What Jesus Demands From the World

Some of you may recognize the title of this post as that of an excellent book by John Piper. Have you ever read a book where it seems that you can't get through more than a chapter before you have to stop and really think about what the author is saying? That's what I'm finding with this book. What makes that all the more amazing is that the chapters are intentionally short.

What makes me stop is how each of these chapters, pointing out a demand of Jesus, not only makes a claim on my life, but is potentially life-altering. And I'm only on chapter 9! Piper says that the later chapters will be the more detailed demands, but I'm finding plenty in these supposedly more general chapters to keep me occupied.

It's not that these verses are unfamiliar. I appreciate Piper's emphasis on presenting the words of Jesus as they appear in the Gospels, rather than picking away at the supposed process underlying the text (which often becomes the preoccupation of those dealing with the Gospels, to the detriment of the actual passage). That means a lot of what he discusses is based on very familiar ground, if you have studied the Bible for even a short length of time. 

Maybe that all comes back to one of the foundational teachings of the Reformation: the perspicuity of Scripture, which is an obscure way of saying the clarity of the teaching of the Bible. There are many deep and difficult passages in the Bible, and a lot of material that requires knowing something of the cultural, historical, and religious background of the times. But a large portion of the Bible is plain and can be understood by anyone (with the help of the Holy Spirit, of course).

Many of the hardest teachings for us to follow are those easy to understand. Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts I do understand." While there is some doubt he actually said it, it makes sense. The central message of the Bible, that we are sinners who can't save ourselves and need to have faith in the person and work of Jesus to become right with God, is clearly stated many times, and is a huge stumbling block to many. For Christians, it isn't the obscure teachings of Scripture that trip us up nearly as often as the clear commands of the Bible. Easy to understand doesn't mean easy to do.

I expect that as I continue to make my way through this book (slowly, and with some thought) I will find more than enough challenges in what is familiar to keep me on my knees and working to become more like Christ. The familiar can become new when you look at it with a fresh perspective, and John Piper is helping me do that with these verses.