The Man Nobody Knows

Originally published in 1925, The Man Nobody Knows, by Bruce Barton, is a Christian classic, with over 600,000 copies sold. Founder and later Chairman of the Board of one of the world's largest advertising agencies, Barton paints a picture of the real Jesus, the Messiah. One of the favorite books of Herbert W. Armstrong, The Man Nobody Knows set the tone, the attitude, for the Church of God in recent times. It's a renewable resource, which can be mined time and again for spiritual insights. This is one book I go back to, time and again.

The real Jesus is not like the sissified, pale, sad, young man pictured on Sunday-school walls. He was not a physical weakling, but a strong carpenter who slept outdoors with muscles so strong that when He drove the moneychangers out, nobody dared to oppose Him! He was the most popular dinner guest in Jerusalem and enjoyed a hearty laugh and good wine. Jesus would never have been able to inspire mankind if He were not the dynamic leader He was.

Honestly, yet reverently, Barton paints a picture of the real Yahshua of the Bible as a leader, an outdoor man, a sociable man, whose method worked, who spoke uplifting words of wisdom, was a servant of all, and was indeed the Master worthy of worship.

The parables, major teachings of Jesus, are condensed and to the point, entirely unlike the drivel and nonsense you often find on Internet forums today. His language was marvelously simple, usually using one and two-syllable words. There is hardly a sentence in His teaching, which a child cannot understand. Sincerity illuminates strongly every word, and repetition in different ways drove home His points. His stories are unforgettable and timeless, eternal.

Deserted by His hometown, His relatives, the crowd, and finally the eleven, the Savior nevertheless triumphed gloriously. Bloody and beaten, dying on a stake, Jesus still performed one last miracle. One of the robbers crucified next to Him said painfully, "Jesus, remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom!"

Barton concludes: "Read that, my friends, and bow your heads. You, who have let yourself picture Him as weak, as [only] a man of sorrows, uninspiring, glad to die. There have been many leaders who could call forth enthusiasm when their fortunes ran high. But He, when His enemies had done their worst, so bore Himself that a crucified felon looked into His dying eyes and saluted Him as king."

The Man Nobody Knows, by Bruce Barton, is available from: Giving & Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849. Or, you may order a copy online The Man Nobody Knows.