In Jesus' time， communities were deeply divided by bitter differences in religious beliefs， political positions， income inequality， legal status， and ethnic differences。 But where was Jesus in all of this？ Did he align with the religious elites？ Or did he start an uprising to overthrow them？ Neither of the above。 Instead， he went from town to town， offering hope， new life， and modeling a different way to live and to change the world。 Instead of pursuing power， money， or religious authority， he shared a loving and sacrificially generous way of living--he championed a better way。 But how can we understand the Jesus of the Bible today？