Description
The Jews in the first century wondered: who would He resemble? Would He be a prophet like Moses? A priest like Melchizedek? A king like David? He would surprise them all, from the day He entered the Jordan until He went through a metamorphosis on a mountain. He would be tested in a harsh wilderness, deliver those tormented by demons, and miraculously feed both a Jewish and a Gentile multitude, and yet be rejected by his own neighbors. So here is His ministry, in the midst of an intensely Jewish world of Pharisees and Sadducees and Essenes, confounding them all because no one spoke quite like Him. When you hear him teaching beside the lovely waters of the Sea of Galilee, beholding His ministry in light of the Scriptures that He so loved, lived, and fulfilled, you will never be the same.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1: What Is a “Messiah”?
Chapter 2: Messiah as “the” Prophet
Chapter 3: Messiah and Josephus
Chapter 4: Messiah and the Men of Qumran
Chapter 5: Messiah in Matthew
Chapter 6: Messiah and Moses
Chapter 7: Messiah in the Water
Chapter 8: Messiah in the Wilderness
Chapter 9: Messiah in the Hometown
Chapter 10: Messiah and Women
Chapter 11: Messiah and the Goyim
Chapter 12: Messiah and the Madman
Chapter 13: Messiah’s Metamorphosis
Chapter 14: Messiah and the Mystery Man
Chapter 15: Messiah Jesus—Should Jews Believe in Him?
Further Reading
Foreword
By dealing with the ministry of Jesus from His baptism to His transfiguration, Messiah’s Ministry: Crises of the Christ fills a gap left in the Apostles’ Creed, which skips from His birth to His death without so much as a word to fill that yawning gap. As a well-established scholar, the author William Varner explains to his readership of serious-minded lay people not only the Biblical texts dealing with the middle part of Jesus’ ministry but also its Jewish background both in the Old Testament and in other Jewish literature of the New Testament period, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the writings of Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian. Accompanying this rich tapestry of explanations are stunningly magnificent color photos of Biblical sites that help readers visualize the events they are reading about. Rounding out the whole are basic bibliographies for further reading and prayers designed to lead readers into informed Christian witness and devotion and, if used in Bible study groups (as it should be), into mutual edification.
It is with confidence, then, that I recommend this book—and also with special pleasure in that William Varner teaches at my alma mater, The Master’s University, which I attended 1950–1954 (then called Los Angeles Baptist College) and concerning which I carry the fondest of feelings. Of blessed memory, my teachers there—Milton Fish, Herbert Hotchkiss, Thomas Price, Samuel Fisk, Marchant King—would have heartily seconded my recommendation.
Robert H. Gundry
Professor Emeritus and Scholar-in-Residence
Westmont College
Endorsements
“This volume on the ministry of Jesus is a fitting climax to Dr. Varner’s trilogy on Jesus the Messiah. Having written masterful works on His advent as well as His death and resurrection, Varner now writes an informative work on His life while on earth. What makes this book even more valuable are the chapters on the history and culture of the Jewish people prior to Christ’s advent. He discusses Josephus, the men of Qumran, Moses, and Melchizedek for instance, giving us a more well-rounded understanding of the Jewish world Jesus encountered during His life. He has also taken selected events from Christ’s three years of ministry and given us a snapshot of who He was and what He did. He is to be commended on the surprising depth of his work.”
Thomas Halstead, The Master’s University
“The issues addressed by Dr. William Varner in Messiah’s Ministry relate to the credibility of Jesus’ stunning claims concerning Himself. Throughout His ministry, Jesus claimed to be the Messiah/Christ and to be God come in the flesh (Matt 16:16; John 11:27; Matt 26:63; John 20:30–31). When Paul told them about the remarkable claims and accomplishments of the Nazarene, the Bereans “searched the Scriptures to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11) and thus believed. You will be blessed to walk with Dr. Varner through some of those Old Testament Messianic anticipations which God used to impact the truth-seeking Bereans so long ago.”
Dr. Douglas Bookman, Shepherds Theological Seminary
“The best way to describe this excellent work by Dr. Varner is to point out that these are highlight aspects of the Life and the Ministry of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. There are two things which are quite unique to this work. First, he covers what many other similar books cover about the Messiah being a Prophet, Priest, and King. Some of the insights in these three categories, however, are still unique to him and are worthy of consideration and study. Second, here are some new emphases that most books on the Life of Messiah simply do not cover: backgrounds from the Hebrew Scriptures and a frame of reference from rabbinic theology prevalent in first century Israel which is what the Messiah had to interact with whether it came from the Pharisees or from the Sadducees or from the Herodians. This material provides additional perspective in understanding Messiah’s person and work and points out the uniqueness of Dr. Varner’s work. This work is highly recommended, and I encourage all to read this volume as well as the other two volumes in the trilogy.”
Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Director of Ariel Ministries
