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Inspired and Motivated

by Jesus of Nazareth

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Inspired and Motivated by Jesus of Nazareth

This is the Palestinian book of common-sense; to match similar books of wisdom by the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Confucius et al. You'll find it an inspiring and motivating read.

This is definitely not another version of the Jewish book of fairy tales.

THE ESSENTIAL JESUS Jesus of Nazareth needs little introduction to most people in the Western world, but as our societies become more and more secularized the question has to be asked 'Does Jesus of Nazareth speak to us today in a context outside the religious one?'   There is certainly no doubt that he does, and he stacks up against the myriad thinkers and writers of inspiring and motivating thoughts who came either before or after.

This is Jesus unplugged from myth, legend, superstition and hubris. Read what the great man really said about enterprise, doctors, love, character, respect, pity, compassion, steadfastness, wealth ...

The man who bestrides the world between BC and AD is a worthy contender to start the Inspired and Motivated series.

The quotes have been taken from the pseudepigraphic Gospels as written by messrs Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, translated and passed down through the ages until they appear in the Good News Bible, Today's English Version and published under the imprint of the American Bible Society in 1976.

Some of the quotes have been edited slightly and astute readers and biblical scholars may either concur or wince at the thought of a gentle bending of the inspired word to suit the times and get a laugh.

Stripped of theology, hubris, myth, legend and superstition there is still some good stuff left, amazingly so.

Whilst some of the passages have been edited, cut and spliced to give a more secular interpretation, I’ve left in a variety of passages that refer to the deity. And yet, by leaving these references in, there is still room for interpretation of exactly what the great man was talking about.  It was often the case that the people of his own day didn't have a clue, including his disciples.

With the benefit of 2000 years of hindsight and a more expansive and better educated frame of reference today's readers may find themselves placing a different construction over what is said. It is the mystery of any interpretation that will make for interesting reading.  I will be so bold as to make the prediction that readers will keep coming back to the book, plucking new and different insights each time.

All in all, and once they're stripped down and unplugged, the Gospels read like a Shakespearian tragedy and that is one of the things that has given them an enduring legacy down through the ages. There is something in them for everybody.  Like Shakespeare they provide fertile ground for interpretation, full of heroes and villains, births and deaths, wit and wisdom and, as I've already said, the odd bit of myth, legend and superstition stirred in.

Until now, it's always been hard to sort out the wheat from the chaff. This book is the essential Jesus of Nazareth for 21st Century readers, unplugged.

The Gospels are highly repetitive. In those cases where the same thought is expressed by different writers only one has been included.

For me, the parables are a highlight, with the little twists at the end, with a surprising emphasis on the nature and value of enterprise.

In fact throughout the book, and contrary to popular opinion there is frequent support for the enterprising way of life and very little to commend that of the poor and miserable. Contrary to popular opinion Jesus held enterprising people in higher regard that people who didn’t want to improve their station in life. He had a higher regard for the status of affluence than he did for the status of poverty.

I read somewhere that while it's not good to be poor, it would be an act of stupidity to stay that way. Confucius said something similar: 'A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake.'

There are some persistent themes.

I like the parables that start with, 'The Kingdom of heaven is like this.' They talk about growth, about big things starting off as small things, of an action ending up with a marvelous achievement.

You’re going to have to decide for yourself what the kingdom of heaven is.

The instructions about judgementalism appear to come from one who is well versed in this particular art, but the sayings lose none of their impact on that account.

The frequent references to faith, and to forgiveness are timely and enduring and along with the instruction not to look back are an essential ingredient of good mental health.

If this is Christianism, tell me where I can sign up!

But all that aside, there is gold in these pages. Dig deep.

I mention in the Dedication at the front of the book that the idea for the book, and the series, came from Robert Townsend’s ‘Up the Organisation’. A particular aspect of Townsend's book that I like are the succinct headings, encapsulating as they do the thought that follows. In this book, trying to match the headings with the quotes has been a tough assignment and I'm sure some of those that I've selected will be open to conjecture.

In future editions discerning readers may wish to suggest a change of heading as a result of the different insight, slant or construction they have gleaned from a quote. They may also like to suggest the inclusion of quotes of Jesus that have been overlooked, particularly from sources outside the four 'established' Gospels. This I hope will add to the enjoyment of the reading. Plus, I'd hate to be accused of not changing a good idea for a better one.

And mate, if you're out there somewhere, come back, Palestine needs you!

Now click here and download the book. It comes as an executable file and unfortunately won't open up on Apple machines. It's a Gates world out there.