The Shack Revisited by William Paul Young
Week 5: Chapter 4 — Jesus: The Human Face of God
Read Chapter 4 of The Shack Revisited. Primary Bible passages: John 1:1-14; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-3.
Previewing Week 5 of The Shack Revisited
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Kruger turns to the figure of Jesus in The Shack — a Jewish carpenter who loves tools, jokes, and walks on water — and argues that this portrayal is the most orthodox thing in the whole novel. Who is Jesus, really? This week we go looking for the answer.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.In The Shack, Jesus appears as an ordinary-looking Middle Eastern man who is playful, handy, and deeply at home in the physical world. Kruger argues this is entirely consistent with orthodox Christology. What does it mean to say that the eternal Son of God became fully, genuinely, unreservedly human?
2.Kruger draws heavily on the prologue to John's Gospel — "In the beginning was the Word" — to establish that Jesus is not a late addition to the divine story but is the eternal Son who has always been in the Father's bosom. How does the pre-existence of the Son change the way you read the Gospels?
3.Kruger introduces the key Athanasian principle: the eternal Son became human so that human beings might share in the divine life. This is sometimes called "the great exchange" or theosis. In your own words, what is being claimed here? Does it feel too large to be true?
a.How does this vision of salvation differ from a merely legal or transactional view?
b.What difference would it make to your daily life if you genuinely believed you were being drawn into the divine life?