The Jesus of the 21st century is often a flat depiction of who Jesus actually was. The layers of his complexity are often lost in our age of political correctness, tolerance and laziness. To admit everything about Jesus means many would have to change the way they are currently living their lives and let’s face it – most of us are fairly content with the status quo.
I was interested when offered a chance to review the new book The Bad Habits of Jesus by Leonard Sweet. The premise is an interesting one. According to today’s society, Jesus did some things during his life on earth that would be considered a bad habit or in poor taste. Yet, as the Son of God, he knew exactly how God wanted him to live his life. The author wants us to learn from these “bad habits” and copy them in our own lives.
The actual execution of the idea is a bit rough around the edges. At times, although the information in the book is good, it felt a bit forced. This may have happened because the title sounded great, but then everything he wanted to share didn’t exactly fit the mold the title set.
The “bad habits” range from “Jesus Spit” to “Jesus Was Constantly Disappearing” to “Jesus Spent Too Much Time With Children” – fifteen bad habits in all. For each “bad” habit, Sweet gives examples from the life of Jesus. He then goes on to explain why they were actually godly habits we should copy in our own lives. For example in the chapter on “Jesus offended people”, he gives a compelling argument on the differences between judgment and discernment. The misunderstanding of the differences in those terms explains how the Church has often become the place most afraid to teach God’s commands and hold each other accountable for obeying them.
This book will make a lot of people think. It may be a good one to share and discuss with your teens – or at least the topics in the book. It’s not my favorite book, but there is enough important information to consider to make it worth the read.
This book was given to me for free in exchange for my honest review. An affiliate link is included for your convenience.