"Fight Like Jesus" by Jason Porterfield (Book Review)
In the impactful book “Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace Throughout Holy Week” the author Jason Porterfield makes the case that Jesus confronted injustice head on, but was committed to non-violent methods. When it comes to confronting evil, our king was both impassioned and peaceful.
“Fight Like Jesus” takes us on a walk with Jesus through Holy Week. We watch him enter Jerusalem, clear the temple, and return daily to debate the teachers of the law. Then get arrested, and unjustly convicted, get crucified, and rise from the dead. Amen.
By looking closely at Jesus during his final week, Porterfield wants to inspire us to live out the call to do justice peacefully, just like Jesus did.
How did the 1st century church view violence?
Porterfield challenges us to fully embrace the staunch non-violence of Jesus, the apostles, and the early church. His website has a free ebook, “100 Early Christian Quotes on Not Killing” that helps to prove this point.
He also writes in “Fight Like Jesus”:
“The earliest Christians were staunch pacifists, and they often referred to Jesus’ rebuke of Peter to explain their refusal to fight. Perhaps nobody articulated the point more memorably than Tertullian, a prolific second- and third-century author from Carthage. ‘In disarming Peter,’ he wrote, ‘Christ disarmed every soldier.”
I have Christian friends who own guns, and I’ve supported American war action that I thought was just. So these quotes from my spiritual ancestors, and the actions of Jesus push me to think differently about violence as a means that justifies an end.
But didn’t Jesus…?
The book tackles tough questions head on. Like, why did Jesus tell his disciples to get their swords? Why did he use a whip to clear out the temple? And why did he say give back to Caesar what is Caesar's…?
These actions and teachings from Jesus have been used to teach that Jesus was fine with violence in some circumstances, or that he avoided the political and focused on the spiritual.
Porterfield thoughtfully dismantles these arguments as he defends his thesis that Jesus taught and acted with proactive, strategic non-violence. What I like about this book is that it doesn't try to prove a point using an obscure rendering of the Greek, or through some theological gymnastics. Instead, everything that Porterfield puts forward is through a careful reading of the text, or simple explanations of the language, customs, or history surrounding the text. I feel comfortable adopting many of his arguments as my own convictions and teaching them to friends without having to refer back to his book.
Why You Need a Church to Fight Injustice
Porterfield teaches that doing justice requires a community, a church:
“If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your peacemaking efforts, you cannot go it alone…That’s because, on your own, all you can do is talk about peace and demand justice. But in community, you can actually embody peace and do justice.”
This argument resonates with me. I’ve tried making an impact alone, and that road basically makes you a weirdo telling people on Twitter how bad things are in society. However, when I approach justice or “peacemaking” with my family, or small group, or wider church I can offer folks who are being crushed by society not just a word of solidarity, but real warmth and community love.
Perfect Read for Easter
"Fight Like Jesus" is a great book to read during Holy Week and I recommend it as part of your study on justice.
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