The Jesus We Missed: The Surprising Truth About the Humanity of Christ
by Patrick Reardon
This book can transform the way you read the Gospels. That’s what it did for me.
I have to be honest, though, when I read the first paragraph, with all of its academic tone 
and scholarly style, I sarcastically thought, “Well, this’ll be a real page turner.”
And it was! Even though I’m not a seminary grad or a Christology scholar, I actually had to force myself not to read too quickly, for fear I’d overlook the significance and depth of Reardon’s argument. This is an academic work, no question about it. It is not written to be a Christian pop culture phenomenon and isn’t going to end up launching a t-shirt line or bumper stickers.
But if you’ve ever grown tired of hearing the same-old, same-old lessons on the Gospels, this book will bring refreshing perspective and depth. Reardon gives a detailed analysis of Jesus’ time on earth, from His incarnation through the passion, reminding us of all that Jesus gave up when He left heaven and came in human flesh. While the argument wandered at times, perhaps, from the point at hand, His ultimate goal was achieved—to challenge the way we’ve thought about Jesus.
This matters because we often mis-read Scripture by forgetting the fact that Jesus was fully human while communing with the Father, discovering His own identity, choosing His disciples (including His betrayer), and tasting death. Ultimately, I can’t think of any book that has so informed and transformed my knowledge of Christ.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
