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The Scandal of Jesus in a World That Wants a Nice Guy
Have you ever sensed something supernatural in your home? Mark Clark opens "The Problem of Jesus" with a chilling personal encounter with what he believed was a demonic presence in his rental house-confirmed when a pastor accurately described the layout and pinpointed where "they" were located without ever having visited. This story sets up Clark's central premise: we live in two intersecting worlds-the spiritual and the everyday-and both find their meaning in Jesus of Nazareth.
While many prefer a sanitized Jesus who's merely a "nice guy" or "great teacher," Clark argues that the real Jesus was fundamentally scandalous-a disturber of the peace who challenged the status quo wherever he went. This book has become a favorite among those wrestling with faith questions, including celebrities like Justin Bieber who has publicly referenced its impact on his spiritual journey. Since its 2021 publication, it has sparked conversations across university campuses and among skeptics who appreciate its intellectual honesty. Clark doesn't shy away from difficult questions but confronts them with historical rigor and philosophical depth, making this one of the most influential apologetic works of recent years.
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Did Jesus Really Exist? The Historical Evidence
Before we can discuss what Jesus taught or claimed, we must address a fundamental question: did he actually exist? While skeptics like Bertrand Russell and Gerald Massey have questioned Jesus' historical existence, suggesting he was merely a mythological figure, this position is rejected by virtually all serious historians-including critics of Christianity like Bart Ehrman.
The evidence for Jesus' existence comes from three main sources. First, at least ten non-biblical writers mention Jesus, including first-century Jewish and Roman historians with anti-Christian perspectives. Tacitus, the Babylonian Talmud, and Josephus all corroborate key details: Jesus was a Jewish teacher believed to perform miracles, was crucified under Pontius Pilate during Tiberius's reign, and his followers worshipped him as God after his death. These extrabiblical sources provide impressive historical evidence with no underlying Christian agenda.
Second, the Gospels themselves demonstrate remarkable historical reliability when standard historiographical methods are applied. They name specific individuals their readers could verify, often with family relations (like "Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus"), suggesting these were eyewitnesses who guaranteed the traditions. The subtle discrepancies between Gospel accounts actually enhance their credibility-when narratives show agreement on core details but differ in specifics, this indicates authentic eyewitness testimony rather than fabrication.
Third, the brutal persecution of early Christians provides compelling evidence. These followers were tortured and killed for claiming Jesus was the Messiah and Lord. It defies logic that they would willingly suffer horrific deaths for a fabricated figure. As historian I. Howard Marshall concluded, it's impossible to explain the Christian church without accepting that its founder actually existed-just as fragmentary fossil evidence doesn't prevent scientists from confidently affirming dinosaurs existed.
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Understanding Jesus in His First-Century Jewish Context
Jesus, whose name means "God is salvation," was born in Bethlehem but raised in Nazareth, a rural Galilean town. From humble origins in the working class, he never traveled far from home, held office, wrote books, married, or attended college. This background made him an unlikely candidate for religious leadership, raising the question of how this marginal figure so profoundly changed the world.
To understand Jesus properly, we must locate him within first-century Judaism. As Kenneth Bailey explains, just as an Englishman telling Arthurian legends to Eskimos loses cultural context, we are like those Eskimos when reading Jesus' teachings. Without understanding his Jewish context, we inevitably misinterpret him. Jesus wasn't an alien dropping spiritual truths from nowhere-he was "a credible and recognizable first-century Jew" speaking to other first-century Jews.
When we see Jesus through first-century Jewish eyes, his actions take on profound symbolic meaning. His selection of twelve disciples deliberately reconstituted Israel around himself. His baptism and forty-day wilderness temptation reenacted Israel's exodus story-but where Israel failed, Jesus succeeded. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently positioned himself as "Israel in person"-turning purification water into wine, declaring himself the true temple, presenting himself as the bread in the desert, the light of the world, and the true vine. These weren't random acts but deliberate statements showing Jesus bringing Israel's story to its climactic fulfillment.
The central concept for understanding Jesus' life and ministry is the "kingdom of God." This appears 122 times in the Gospels, with 90 mentions from Jesus himself. This wasn't about "going to heaven when we die" but God's reign breaking into the world through forgiveness of sins, defeat of evil, and restoration. Jesus boldly claimed to be the prophet of the last days, appointed by God to usher in this kingdom-a new world order continuous with God's covenants with Israel yet restorative and transformative.
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The Gospels: Historical Truth on Fire
Many cherished biblical passages-the doxology in the Lord's Prayer, John 3:16, details of the Christmas story-may not have been originally spoken by Jesus or accurately portrayed in tradition. Yet this doesn't undermine the Gospels' trustworthiness; rather, it suggests modern readers haven't been interpreting them correctly.
The Gospels are best understood as "theological history"-a blend of Greek-style biography and Jewish prophetic storytelling. They combine accurate historical reporting with engaging narrative techniques to present Jesus' life, teachings, and significance. Unlike modern biographies, Gospel writers felt free to arrange material topically rather than chronologically, abbreviate speeches, and select content that served their theological purposes.
Each Gospel uniquely presents Jesus as the climax of Israel's story. Matthew begins with "Biblos Geneseos" (Book of Genesis), portraying Jesus as the new Moses bringing new creation. Luke structures his narrative around Israel's monarchy, with parallels to Hannah and Samuel's story and David's kingship. Mark presents Jesus through Isaiah's lens of a new exodus, citing Isaiah in every chapter. John mirrors Genesis in theme and structure, portraying Jesus as the Word made flesh-"the truly human being."
To evaluate the historical reliability of the Gospels, we can apply four key criteria: apostolicity, embarrassment, discontinuity, and multiple attestations. The criterion of apostolicity requires that Gospel authors wrote during the apostolic age, ensuring accounts are no more than one person removed from eyewitnesses of Jesus' life. Early church fathers uniformly support the traditional authorship-Papias confirmed Mark wrote accurately as Peter's interpreter, while Eusebius and Irenaeus consistently attributed the Gospels to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The criterion of embarrassment refers to details that would have created difficulty for the early church-material they wouldn't include if fabricating a mythology. Examples include Jesus' baptism by John (implying Jesus needed forgiveness), Jesus not knowing the exact time of the end, and Jesus attempting to avoid his mission at Gethsemane. The criterion of discontinuity identifies Jesus' words or deeds that can't be derived from contemporary Judaism or early church teachings, such as his sweeping prohibition of all oaths and total prohibition of divorce and remarriage.
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The Scandal of Discipleship: Deny, Die, Follow
Many people are willing to accept Jesus as an inspiring leader or compassionate guru, but not as Lord-not as the master and ruler of their lives. This is the scandal of discipleship. Unlike advertisers selling us on a vision of the good life made easier, Jesus offers something while asking something profound of us: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."
Jesus' command to deny yourself directly contradicts our culture's obsession with self-discovery and self-fulfillment. While society tells us to "find ourselves" and prioritize personal pleasure as the highest good, Jesus subverts this basic impulse. He knows that seeking fulfillment in spouses, children, work, or wealth will never satisfy us. Nothing in this world can satisfy us, and contrary to popular belief, nothing inside us can either.
The second command is to "take up his cross daily." In the first century, crosses were instruments of execution used by Rome against those who challenged the empire. Jesus was inviting followers to join the true empire under his lordship rather than Caesar's. Like a seed that must die to produce fruit, we must die to ourselves-to desires, emotional wants, and sometimes even physical life.
The final exhortation is "follow me"-arguably the most important invitation. As Jan David Hettinga writes, "The ultimate issue in the universe is leadership. Who you follow and what directs your life is the single most important thing about you." Following Jesus is the essence of discipleship. The word "disciple" appears 269 times in the New Testament, while "Christian" appears only 3 times. Biblical Christianity isn't merely about believing doctrines or saying a prayer, but following Jesus' teachings and way of life under his authority.
This discipleship is intentionally difficult, which is why "many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him." The solution is found in Jesus' words: "take up his cross daily." Commitment must be renewed each day, one decision at a time. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who died for refusing to align the German church with Nazi ideology, asked: "Who is Jesus Christ, for us, today?" Christian faith is both belief in Jesus and faithfulness to him.
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Loving God Above All: The Battle Against Counterfeit Gods
Jesus' central teaching was "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." Despite being Jesus' central teaching, loving God is surprisingly neglected in modern Christianity. Jesus was calling for more than outward religious observance-he wanted our affections, our hearts. Our relationship with God should be a love affair, not merely intellectual belief.
The scandal of this command is what it implies: we must transfer our deepest affections from whatever currently occupies them to God instead. Humans were created with an infinite capacity to love, but when we direct that capacity toward finite things rather than God, it destroys us and those around us. This misdirection of love is the fundamental human problem-we "exchanged the glory of the immortal God" for created things, committing idolatry.
Jesus consistently called out the idols in people's lives, challenging them to leave behind whatever competed with God for their allegiance. In Luke 9:57-62, when a man enthusiastically volunteered to follow Jesus, Christ responded by pointing out that "the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head"-a direct challenge to the man's idol of comfort, ease, security, and stability.
Modern Christianity often lacks a category for radical obedience, preferring safety over true discipleship. The author distinguishes between security and safety in Christ: "In God promises us security. He does not promise us safety." Similarly, Jesus challenges the idol of family when he tells would-be followers to "Leave the dead to bury their own dead" and "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." This confronts our cultural value of family-first, which can seem reasonable but often becomes an idol.
To truly love God, we must see Him as our ultimate treasure, not just for His blessings but for Himself. The gospel's purpose is "to bring us to God"-not merely to heaven or other benefits. True saving faith involves love-"hell is for the one who doesn't have love for Jesus." Satan himself believes the facts about Jesus but isn't saved because he doesn't treasure Christ. Drawing on John 1:12 and John 3:18-19, saving faith pairs belief with "receiving" Jesus as treasure. People reject Christ not from lack of evidence but because they "love the darkness rather than the light."
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The Reality of Miracles in a Scientific Age
The author addresses how people reject Christianity due to distrust of the Gospels' miracle accounts, noting that even Thomas Jefferson created a Bible with miracles removed. Modern thinking assumes miracles don't happen because science has supposedly disproven them, as physicist Max Planck predicted in 1937 that "Faith in miracles must yield ground" to scientific advancement.
This view is challenged on several fronts. First, scientific "laws" aren't truly immutable-they're human interpretations representing our best understanding of how the world works. Newton's laws were considered absolute truth for centuries until Einstein's theories contradicted them. The history of science shows our understanding constantly evolving. Those who believe in miracles aren't denying natural laws exist; they're saying these rules can occasionally be suspended given sufficient cause.
Second, modern science increasingly validates the possibility of miracles. Quantum theory, founded on uncaused events, has revolutionized our understanding of what's possible. As Cambridge physicist John Polkinghorne notes, this serves as "a cautionary tale to warn us of our intellectual short-sightedness." Even Hume acknowledged scientific laws are "empirically unverifiable" since no number of observations can establish absolute certainty.
Third, naturalism is a philosophical pre-commitment, not a scientific conclusion. Harvard biologist Richard Lewontin admitted scientists prefer naturalistic explanations because of "a prior commitment to materialism"-they "cannot allow a divine foot in the door." This reveals that what drives much scientific thinking isn't facts but philosophy.
The evidence for Jesus performing miracles is overwhelming-31 percent of Mark's gospel deals with miracles, and even non-Christian sources like the Talmud and Josephus acknowledge Jesus as a worker of "amazing deeds." Contrary to skeptical claims that these stories were invented, scholars across the spectrum-even skeptics like Rudolf Bultmann-agree Jesus likely performed inexplicable acts.
Jesus' miracles weren't merely acts of compassion but signs pointing to deeper realities. His healings weren't merely demonstrations of divine power but announcements that God's kingdom was breaking through. When John the Baptist questioned if Jesus was truly the awaited one, Jesus pointed to his healings as fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy about the end times-when "the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed."
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Jesus the Master Storyteller: Parables That Transform
When asked what profession Jesus might choose if walking the earth today, the author surprisingly suggests filmmaker or writer rather than pastor, rabbi, or professor. This makes perfect sense considering Jesus' primary teaching method: storytelling. One-third of Jesus' recorded teaching consists of stories, particularly parables. His stories functioned as "subversive" narratives designed to break open worldviews and replace them with new ones.
Recent studies suggest humans make sense of the world primarily through stories, which answer our fundamental questions about identity, location, problems, and solutions. Christopher Booker argues there are only seven basic plots humanity has repeatedly told throughout history: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Jesus' parable of the prodigal son remarkably contains all seven basic plot structures, making it one of the most powerful and enduring narratives ever told.
This parable reveals that both sons are lost-one through irreligion and one through religion. The younger son represents secular living without God, while the older brother represents self-righteous religious observance. Modern culture rejects the notion that humans are "lost," preferring to view us either as divine beings or merely animals. This human-centered perspective leaves us without answers to our deepest needs.
The younger brother represents secular rebellion-living as if God doesn't exist while still enjoying his gifts. This worldview ultimately fails because without God, there's no absolute moral reference point, only subjective feelings. Modern Western culture has elevated individual freedom and self-expression to the highest good, creating what Mark Sayers calls "the journey into self."
The religious rule-keepers represent the second way to be lost. The older brother trusted in his moral record and obedience to secure his inheritance, saying "Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command." This represents the basic approach of all religious behavior-ticking boxes of dos and don'ts to earn divine favor.
The father in Jesus' parable breaks cultural norms by running to embrace his wayward son, showing extravagant grace. Timothy Keller suggests the story should be called "the prodigal God" since "prodigal" means "recklessly extravagant"-perfectly describing God's grace. The question isn't which son you are, but how you'll respond to a God of grace.
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The Divinity of Jesus: God Enters His Creation
Mark Clark opens with a personal story about his family's connection to Kibaale, Uganda. When his wife and daughters visited without him, they returned with stories of the people and places they loved, but something was missing-he hadn't experienced it firsthand. When he finally visited, their connection deepened because he had "been there." This experience illustrates Christianity's unique claim: God didn't remain distant but entered our world in person. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
The earliest Christians unquestionably spoke of Jesus as divine. In letters written before the Gospels (early to mid-50s AD), Paul declared that "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" in Jesus and "in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily." Paul and other early Jewish Christians used the title Lord (kyrios) for Jesus-a term Jews reserved exclusively for God.
While skeptics often note Jesus never explicitly said "I am God" in those exact words, this misunderstands how Jesus communicated his identity to his first-century Jewish audience. His contemporaries understood his claims perfectly, which is why they accused him of blasphemy, saying, "You, a mere man, claim to be God."
Jesus made numerous divine claims: he invented the Sabbath and had authority to update its rules; placed his knowledge on par with God's; claimed equality with God; stated that seeing him was seeing the Father; claimed pre-existence before Abraham; declared he shared glory with God before creation; claimed authority to forgive sins and judge the world; declared himself perfectly sinless; claimed power to raise himself from the dead; took the divine name "I AM" for himself; and claimed to be the only way to heaven.
Jesus' actions reinforced his divine identity: he taught people to pray to him; performed nature miracles demonstrating authority over creation; claimed titles reserved for God in the Old Testament; received worship without correction; enacted his name "Immanuel" (God with us); spoke with unprecedented authority; reconstituted Israel around himself with twelve disciples; demonstrated power over death; forgave sins; and presented himself as the means by which YHWH was returning to Zion.
Jesus challenges us to rethink our understanding of God through his life and teachings. After 9/11, Timothy Keller preached about Jesus at Lazarus's tomb, highlighting two profound truths: Jesus bellowed with anger at death (showing God shares our hatred of death) and wept despite knowing he would raise Lazarus moments later (demonstrating perfect love that refuses to remain emotionally distant). Christ's suffering wasn't merely functional for atonement but revealed God's very nature.
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The Victory of the Cross: Why Jesus Died
Jesus's crucifixion is well-documented historically, recorded by non-Christian historians like Josephus and Thallus shortly after Jesus's time. All four Gospels provide specific details about when and where it happened-in Jerusalem during Pilate and Herod's reign-with historical markers about the Sanhedrin, an earthquake, and astrological notes.
Jesus's execution was politically motivated-Rome crucified him as a rebel leader threatening imperial sovereignty, not as a common criminal. His kingdom message implied that if YHWH was becoming king, Caesar's power would be diminished. The Jewish authorities charged him with being a false prophet who was leading Israel astray with his theological claims.
After multiple illegal trials held at night in secret, Jesus was flogged-a horrific procedure where his hands were tied to a post while soldiers beat his entire body with a multi-tailed leather whip embedded with bone and metal. This brutal process tore flesh from his body, potentially exposing ribs and internal organs. Jesus was so weakened that someone else had to carry his 150-pound crossbeam to the crucifixion site.
Crucifixion, invented by Persians in 500 BC and used by Romans for enemies of the state, was one of history's most painful tortures. Victims were nailed to wooden posts with five to seven-inch spikes through hands and feet, displayed naked in public spaces. The pain was so horrific that the word "excruciating" was invented to describe it-literally meaning "out of the cross." Most victims died from asphyxiation after hours of suffering.
The cross became Christianity's central symbol rather than alternatives like the crib (representing Jesus's birth), a fishing boat (his teaching), or a towel (his servitude). This choice reflects Christianity's core message: something transformative happened when Jesus died that changes our relationship with God. The gospel writers carefully position Jesus' death during the ninth hour of Passover-precisely when Jews would gather to offer sacrifices for sin atonement. This timing reveals Jesus as the ultimate and final sacrifice.
The cross represents Jesus as our substitute, taking our punishment. As John Stott observed, "Sin is us substituting ourselves for God, while salvation is God substituting himself for us." Jesus himself declared he came "to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45)-the very purpose of his mission was to be our substitute sacrifice.
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The Resurrection: History's Greatest Turning Point
The historical evidence for Jesus' resurrection is compelling because it defies all cultural expectations of the time. Unlike other messianic movements where death ended the movement or a successor took over, Jesus' followers uniquely claimed their executed leader was alive again. This claim contradicted both prevailing worldviews: pagans believed resurrection was impossible and undesirable, while Jews believed resurrection would only happen collectively at the end of time.
Five key evidences support Jesus' resurrection: the medical and historical confirmation of his death; the missing body that Rome would have wanted to produce; hundreds claiming to have seen the resurrected Jesus; the empty tomb with grave clothes; and the unprecedented rise of the early church. The Gospel accounts feature women as first witnesses to the resurrection-a detail that undermines fabrication theories since women's testimony wasn't admissible in court and was considered unreliable in first-century culture.
Former homicide detective J. Warner Wallace notes that successful conspiracies require few conspirators, immediate communication, and minimal pressure-none of which applied to Christianity. The disciples faced torture and death yet never recanted their testimony. Christianity's explosive growth-from twelve disciples to over thirty-three million people in 350 years-remains "an unsolved mystery for any historian who refuses to take seriously the only explanation offered by the church itself": the resurrection.
The resurrection proves Jesus is truly the Son of God and rightful King. Its reality validates everything Jesus taught and promised. The Christian life isn't merely intellectual belief but obedience to Christ as King. Without the resurrection, we would remain in our sins-it serves as the gateway to all spiritual benefits.
The resurrection isn't exclusive to Jesus-everyone will experience bodily resurrection, either unto life or judgment. Those who trust Christ will experience eternal life in God's renewed creation, while those who reject him face separation from all goodness. Our present lives shape this eternal destiny. Christianity doesn't promise vague spiritual bliss but physical resurrection in a perfected material world-the life humans were designed for. This hope transforms how believers face death and suffering, knowing that "whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."
