How can one know Christ in a deeper way? According to Jonathan Falwell, one way is by studying the 1000 days of Jesus' earthly ministry. In his book, Falwell takes the audience to become acquainted with Jesus’ ministry during the
last three years of his life. His premise is that by looking at Jesus' ministry closely, one can be inspired to become more like him. He wrote that Jesus could have just given the humanity salvation. Instead, he chose to live with us and ultimately sacrificed his life on the cross. The primary reason is that
he would demonstrate to us his deep love for humanity and to invite us to
become like him.
Christ's 1000 days of earthly ministry also inform us that life is not about
being religious. In fact, Jesus
challenged many of the religious leaders because they live a hypocritical
life. They knew truth, but their
actions were void of love for others. On
the opposite, Jesus expressed his love to sinners and hurting people (:62). In fact, Jesus even prayed forgiveness for those
who betrayed him (including his own disciples, Peter and Judas) and those who
put Him on the cross. Jesus’ first words
on the Cross are: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do”
(Luke 23:34).
Falwell is inviting readers to come to know this amazing
love of Christ so that we can become faithful followers, and we may find our
ultimate life satisfaction in Him. As we
find our contentment in Him, we will follow Jesus no matter what (:124).
This book is intended for seekers who are not coming to
faith in Christ yet. Falwell gives the
overview of Jesus’ ministry by selecting prominent passages from the four
Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). In doing so, he leaves out a deep theological conversation such as doctrines of atonement,
incarnation, resurrection, or salvation.
For those who expect an in-depth study of Christ’s 1000 days
of earthly ministry may find the book not adequate. The book lacks of a detailed chronology of
Christ’s ministry. It leaps from one
Gospel passage to another Gospel passage.
It also lacks a rich theological conversation on significant passages
such as Jesus’ final discourse from John 13 to 17.
In summary, I would highly recommend this book only for those who
have just begun their journey in knowing Christ, and for mature Christians, I would give this word of caution. This book may not meet the expectation. This book lacks the depth that it promises. They might look for a different book.
