In this inspiring offering, Tetlow, director of the Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House (Making Choices in Christ), analyzes Jesus’s life from a human perspective. Taking Jesus’s injunction to “learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart” as his cue, Tetlow contends that believers can better live according to Christ’s example by understanding the motivations and values behind his acts, and to that end examines biblical moments to parse his decisions. In one example, Jesus heals a paralyzed man in front of the learned Pharisees; understanding the incident’s context and conditions (the Pharisees’ public influence; Jesus’s knowledge of their rigid view of the law) reveal Jesus’s motivation, namely that forgiving and healing the man would help the “Pharisees open their minds and hearts to profound change.” Elsewhere, the way Jesus approached the master-disciple structure—staying within its constructs, though informing apostles “I came not to be served, but to serve”—provides insight into a sermon he delivered from Peter’s boat that emphasized similar service principles. While Tetlow’s depiction of Jesus might come across as sentimental to the scholarly set, this motivational offering will benefit casual Christians eager to get a firmer handle on the day to day of Jesus’s life. Believers will appreciate this spirited take. (Mar.)

- Publishers Weekly