Peter Wallace is the host and executive producer of Day1, an acclaimed ecumenical radio ministry, and he serves as president of its parent organization, the Alliance for Christian Media. He is the author of eight books. You can reach him at his website www.peterwallace.info.
In this examination of the Jesus of the four gospels, Wallace sets out to open his heart and mind to Jesus as an emotional human being — a man with the beautiful woman washing his feet, angry at the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees, crying over the city of Jerusalem, and terribly upset with his disciples. Jesus was a passionate person, not an aloof and collected spiritual teacher. His life is a model of authenticity and wholeness.
Wallace sees love as the heart of Christian faith. Jesus walks the talk in his relationships with his parents, his disciples, his friends, and even strangers. Wallace moves on to a richly detailed discussion of Jesus' use of the two sides of anger — rage and righteous indignation.
The author also covers Jesus' experiences of fear — around his birth, anxiety over abandonment, and in the darkest moments. This man from Nazareth was seen as a man of sorrows who understood the loss of other people and the pains they endured.
Best of all is the joyful Jesus who can be playful and creative as a pioneer and protector of the faith. Given the wealth of material in both the Buddhist and Tibetan Buddhist traditions on the major role the emotions play on the spiritual path, it is refreshing to see a Christian assessing Jesus in this regard.
