Hey everyone,
I am super excited to announce that today I signed a book deal with Herald Press for a new project, tentatively titled Prodigal Gospel: The Good News According to Jesus. As the title suggests, the book explores the gospel as Jesus told it by specifically focusing on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
If you know me, you know I love the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Every time I read it, I’m caught by surprise. I think it’s funny, disarming, moving, and incredibly challenging. Theologians and Bible scholars have often referred to the Parable of the Prodigal Son as the “gospel in a nutshell.” Jesus tells this story to explain to his fiercest critics what he was doing and why. As we read this parable we are hearing, in Jesus’ own words, the good news of the gospel. It’s like the lead writer, actor, and director of a movie telling us what the story is about.
I am excited about this project because I genuinely believe the gospel is the best story ever told but, in many cases, we’ve lost what it made it good, and I think that’s because our gospel no longer looks like Jesus or sounds like the good news stories he told. A few years ago, I heard a very prominent pastor say, “Jesus never preached the gospel,” which is a wild thing to say. How can we believe that the person who is the center of our faith and the subject of the gospel, never talked about it? I disagree with this pastor, I think the gospel is the primary thing Jesus talked about, but I do agree with him in that our modern gospel stories look very little like Jesus’. And I think this is what often causes difficulty in our spiritual lives. Many of us love Jesus and are compelled by his words but when we look at our modern gospel stories, theologies, and traditions we don’t see him reflected. Our modern gospel stories are all about going to heaven when we die or dealing with a vindictive judge and rarely, if ever, speak to life here and now. Is that really all our gospel offers? Is that the extent of good news? What about Jesus’ teaching on enemy love? What about Jesus confrontation of religious leaders? What about the way Jesus protected women from public shame? Or the way Jesus sought out and touched differently abled and disabled bodies who’d been outcast from society? Is that not gospel? I believe that is exactly what the gospel is.
Jesus is the very center of the gospel. When Jesus confronts, heals, welcomes, and protects we are seeing the gospel in action––the good news in the flesh. And when Jesus teaches his disciples, telling them stories about elaborate parties, upside down kingdoms, and reunited families he is connecting his actions with his purpose, he is preaching the gospel. The good news about good news is that it looks and sounds like Jesus.
The book won’t release till Spring of 2024 (fingers crossed) but over the next year I’ll release snippets here on Substack. Excited to share more with you in the weeks and months to come.
Thanks everyone!
Hey Jonny, this sounds like an exciting and useful project! I totally agree with your assessment of how so many come have lost sight of the gospel's goodness and transformative nature. I will stay glued here to read what you might reflect on that project in this space. - Andy