Not Just Your Bible: 5 Books About Jesus

Who loves Jesus, raise your hand!

But do we love Jesus for the same reasons? Hmmm...

I’ve been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints my whole life, but I’ve regularly attended other denominations to learn what they understand about Jesus far better than I do. I know very little compared to the rest of the world.

But when I don’t have time to drive around Bountiful, I turn to the library.

Let's get to it! Here are 5 Books About Jesus.

1. What Seek Ye? By S. Michael Wilcox

Jesus asked many questions. He may have been perfect, but I’m pretty sure I would have gotten annoyed to have my every question answered with a question!

Luckily for me, S. Michael Wilcox does not have the same pet peeve. What Seek Ye? takes Jesus’ most pressing questions and turns them inside out. Often we feel a wall between ourselves and God because we don’t know or we don’t want to confess what we are really seeking for, what we really want from God.

The book is broken into short chapters, each on a question, so you can read it in one sitting or over a few months and not have to worry about forgetting a storyline.

2. Witness for His Names by Jeffrey R. Holland

The different names of Christ are popular Christmas ornaments in Utah, but Jesus is for every season! Witness for His Names is written by an Apostle of Jesus Christ, Jeffrey R. Holland of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When he was first called as a witness to the world of Jesus Christ, he started a list of all the different names that are used in scripture to talk of and describe Jesus.

Each name takes one or two pages; Witness for His Names is the perfect book for short morning or evening devotionals, and simple enough that you can even do them with young children.

3. Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor

Barbara Taylor used to be part of the clergy, but after her bout with religious doubt, she took a journey through the many different religions in the world to find God again. All she learned turned into a college course she taught undergraduates in Georgia. Holy Envy is how she refers to what she feels when a ritual or symbol from another religion begins to work in tandem with her own religious knowledge. 

Holy Envy is the reason I started visiting other churches in my area, and I can attest that Holy Envy is a powerful tool in worship. Worshiping with other churches makes me a better member of my own congregation, and I hope my church does the same.

4. The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey

I can’t remember a time when I didn't know about Jesus, but sometimes I wonder if I’d love certain things about the Gospel more if they hadn't always been so familiar to me.

Philip Yancey’s career is in investigative journalism, and one day he decided he wanted to investigate the life of Jesus. But this book isn’t like typical commentaries on Jesus; because Philip hadn’t ever been immersed in any kind of Christian or church culture, this is as close to a blank-slate perspective on Jesus as you can get.

Yancey writes about a radical Jesus, and because he hasn’t heard the same quotes and opinions of Jesus every Sunday-- like I have-- he approached some well-known writings in such a way that I found new insights in my personal studies. 

If you want a very human, very personal book about what Jesus can do with a run-of-the-mill person, this is the book.

5. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey

Have you ever noticed that, in an effort to make God feel closer, we try to find all the characteristics in ourselves that seem to match God’s? But the other day I realized I’d flipped my thoughts the wrong way. God isn’t like me, Maren is like God.

So, cool as I am, I’m nothing compared to Jesus. And since Maren is a very white American, there is no way they share the same culture. So, I found a book!

Not only did all the events in the Bible take place in a different country than I grew up in, but they happened hundreds of years before my lifetime. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes explains all the different cultural contexts effective in Jesus’ day, even highlighting some that have persisted to the present day. Let me tell you, the Nativity Story is far richer than anything my Christmas Eve pageant could portray. 

This book is a little more scholarly than the others, so I found it helpful to skip around to the chapters and bible stories I was most interested in that day. 

Amen, and Happy Reading!

*All links are simply links, I don't get any money if you click them. I just want to make finding great stories as easy as possible for you!*

Similar Reads:

Different and Deeper: 5 Books for When You Can't Feel God

Maren's Favorite (Religous) Biographies #2

Maren's Favorite Biographies #1

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