What Kreeft does in this simple book—which could be read and understood by anybody—is take us back to meet Jesus and the powerful effect that He had on those who experienced Him. This is what He calls Jesus Shock.
Jesus Shocked the World
He goes through the Gospel accounts of the life and times of Jesus, showing that all the people who came into contact with Him didn’t just brush Him off, they were powerfully impacted. They either followed Him or they didn’t. They either loved Him or they hated Him. But the fact is that they were shocked. Kreeft shows that after each of these encounters the people were “amazed”, “astonished”, and “marveled” at Him. They didn’t encounter Jesus and walk away the same, they were forever changed. We on the other hand are bored with Jesus.
“If your Jesus is boring, your Jesus is not the real Jesus.”
~ Peter Kreeft
Either it’s that we haven’t encountered Him or we do not understand who we are encountering. We know that we need something to worship, to fill the void within us, because our lives are ordered to the worship of God. However, we seek any and everything but Jesus. We worship power, possessions, pleasure, and pride putting them before God. These are our golden calfs. This is idolatry.
How Would You React?
“Christ’s words roused His enemies to murder and His friends to martyrdom.”
~ Peter Kreeft
Is that your experience of Jesus? Again, you either love Jesus or you hate Him. Which side are you on? You can’t be in the middle, on the fence, lukewarm. Remember, the lukewarm He will spit out of His mouth (Rev 3:16). If you love Him, can you prove it? Would you die for Jesus? The early Christians did. Why don’t we?
The Power of His Presence
In the second half of the book Kreeft takes His idea of Jesus Shock—the life-changing effect that Jesus’ presence had and has on people—and explains how this idea is what Catholics cherish above all else. We don’t call it Jesus Shock, we call it the Real Presence.
As Catholics we believe that Jesus said what He meant and meant what He said. “This is my body” was not figurative. John 6 is not hyperbole. The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life”. It is Jesus Christ fulfilling His promise to be with us “to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).
“Christ is not merely remembered, like a dead man, but encountered, ‘alive and kicking’, like a stallion.”
~ Peter Kreeft
Do you know Jesus? Have you experienced Jesus Shock? If not, then what are you waiting for? So many people are walking aimlessly through life without purpose, without passion, seeking fulfillment through the pursuit of power, possessions, pleasure, and pride instead of the person of Jesus Christ. He is alive! He is active and accessible to us in and through His Church. He is present to us in the Eucharist, just waiting for us to give Him the time of day.
“The crisis in the Church today is a crisis of Christlessness.”
~ Peter Kreeft
Watch Peter Kreeft speaking on this topic (about 16 minutes in). Disclaimer: This presentation was giving at Saddleback Church and although I recommend the video, I do not necessarily recommend any of the other materials on this website. Although I do think there is much to appreciate about Rick Warren and his community.
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