Reviewed by: Connor Salter, Professional Writing student at Taylor University, Upland, IN.

Introduction

Title: What Made Jesus Mad? Rediscover the Blunt, Sarcastic, Passionate Savior of the Bible

Author: Tim Harlow

Publisher: Nelson Books (HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.)

Publication Date: June 2019

Format: Paperback

Length: 240 pages

OVERVIEW

Most Christians are used to an image of Jesus as a nice man, inoffensive as can be. The problem is, however, that the New Testament is filled with passages about Jesus getting angry. Tim Harlow considers what happened in the occasions where Jesus rebuked or showed irritation at people, examining the attitudes that made Jesus so angry.

From there, theologically speaking, there’s nothing groundbreaking about this book. Harlow shows how Jesus objected to religious leaders behaving poorly, a fairly well-known idea. However, the approach Harlow takes makes this book unique. He writes about Jesus’ sarcasm and irreverence toward hypocrites while using a writing style that’s sarcastic and irreverent. The book becomes half theology half comedy, which drives home one of Harlow’s main points: true religion doesn’t limit life, it makes it more fulfilling. Therefore, Christians should be able to laugh a little; it keeps them from becoming stuffy religious hypocrites.

So, while Harlow addresses well-known problems and sometimes draws far-reaching connections, the new context he creates for understanding those problems makes the book well worth reading.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5 stars)

4 stars

Suggested Audience

Christians trying to understand Jesus’ attitudes toward sin; Christians interesting in learning about religious hypocrisy.

Christian Impact

This book will help readers drop pretensions and hypocrisy, pushing them to live a happier and more mature faith.

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