I read the New Testament through for the first time when I was in college. My favorite sections were the parts with Jesus in them. Don’t get me wrong — I loved the writings of Paul. I enjoyed the Revelation. Hebrews was great. I enjoyed Peter, James, and John. But my favorite parts were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — the books that told the story of Jesus.

What I liked best was how Jesus spoke. He told it like it was — cutting through the fat, addressing issues with clarity. He silenced his critics. No one could stand up to him.

When I graduated and went into pastoral ministry, I couldn’t wait to preach on the life of Jesus. But through the years, I’ve noticed that preachers don’t do that a lot.

There are many reasons for this, but one is that Jesus is tough. Jesus says tough things. He is offensive. The most troubles I’ve had in ministry have been times I have been telling the people what Jesus says. Jesus speaks of something that lives deep inside our hearts. Something called sin. And religious people hate to be told about their sin.

This podcast explains some reasons that people resist Jesus and practical counsel on how to avoid doing so.

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