Podcast 2: Jesus Can Still Surprise You

Jesus can still surprise you. It doesn't matter how long you've been following him, and it doesn't matter how much you've read the gospels. He's still going to surprise you with the unexpected. In this episode of the Thinking Christian podcast, I share two huge surprises in his life: His use of authority in his teaching, and his "leadership style," which (according to the textbooks) never should have worked. Yet it did. This material is condensed from the forthcoming Too Good to Be False: How Jesus' Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter so you can got your free preview copy of chapter 1. Subscribe to the podcast, too, on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and Stitcher. And please take a moment to rate the Thinking Christian podcast on your podcast provider of choice. It really helps make this content visible and available to more people. Thank you!

Guide to the episode:

• 1:48 — Passages we'd "never seen before" and "jump out at us" versus real surprises in the life of Christ
• 3:36 — Jesus' astonishing use of his own authority in his teaching.
• 4:46 — Using sources: Jesus in comparison to other rabbis and scholars of the day
• 5:51 — "I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets" ... in your church?
• 6:55 — "I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them."
• 9:24 — Totally in charge, even of his own trial and execution
• 10:43 — Jesus' "leadership style"
• 11:12 — Not a model leader!
• 11:53 —  Three ways Jesus led that no one else should ever try
• 13:28 — His "style" should have failed, according to the textbooks
• 15:13 — Yet it didn't. Why not?
• 16:15 — Don't take him for granted; stay surprised!