Exploring Christ's Nature

I remember the remarkable success of the little book published in the middle of the twentieth century by J. B. Phillips titled "Your God Is Too Small." The book was a ringing challenge to seek a deeper understanding of the nature and character of God. It obviously struck a nerve, as multitudes of people devoured the book in a quest to expand their knowledge of the majesty of God.

I wish that someone could provoke the same response with regard to Christ. In my years of publishing and producing educational materials for Christians, I have been puzzled by something strange. I have noticed that books and tapes about Jesus do not do well in Christian bookstores. I am not sure why this is so. Perhaps it has something to do with a widespread assumption that we already know a lot about Jesus or that there may be something irreligious about studying the person and work of Christ too deeply.

There seems to be something wrong with our understanding of Jesus. We speak in saccharine terms of “gentle Jesus, meek and mild,” and of His “sweetness,” but the depth and riches of His nature remain elusive to us. Now, I love to speak of the sweetness of Christ. There is nothing wrong with this language. But we need to understand what it is about Him that makes Him so sweet to believers.