Preface

In the course of writing this book, I have made it my goal to focus on some important points. First of all, it is a commitment to historical data concerning the person of Jesus Christ. It must be admitted that many Christians have the misfortune to be somewhat careless in their thinking and talking about Jesus, and consequently in their prayers and discipleship practices. We must not think that when we say the word "Jesus," much less "Christ," we are actually talking about the real Jesus who lived and taught in Palestine in the first century A.D., a Jesus who, as Hebrews says, is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." We have no right to replace him with someone else. Nor would it be wrong to assume that the Gospels in the New Testament allow us to know Jesus perfectly. The material presented in this book, as well as the details discussed in the longer writings, indicate a somewhat distorted perception of the person of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels by the various Christian traditions. Only a thorough study of history gives us the opportunity to comprehend more deeply the plan of the evangelists.

The second point is the practice of Christian discipleship, which is to lead believers along the path of the real Jesus. Prayer and Bible study must be inextricably linked to his person, so as not to lose all meaning or turn into idolatry. We often deliberately ignore some aspects of Jesus' personality, reinterpret him in our own image, and then wonder that our own spiritual lives have ceased to inspire and transform us. In the pages of this book, I hope at least to touch upon this problem. One day at a conference, one of the participants came up to me after my lecture and said that the Jesus presented in it made an impression on him as an unusually deep and interesting person. This is often not the case with the image of Christ frozen in the stained-glass windows of the church and in the imagination of many Christians, regardless of their Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or evangelical traditions.

Finally, in writing this work, I felt a strong desire to imbue the minds and hearts of the next generation of thinking Christians with the example of Jesus that would inspire them to desire to transform the world by the power of his gospel. Anyone who wants to remain a faithful Christian when studying or working in the world needs to think again about what it really means to be faithful to Jesus. It is not enough to pray behind closed doors and lead a moral life if a person continues to erect the Tower of Babel in his workplace. The content and form of the various aspects of life in this world must be seen in the light of the unique feat of Jesus, who commanded us to be to the world what he was to the Israelites of his time.

The last question explains my insistence on touching at least briefly (especially in the last two chapters) on the question of the cultural situation in the modern Western world. The vague and sometimes deceptive concept of the "postmodern era" has absorbed numerous features of our society that cause anxiety and even anxiety. Many Christians see this as a serious threat. However, I am convinced that the good news of Jesus Christ helps us to face reality without fear. It should be recognized that some issues raised in the era of postmodernism deserve the closest attention. Instead of avoiding them, we should address them by opening up new challenges and opportunities. Justice requires that we pursue the truth, reflecting not only on the person of Jesus himself, but also on the world to which we, his followers, are called to bring the gospel message of love and spiritual renewal.

N. T. Wright