Keller's central idea in the book is that if the account given of Jesus' life, death and resurrection in the gospels is true, then it is the only story that really matters. It is the only story that makes sense of our humanity, our history and our destiny. He chooses to focus on the gospel of Mark because of its immediacy and up front statement of its purposes:
'In his very first sentence Mark tells us that God has broken into history. His style communicates a sense of crisis, that the status quo has been ruptured. We can't think of history as a closed system any more. We can't think of any human system or tradition or authority as inevitable or absolute any more. Jesus has come; anything can happen now.'
Keller goes on to divide his book into two halves, focussing on the themes contained in the two halves of Mark's gospel - the identity of Jesus (chapters 1-8) and the purpose of Jesus (chapters 9-16) - the King and the Cross.
Keller's style of writing is logical and well worked out but burning with a deep love for his subject. The result is a book which, after reading one chapter you realise that in your heart you always knew this about Jesus or the gospel but you have perhaps not heard it expressed in quite this way. To give an example Keller discusses the difference in between Christianity and religion in this way; religion, says Keller, is essentially 'advice on how you must live to earn your way to God. Your job is to follow that advice to the best of your ability.' By contrast the gospel isn't advice. It is news - good news that Jesus has already done all that is needed and offers us favour with God as a free gift of grace. 'The gospel is not about choosing to follow advice. It is about being called to follow a King.' This gospel becomes an offence to both religion and irreligon, both Jerusalem and Rome because it cannot be co-opted by either but stands as a challenge to both.
We are encouraged throughout the first half of the book to identify with the walk-on characters who encounter Jesus and have their lives changed as a result - the paralysed man, Jairus and the character who stands out for me, the Syro-Phoenician woman in Mark chapter 7. In Keller's discussion of this woman he carefully draws out the importance of how we respond to the gospel. We must be humble enough to recognise that we do not deserve anything from God's table but not so self-absorbed that we fail to accept the offer of undeserved grace he makes.
As he turns our attention towards the cross, Keller shows why Jesus' death is different from any other. As Jesus contemplates 'the cup' in the garden of Gethsemane the point is driven homw that it is the experience of God's righteous judgement against sin that Jesus is anticipating and dreading. It is the thought of this rupture taking place at the heart of the central relationship in the universe that makes the cross so dreadful. He contrasts Jesus' 'loudest desires' at that moment - to be free of the cup that is coming - with the 'deepest desires' of his heart from eternity - to save us. 'Jesus doesn't deny his emotions, and he doesn't avoid the suffering. He loves into the suffering. In the midst of his suffering, he obeys for the love of the Father - and for the love of us.'
As we come to the cross itself Keller offers us the picture of Jesus experiencing the deep darkness, isolation and disintegration that our sinful rebellion is taking us towards and doing it out of love. 'If you see Jesus losing the infinite love of his Father out of love for you, it will melt your hardness. No matter who you are it will open your eyes and shatter your darkness. You will at long last be able to turn away from all those other things that are dominating your life, addicting you, drawing you away from God. Jesus Christ's darkness can dispel and destroy our own, so that in the place of hardness and darkness and death we have tenderness and light and life.'
I remember being told that if people walk out of a church service and are discussing what a wonderful preacher they have just heard, then that preacher has failed. On the other hand if they are walking out discussing what a great Saviour they have, the preacher has done his job. Reading King's Cross along with Mark's gospel will give you a deeper appreciation of your Saviour. Read it and pass it on to someone who wants to know why Jesus is so important to you.
