book review: Jesus Mean and Wild: Mark Galli

Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God by Mark Galli

Mark Galli is the managing editor of Christianity Today, and in his latest book he tackles the image of the “Jesus meek and mild” with a look at the Gospel of Mark.  He makes his way to a Jesus whom he sees as mean and wild “by working through seventeen passages in the Gospel of Mark where I find Jesus the most discomforting.” (19)  His study of Mark leads him to look more closely at those episodes of Jesus’ ministry and teaching where the “nice” Jesus of cultural imagination is clearly set against the Jesus of controversy, anger, strength and harsh demands.  If you thought that Jesus only belongs on the front of a Hallmark card, then have a look at this book.

To begin, Galli looks at the question of suffering:  Jesus is driven out into the wilderness immediately after his baptism, and we too can expect to be driven to such places in our Christian walk.  In contrast to the sugar daddy god of the prosperity gospel, Galli finds “the consistent witness of Scripture that God’s plan for us is a difficult one and that redemption – personal, social and spiritual – does not happen without suffering.” (32)  Another theme, unpopular at best, is that of repentance:  “and so one of the first lies that we must renounce is that repentance is outdated or irrelevant.” (38)  As Jesus says at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, repentance and believing the Good News are part of the same message.

Galli points out as well that Jesus sometimes exhibits attitudes toward people which are less than what we think of as tolerant and patient.  Most of us would right away think of Jesus’ responses to the Pharisees, but Galli instead looks at Mark 1:40-43, when Jesus healed a helpless outcast leper.  "…Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.  After sternly warning him he sent him away at once." then

How is it that Jesus is capable of being so abrupt and stern with the weak and the outcast, and how shall the rest of us fare?  Only then does Mark’s Gospel bring us to the stories of Jesus’ reaction to the religious leaders, indicating that the divine ‘sternness’ and impatience is not reserved for the Pharisees, but can come to any of us.

Galli goes on to tackle some of the idols of contemporary (Christian) culture.  Jesus attacks our twin idolatries of family and individualism (81 ff), redefining the nature of community in Mark 3: 31-35.  Then there are the difficulties of a Jesus who seems to want to keep folks from understanding the meaning of the parables he is uttering (Mark 4:11 ff).  This Jesus seems to be issuing selective invitations into the Kingdom, contrary to our image of Jesus the all-embracing. (96 ff)

As he goes through the Gospel of Mark, Galli can’t help but be impressed by the displays of sheer power which Jesus exhibits, a power which he says we often downplay or rationalize. (111 ff)  “If we do that enough, we begin to think of the Gospel stories as nothing but metaphors, and metaphors primarily about us”.  We tend to lessen the sheer displays of power, Galli argues, because “the power of Christ frightens us – as well it should.” (113)

Galli also takes a closer look at the various demands Jesus makes upon those who would follow him.  Even in an age when research shows that what we call “high demand” churches are flourishing, we still fall far short.  “Give us a somewhat challenging faith and we do just fine… [I]f we’ve given ourselves to a contemporary, high-demand expression of faith, we should recognize that it doesn’t even approach the demands Jesus makes on us.” (134-5)

Galli wants his readers to consider that Jesus as he is portrayed in Mark’s Gospel is anything but simply nice, meek and gentle.  The money quote goes like this:  “We promise people peace and joy in Christ, and this is a sound promise.  We assure people that they can know Jesus personally.  This assurance is sure.  But we often fail to tell them about the calamity that comes to the one who seeks to know, really know, Jesus – the real Jesus.” (163)

Was this book a good read?  Yes.  There are a number of challenging thoughts provided by Galli’s journey through Mark’s Gospel.  Some I agree with, some I will look at again.  The style is readable, the secondary sources quoted range from the early Fathers of the Church to the latest contemporary figures.  The book uses personal anecdotes more sparingly than many others I have read, which makes for a refreshing change.  At the end there are a series of study questions for further reflection on each chapter.  A good antidote to the Jesus of "culture's paltry imagination". (176)

This is a book I'd like to engage with my parishioners  - maybe just in time for Lent...

Comments

[Matt]

"But we often fail to tell them about the calamity that comes to the one who seeks to know, really know, Jesus – the real Jesus.” (163)

Sounds like a good one - are you looking for new parishoners?

That quotation brings to mind Reynolds Price's books "A Whole New Life" where he speaks of his experience with spinal cancer and "Letters to a Man in the Fire". Price writes, "I'm also aware...of Paul's almost violent insistence that God's love literally hunts down the souls he has chosen for grace...the hands we're in...are neither predictable nor intimately knowable. They may cushion us, even deck us out with unasked for gifts; but they're never less than burning to the touch..." (Letters, 73)

[joseph]

maybe a once a week get together @ transcend, or leva if it ever re-opens...

[Tim]

I wouldn't mind borrowing that from you.

[joseph]

No problem, Tim. that would be a good excuse to meet up for a latte?, say Wednesday pm? but don't tell anyone that Anglican clergy get together outside of official church sanctioned events...

[ahab]

I'm wholly on board with Galli, even if it is overboard in overreaction to the bland overly palatable Christianity that is served up in too too many seeker services. Give me some of that spicy Jesus jerky to chew on for a while.

[steve the z]

I agree, even if it is a swinging of a pendolem in the cultural christianity I would like to read this one. I'm (insert swear 'ing here) overstuffed on fluffy Christianity. Where do they sell it?

[joseph]

steve - if you click on the link at the top of the post, it will take you to a Canadian bookseller (not Amazon) and you can order it online from Mitchell's.