Journey


    The shadow of a cross on a cemetery wall in northern Spain.

    ASH WEDNESDAY AND THE LENTEN JOURNEY
    (Ash Wednesday 2021 is February 17.)

    THE UNVARNISHED JESUS
    LENT Day 1 (Ash Wednesday)
    Mark 8:31–38 | Jesus Foretells His Death

    We begin our Lenten journey with Jesus by hearing him tell us that he’s not headed to greatness as the world esteems greatness, but to the cross and to death. Peter and the rest of the disciples understand that Jesus is on his way to the capital city of Jerusalem to lay claim to the throne — to become the King of the Jews. But without any ambiguity Jesus tells his disciples that he will suffer many things, be rejected by the chief priests, and finally be killed. Yes, Jesus also says that his apparent defeat will be turned to victory when he is raised on the third day, but his disciples probably hear this as an idiom referring to the resurrection of the righteous at some point in the future — as when Hosea says, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up.” That Jesus could become King of the Jews through suffering and death is inconceivable to Peter. For Peter, a messiah who is killed is a messiah who fails, and Peter didn’t sign up for failure. Jesus alone seems to understand that a breakthrough into new life is only attained through the experience of loss. Martin Luther was right, Christianity is not a theology of glory, but a theology of the cross. But to choose the way of the cross over the way of glory is a hard lesson to learn.
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  • April 10, 2020

    The Crucifixion of Jesus

    The Crucifixion of Jesus
    Brian Zahnd

    On Good Friday we think about one thing: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This is the epicenter of Christian faith. At the core of Christianity we don’t find perennial religion, meditation techniques, or a course in ethics, but a crucifixion. This is the enduring scandal of the gospel. The gospel is not motivational talks about happy marriages, being debt free, and achieving your destiny. That all belongs to the broader world of proverbial wisdom, and it’s fine as far as it goes, but it has little or nothing to do with the gospel. The gospel is about the cross and the cross is a scandal. When the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that he had determined to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and him crucified, he admitted that the cross was often viewed as a scandal and folly. So be it.
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  • March 17, 2020

    The Sixth Sign and Epidemics

    Shalom from Jerusalem.

    Today’s Lenten reading from The Unvarnished Jesus seems particularly apropos, so I thought I would share it here.

    BZ

    LENT Day 21 (Tuesday)
    John 9:1–41
    Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind

    John constructs his Gospel around seven signs: the water turned to wine at Cana, the healing of the royal official’s son in Capernaum, the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, the feeding of the five thousand at the Sea of Galilee, Jesus walking on water, the healing of the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus from the dead. (And then there is the surprise eighth sign of Jesus’ resurrection that marks the beginning of a new creation.) John doesn’t talk about miracles, but signs. These signs are intended to point us to something significant about Jesus and his ministry.

    The sixth sign of the healing of the man born blind takes up an entire chapter and is filled with drama as the man who was healed bests the Pharisees in theological debate and is expelled from the synagogue for it. The story opens with the disciples observing the man born blind and raising a theological question of who is to blame for it. But Jesus dismisses this line of questioning. Jesus is saying that when we observe suffering, the question isn’t who is to blame, but how can we help.

    We’ve all seen Christian leaders assign blame upon the victims of epidemics, earthquakes, and tsunamis. But blame is what the satan does. Followers of Jesus are called to co-suffering love, not theological stone throwing. So Jesus instructs his disciples that when we observe suffering, it’s not an opportunity to assign blame, but an opportunity to do the works of God by helping to heal, restore, and alleviate suffering. Blame is the devil’s game — love is the high calling of the Christian. As Hans Urs von Balthasar said, “Love alone is credible; nothing else can be believed, and nothing else ought to be believed.” And this brings us to the main point of the sixth sign.
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  • February 24, 2020

    Ash Wednesday


    The shadow of a cross on a cemetery wall in Spain.

    THE UNVARNISHED JESUS
    LENT Day 1 (Ash Wednesday)
    Mark 8:31–38 | Jesus Foretells His Death

    We begin our Lenten journey with Jesus by hearing him tell us that he’s not headed to greatness as the world esteems greatness, but to the cross and to death. Peter and the rest of the disciples understand that Jesus is on his way to the capital city of Jerusalem to lay claim to the throne — to become the King of the Jews. But without any ambiguity Jesus tells his disciples that he will suffer many things, be rejected by the chief priests, and finally be killed. Yes, Jesus also says that his apparent defeat will be turned to victory when he is raised on the third day, but his disciples probably hear this as an idiom referring to the resurrection of the righteous at some point in the future — as when Hosea says, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up.” That Jesus could become King of the Jews through suffering and death is inconceivable to Peter. For Peter, a messiah who is killed is a messiah who fails, and Peter didn’t sign up for failure. Jesus alone seems to understand that a breakthrough into new life is only attained through the experience of loss. Martin Luther was right, Christianity is not a theology of glory, but a theology of the cross. But to choose the way of the cross over the way of glory is a hard lesson to learn.
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    No Comments / Books, Lent, Unvarnished Jesus /

  • April 30, 2006

    Unhindered

    Day 61

    Acts 27 & 28

    Acts 27 and 28 read like a script for an adventure movie. The perfect storm…drama on the high seas…shipwrecked and snakebit. (Somebody needs to tell Steven Spielberg to check out my blog.) And I love how Paul always rises to the top. He get’s on board a prisoner, but in the end he’s calling the shots. And not to mention it was his faith alone that saved 276 lives. What a great man!

    I’m not going to try to teach the many lessons from Acts 27 and 28 in a simple blog, but I am looking forward to a “Supernatural Spring and Summer” as I preach through the 28 chapters of Acts in 28 messages — The Unvarnished Church. During the centennial anniversary of the Azusa street outpouring and the birth of the modern Pentecostal movement I think it is highly prophetic to preach through the Book of Acts. I am really looking forward to it.

    So let me just comment on the last word of Acts: Unhindered. Not every translation reflects the sentence structure of the Greek, but Luke concludes his account called Acts with the word akolutos. The word means “unstoppable.”

    That’s what the church in Acts was — unstoppable. You could fight those Christians, persecute them, throw them to the lions, burn them at the stake, fill the catacombs with their bones — but you could not stop them! They were determined to turn the world upside down, and they did. They absolutely changed the world. And we are called to follow in their steps. We have believed the same gospel, we preach the same message, we have the same commission and the same Holy Spirit as Peter, Paul, James, John, Barabbas, Silas, Timothy and all the rest. We can do what they did. Hallelujah!

    Some have noted that Acts doesn’t really end, it just stops. But you can’t even say that because the final word is “unstoppable.” The message is very clear: The mission of turning the world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ doesn’t end with the first generation, but carries on from generation to generation and is continued by all who will dare to live the adventure of faith.

    You and I are writing Acts 29 with our lives. Let’s make it good!

    __________________________________________________

    So we’ve reached the end of our two months of discovery — The Unvarnished Jesus.

    But it’s not the end. The end of the Jesus story and the Acts story is the beginning of your story. So now what? Now it’s time to repent. Unfortunately the word repent is often connected with all the wrong things; either negatively with harsh legalists or comically with delusional fanatics. Most people are familiar with the caricature of a sweaty tent evangelist screaming “Repent!” at the top of his lungs to a group of brave souls who have probably done nothing worse that week than drink a Pepsi. Everyone has seen a comic depiction of a bearded and barefoot “prophet” with his sign, Repent! The End is Near! But when you come to understand that the word repent really means to rethink your life, you understand it as a word filled with hope and you can imagine a more appropriate sign might read, Repent! The Beginning is Near! That’s what I want to say to you (say it, not scream it), rethink your life, the beginning is near. If you will allow what you have discovered over the past sixty-one days to change your thinking you will find that you are beginning a new life: A life of discovery that never ends but keeps leading you further down the endless highway of God’s grace. That’s the road I’m on and I want to say it to you one more time…come with me.

    _____________________________________________________

    Well, I’ve written sixty-one blogs in a row on the Unvarnished Jesus. That’s really a bit of challenge — if you don’t think so, try it sometime! I plan to continue to blog two or three, maybe four times a week, but not everyday. And I won’t be blogging at all for the next few days. Right after church today Peri and I are heading for Estes Park, Colorado to spend a few days in our beloved Rocky Mountain National Park. (Yes, it’s our park. We just let other people use it and the federal government is kind enough to pick up the tab.) This time of year we will need our snowshoes. On Wednesday we will celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary. Last year we celebrated our 25th anniversary in Oskaloosa, Iowa — where I was preaching. Don’t get me wrong, Oskaloosa is a wonderful town (and if you’re reading this Pastor Bill, you know I love you and your church) — but it’s not exactly the best place in all the world to celebrate your anniversary. So this week Peri and I are going to celebrate our 25th ANNIVERSARY (plus 1) in one of our favorite places.

    Don’t forget about the “One Church” city-wide prayer meeting on the National Day of Prayer this Thurday evening at 7:00 at Word of Life Church. I’ll see you there.

    Let’s turn the world upside down for Jesus!

    BZ

    1 Comment / Uncategorized, Unvarnished Jesus /

  • April 29, 2006

    I Think Myself Happy

    Day 60

    Acts 25 & 26

    Put yourself in Paul’s sandals: You’ve been arrested for doing nothing more than praying as a Jew in the Jewish Temple, you’ve been charged with a capital offense of which you are completely innocent, and now you have been unjustly imprisoned for two long years! At last you have a chance to tell your side of the story. Would the first words out of your mouth be, “I think myself happy.”?

    I suspect we might be more prone to say something like…

    I think myself sad.

    I think myself mad!

    I think myself mistreated!

    I think myself a victim of scurrilous liars and cruel misfortunes of fate.

    But not Paul. His confession wasn’t that he was sad, mad, mistreated or a victim of any kind. His confession was, I THINK MYSELF HAPPY!

    I Love that! I want to be like that. Paul knew a secret that few people know. He knew the secret to happiness. Most people think that happiness is what happens to you when good things happen in your life. But the Bible says something else. The Bible teaches that good things come from within and are released by the words we speak (Matthew 12:34-35). Proverbs 15:23 says this…

    A man has joy by the answer of his mouth.

    It’s not what happens to you that determines your happiness, it’s your answer to what happens to you that determines your happiness!

    When King Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself”, the first thing out of Paul’s mouth was, “I think myself happy.” And he was. Paul didn’t allow circumstances to dictate to him whether or not he would have the joy of the Lord — Paul spoke a word of faith and he had what he said!

    So Paul was on trial…again…and as was always the case when Paul was on trial, he turned the tables and before long it was Agrippa who was on trial. Then Agrippa uttered those fateful words, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” Almost. Agrippa went to hell for one word. Almost. If you remove the “almost” from Agrippa’s confession it changes everything, but there’s no such thing as an “Almost Christian.” I imagine Agrippa in hell uttering one word over and over throughout eternity, almost…almost…almost.

    But that is not our fate. We have not almost confessed Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have fully made our confession unto salvation. And not only are we saved…we are happy. It is our confession. I think myself happy! Life and death are in the power of the tongue. We can also say that happiness and sadness are in the power of the tongue. I think myself happy! I belief myself happy! I say myself happy! And my self does what it’s told.

    I think myself happy!

    On our Israel tours we always visit Caesarea on our first full day. Among the places we visit there is the very spot where Paul stood before Agrippa and Festus and made his confession, “I think myself happy.” I always stand there and make the same confession.

    He is a picture of me at the “I think myself happy” spot.

    I hope you’re making plans to go with us to Israel in November. We’re filling up our second bus!

    ____________________________________________________

    I can’t wait for Sunday morning! It’s the Second Coming, you know! Well, I preaching on the Second Coming. It will be a blessing. See you then.

    BZ

    No Comments / Uncategorized, Unvarnished Jesus /

  • April 28, 2006

    The Way

    Day 59

    Acts 23-24

    The Jail of Injustice

    When Paul came to town he didn’t check in at the Hampton Inn…he checked in at the jail. Well, anyway, that’s where it seems he always ended up. So Paul’s been arrested and thrown in jail…again. What did he do this time? He was praying at the temple. That’s it. He wasn’t preaching, he wasn’t converting anyone, he wasn’t casting demons out of a fortuneteller or putting idol makers out of business…he was just praying at the temple. But his mere presence was enough to upset hell. So he gets arrested and thrown into jail for doing nothing other than praying. It reminds of some lines from the old song by Larry Norman, Shot Down…

    I’ve been shot down, talked about
    Some people scandalize my name,
    But here I am, talkin’ ’bout Jesus just the same.

    I’ve been knocked down, kicked around
    But like a moth drawn to the flame,
    Here I am, talkin’ ’bout Jesus just the same.

    Sometimes you get miraculously delivered from the jail of injustice…and sometimes you don’t. God had sent an angel more than once to get Peter out of jail. In Philippi Paul had been delivered from jail by an earthquake. But this time there would be no angel and no earthquake. As we will see, God had a purpose in Paul’s unjust imprisonment. But God did not forsake His servant either. God was working behind the scenes through Paul’s nephew and a very competent Roman commander by the name of Claudius Lysias. Oh, yeah, and Jesus did appear to Paul in jail. The conversation went something like this…

    Jesus: Cheer up, Paul!

    Paul: You’re going to get me out of jail?

    Jesus: No. But you are going to get to go on an all expense paid trip to Rome.

    Paul Before Felix

    It’s an amazing thing to watch the Apostle Paul give his defense when he’s on trial. It seems he always forgets why he’s there. After a few moments he forgets to defend himself and starts testifying for Jesus. And after a little while longer you forget who’s on trial. It always ends up with the judge seeming like he’s on trial. I can tell you I have no doubt that Governor Felix was much more nervous than the Apostle Paul. In fact, Felix was just plain afraid. The Bible says so.

    And Felix could have got saved. But he didn’t. He made some lame excuse about it not being a “convenient time.” And now Felix has no more time at all…only eternity. He has all of eternity to contemplate what a fool he was in not seizing the opportunity he had to be saved. Regret is one of the worms of hell which dieth not.

    During the first portion of the trial, when the hired orator Tertullus was presenting the chief priests’ case against Paul, he accused Paul of belonging to a “sect” or “cult.” During his defense Paul made reference to “the Way which they call a sect.” From the very beginning, those who are really on fire for Jesus have been accused of belonging to a cult. It was that way in the book of Acts and it’s that way today. It happens here in the United States, it happens in Mexico, it happens in Russia, it happens in India, it happens in France…everywhere I go to minister, the churches that are really full of life are accused of being a sect or a cult. If you get that slanderous label thrown on you, don’t be ashamed of it, wear it as a badge of honor. They did the same to the Apostle Paul. It’s part of being a true follower of The Way.

    _____________________________________________________

    “Satan’s Throne”

    That’s what I’m preaching on tonight. I’m quite sure you’ve never heard anything quite like it and I’m equally sure you’ll find it fascinating. See you tonight!

    BZ

    _____________________________________________________

    I Am A Servant
    Larry Norman

    I am a servant, I am listening for my name,
    I sit here waiting, I’ve been looking at the game
    That I’ve been playing, and I’ve been staying much the same
    When you are lonely, you’re the only one to blame.

    I am a servant, I am waiting for the call,
    I’ve been unfaithful, so I sit here in the hall.
    How can you use me when I’ve never given all,
    How can you choose me when you know I’d quickly fall.

    So you feed my soul and you make me grow,
    And you let me know you love me.
    And I’m worthless now, but I’ve made a vow,
    I will humbly bow before thee.
    O please use me, I am lonely.

    I am a servant getting ready for my part,
    There’s been a change, a rearrangement in my heart.
    At last I’m learning, there’s no returning once I start.
    To live is a privilege, to love is such an art
    But I need your help to start,
    O please purify my heart, I am your servant.

    1 Comment / Uncategorized, Unvarnished Jesus /
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