Book Review: The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren

Do not let the title of this book throw you off; this is not another Da Vinci Code or Gnostic Gospel (see article on the recently found Gospel of Judas). The secret message of Jesus is less about new content, and more about new mediums for the message itself. McLaren challenges the reader to rethink (which is what he considers “repentingâ€? to mean) the message Jesus shared about the Kingdom of God. McLaren has “become convinced that although Jesus’ message was personal, it was not private.â€? Jesus’ message hardly links back to the Sunday School teachings of yester year. God’s primary concern is not for you to go to Heaven after you die, but for you to usher in the revolution of the Kingdom of God. Jesus dares everyone to revolutionize the revolutionâ€"to rethink and imagine an alternative world where the least and lost are on top, where war is rendered ineffective, and where God’s glory shines not through the so-called religious experts, but through every day humanity. What Jesus really dares is for you to take the Sermon on the Mount seriouslyâ€"what McLaren calls the “Kingdom Manifesto.â€?

McLaren sets the tone early on in the book:

I’ve become convinced that if the good news of Jesus were carried in a newspaper today, it wouldn’t be hidden in the religion section (although it would no doubt cause a ruckus there). It would be a major story in every section, from world news (What is the path to peace, and how are we responding to our neighbors in need?) to national and local news (How are we treating children, poor people, minorities, the last, the lost, the least? How are we treating our enemies?), in the lifestyle section (Are we loving our neighbors and throwing good parties to bring people together?), the food section (Do our diets reflect concern for God’s planet and our poor neighbors, and have we invited any of them over for dinner lately?), the entertainment and sports section (What is the point of our entertainment, and what values are we strengthening in sports?), and even the business section (Are we serving the wrong master: money rather than God?). (10-11)

Echoing Jesus’ words, McLaren asserts that the Kingdom of God is “at handâ€? and can truly intercept every area of our lives. It is available for all to graspâ€"it is not just some distant future reality to look fondly toward. The crowds found such a message offensive. Why? The people cried: “The Kingdom of God cannot contain sinners (Pharisees)!â€? “The Kingdom of God cannot exist while Rome still reigns (Zealots)!â€? But according to Mclaren, Jesus’ message is that the Kingdom of God is not in some distant future where statements like these can be validated, but it is in the very lives of those whom He has called unto himself. Furthermore, McLaren challenges the church to dream up new ways to present the message of Jesus. How does the “Dream of Godâ€? sound? Or what about the “Dance of God?â€? As Brian notes, “kingdom is not a particularly religious word, and Jesus seemed to go out of his way to describe the kingdom in ways that common people could understand.â€? The very use of the word “kingdomâ€? is called into question due to the attachment of imperialistic, chauvinistic, and domineering agendas in the history of the world post Jesus’ original message.

The book is sure to shake up any system that you have in place for what Jesus expects of you in today’s world. Once the secret message is out, no ism or ideology will be safeâ€"communism, socialism, racism, imperialism…even democracy and capitalism. McLaren’s words are too strong to shake off. In typical McLaren style, he admits that he is yet to have all the answers on the topic at hand, but once coming in contact with the “What if’sâ€? that McLaren continually asks, one cannot help but toss and turn over the practical implications of the Kingdom of God. The book is concluded with what he calls the “prayer of the kingdom.â€? If only we can grasp what it truly means to see “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,â€? maybe then we would finally understand the Secret Message of Jesus. And it is this message, as the subtitle reads, that is the truth that could change everything.

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