Why Jesus the Messiah: God's Purpose for sending Isa al Masih according to the Holy Gospel

A number of years ago I came to realize that most Christians I knew had misunderstood the message God had revealed to Jesus the Messiah (Isa al-Masih in Arabic). I desperately wanted to find out why Jesus said God had sent him. As I carefully read the Gospel (Injil in Arabic) with new eyes, I observed Jesus constantly spoke about the kingdom of God and welcomed people of all races and religions to be part of it. I also noticed that Jesus is primarily portrayed in the Gospel as God's Messiah-Servant-Prophet (Al-Masih- 'Abd- Al-Nabi in Arabic), titles also used for him in the Quran. This surprised me. Could a focus on understanding these titles for Jesus help build bridges of understanding between Muslims and Christians?

This book shows how Christians have strayed from the message God revealed to Jesus. It shows how human rights and social justice are embedded in the message of Jesus, and cannot be optional add-ons. This book shows how actively doing good for our enemy (or, those we perceive to be our enemy) is integral to believing in Jesus. The book shows how Jesus was more concerned with how people treated others, than in how they performed their religious rituals. It explains why those in power opposed Jesus and why he at times deliberately provoked them by violating their laws. It shows how God used the sufferings of Jesus the Messiah to win a victory over evil and deliver us from fear. In short, this book shows how Jesus planted the seed for how we can join him in recreating our damaged world.

What was it about the message God gave Jesus that caused those who heard him to spontaneously praise God, write poetry, sing and dance? What caused their communities to come alive and live in peace? What have we missed?

Writing this book has been a hard but enriching journey. It is not easy to question your beliefs. Daring to questions some of what you have been taught, and being open to new ways of understanding, can cause stress within you and create conflict with those around you- even those closest to you. Nevertheless, the rewards of seeking for what it means to be fully human, alive to God and his purposes in the world, are worth it. Enjoy your journey. I still do.