Jesus: his challenge

Jesus: his challenge

Introduction
Jesus’ world was, as we have seen, complex and far from united and harmonious. Regional, social, religious and racial divisions were present in abundance. We turn now to consider how Jesus brought a distinctive and challenging message to this world, best summed up in the sayings preserved for us in the Sermon on the Mount exhorting his followers to love their enemies, pray for them and bless them. In this chapter I want to ask, first, ‘How distinctive was this call?’ I will then consider some responses to this radical teaching from leading thinkers of various faiths and backgrounds...