JESUS...before Christianity

In line with the theme of "simply Jesus" that we're on, I want to quote from Albert Nolan's book, Jesus Before Christianity, in which he attempts to look at Jesus before the Christian system and religion "enshrined (him) in doctrine, dogma, and ritual." Though I may not go along with everything the author says, it is a fascinating book and well worth reading if you want to continue to grow in understanding Jesus as a real man who lived in a particular culture and time and why He was so controversial and offensive to the religious and political systems of His day (and still is today): http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Before-Christianity-Albert-Nolan/dp/1570754047#reader_157075404

In his chapter entitled, "The Man Who Emerges", Nolan says: "When one allows Jesus to speak for himself and when one tries to understand him without any preconceived ideas and within the context of his own times, what begins to emerge is a man of extraordinary independence, immense courage and unparalleled authenticity - a man whose insight defies explanation. To deprive this man of his humanity is to deprive him of his greatness...

"All the men of religion, even John the Baptist, were scandalized by the way he mixed socially with sinners, by the way he seemed to enjoy their company, by his permissiveness with regard to the laws, by his apparent disregard for the seriousness of sin, and by his free and easy way of treating God. He soon acquired what we would call a bad reputation (Matt. 11:16-19). In terms of group solidarity his friendship with sinners would classify him as a sinner (Matt. 11:19; Jn. 9:24). In an age when friendliness toward any woman outside of one's family could mean only one thing, his friendship with women and especially with prostitutes would have ruined whatever reputation he still had (Lk. 7:39; Jn. 4:27).  Jesus did nothing and compromised on nothing for the sake of even a modicum of prestige in the eyes of others. He did not seek anyone's approval, not even the approval of 'the greatest man born of woman.'"

The more I look at Jesus through different lenses and see what kind of man He must have been as He walked among and related to sinful humans, the more I wonder if I would have approved of Him if I had lived in the same town...