In the two millennia since Jesus walked the dusty streets of Palestine, Christians have repeatedly tried to understand who this man was. More often than not, the picture people come up with bears a striking similarity to the bathroom mirror! Quite unlike the Apostle Paul who morphed to suit his audience (1 Corinthians 9:20–22 NIV), this shape-shifting has been foisted upon Jesus by (usually) well-meaning pastors, theologians, and philosophers of every stripe. N. T. Wright offers yet another picture of Jesus to this centuries-long photo album. His picture is compelling and—for many Christians—a challenge to some of their cherished beliefs.

N. T. Wright keeps such a feverish publishing pace, I find it helpful to slot in these smaller books among the publication of his larger Christian Origins and the Question of God series. If you’re keeping track, this volume (1999) was published after Jesus and the Victory of God (1993) but before The Resurrection of the Son of God (2003). The collected (and edited) essays that form The Challenge of Jesus, then, reflect Wright’s mature reflection on the Jesus the Messiah.

Wright, like all serious historical Jesus scholars, has done an immense amount of historical background research. He knows the Jewish, Greek, and Roman milieu which constituted Jesus’ homeland. What sets him apart from the rest (Sanders, Dunn, Borg, Crossan, Hayes, etc.) is the unique way that he brings the background together through symbols, stories, and praxis. Wright’s Jesus fits the puzzle of first century Palestine hand-in-glove (or perhaps foot-in-sandal). Many thorny exegetical problems receive new light in Wright’s configuration.

The Challenge of Jesus an easy-to-read entry into Wright’s understanding of Jesus. Whether or not Wright’s Jesus looks too much like a twenty-first century Anglican Bishop remains for the next generation to decide!

Wright, N. T. The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is. Downers Grove: IVP Books, 1999, 2015.