#81 - Kyle Thompson // Fierce Intention, Part 1

Summary

The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson Episode #81 - Kyle Thompson // Fierce Intention, Part 1 Release Date: April 23, 2025

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Introduction

In episode #81 of The Daily Blade, hosts Pastor Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson delve into a profound exploration of Jesus' personality and intentionality using insights from John Eldridge's book, Beautiful Outlaw. This episode, titled "Fierce Intention, Part 1," sets the stage for a two-day deep dive into understanding the multidimensional character of Jesus, challenging the often one-dimensional portrayal found in traditional Gospel narratives.

Exploring Beautiful Outlaw

Kyle Thompson initiates the discussion by introducing John Eldridge's Beautiful Outlaw, emphasizing its focus on unveiling the true personality of Jesus. He mentions that the hosts are concentrating on chapters two, three, four, five, and seven, which collectively encapsulate Eldridge's perspective on Jesus' character.

"We are using John Eldridge's book Beautiful Outlaw to help us get to know the personality of Jesus better." [00:20]

Jesus' Playfulness and Personality

Building on their previous conversation about chapters two and three, Kyle highlights how many believers overlook the fact that Jesus possessed a vibrant personality. He specifically references the playfulness of Jesus, portraying Him as more than the serene, gentle figure often depicted.

"We keep forgetting that Jesus is operating in enemy territory." [00:20]

Fierce Intentionality in Jesus' Actions

Transitioning to chapter four, titled "Fierce Intention," Kyle intensifies the discussion by examining a pivotal moment in the Gospel of John—Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. He underscores the stark contrast between the commonly perceived mild demeanor of Jesus and the fierce determination He exhibits in this narrative.

"Jesus could be soft and he certainly was humble, but his fierce intentionality is riveting to watch." [02:10]

Analyzing John 11: The Raising of Lazarus

Kyle provides a detailed analysis of John 11:17, 32-33, where Jesus confronts mourning friends after Lazarus' death. He interprets Jesus' reaction—not merely as being "deeply moved" and "troubled"—as expressions of intense, almost wrathful emotion rooted in His mission against sin and death.

"The root of the Greek word here means to snort with anger like a war horse." [03:45]

He contrasts this with the typical portrayal of Jesus, emphasizing that His actions were driven by a profound and fierce purpose rather than mere dramatic flair.

"Jesus doesn't ask Lazarus to come out. He doesn't suggest that he do it. He commands him to life." [05:30]

Jesus' Command and Its Impact

Delving deeper into the passage, Kyle highlights the authoritative and powerful nature of Jesus' command to Lazarus, likening it to the force of a storm:

"John uses the word loud to describe it. He uses this very same word to describe the ferocity of a storm that nearly sank their boat." [06:15]

He explains that Jesus' method—being loud and commanding—is a strategic and necessary response to combat the darkness of sin effectively.

Contrasting Traditional Depictions

Kyle challenges the serene and picturesque imagery often associated with Jesus, urging listeners to recognize the contextual realities of His life and mission. He reminds the audience that Jesus' story begins amidst genocide and atrocity, painting a picture of a Savior who is both compassionate and fiercely intent on fulfilling His divine purpose.

"Sometimes, especially when it comes to pushing back the darkness of sin, we have to get loud because Jesus got loud." [06:50]

Conclusion and Teaser for Part 2

Wrapping up the episode, Kyle expresses his enthusiasm for continuing the discussion in the next installment of "Fierce Intention." He promises to further explore some of his favorite biblical stories, encouraging listeners to stay tuned for a deeper understanding of Jesus' dynamic character.

"We're covering some of my favorite stories in all the Bible. So don't miss tomorrow." [07:00]

Key Takeaways

• Multidimensional Jesus: The episode challenges the simplistic portrayal of Jesus, emphasizing His vibrant personality and emotional depth.

• Fierce Intentionality: Jesus' actions, especially in raising Lazarus, demonstrate a powerful and purposeful response to sin and death.

• Contextual Understanding: Recognizing the historical and cultural backdrop of Jesus' life enriches our comprehension of His mission and methods.

• Strategic Boldness: Jesus employs fierce and authoritative actions as necessary tools in His divine mission, contrasting with the often gentle depiction commonly held.

Notable Quotes

• "We keep forgetting that Jesus is operating in enemy territory." — Kyle Thompson [00:20]

• "Jesus doesn't ask Lazarus to come out. He doesn't suggest that he do it. He commands him to life." — Kyle Thompson [05:30]

• "Sometimes, especially when it comes to pushing back the darkness of sin, we have to get loud because Jesus got loud." — Kyle Thompson [06:50]

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This episode serves as a compelling invitation to listeners to re-examine their understanding of Jesus, appreciating the complexity and fervor that drove His earthly ministry. By unpacking Beautiful Outlaw, Kyle Thompson equips Christians with a deeper, more nuanced perspective on applying the Word of God to everyday life.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

[B]

All right, guys, I don't know about you, but I am super excited for the next two days. But this week we are using John Eldridge's book Beautiful Outlaw to help us get to know the personality of Jesus better. And before preparing these episodes for this week, I did ask John what were the five chapters that really encapsulate his point about bringing out the personality of Jesus? And he said chapters two, three, four, five and seven. So that's what we're going to put our focus on. Yesterday we talked about chapters two and three, where we began to see many of us, you know, what we've been missing this entire time, and that's that Jesus had a personality. And then we look specifically at the playfulness of Jesus the man. But for the next two days, we're going to look at chapter four of John Eldridge's book. And that's fierce intention. And so the beginning of chapter four dovetails nicely with the conclusion of chapter three. So I'll go ahead and read it here.

[A]

And.

[B]

And so he's going to start with Matthew 16, verses 21, 23. From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Never, Lord, he said, this shall never happen to you. Jesus turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men. Hold on now, this doesn't sound very playful. What are we to make of the sudden mood change that erupts from Jesus like thunder from a clear sky? If your children acted this way, you'd send them into their rooms. Whatever we have here, we certainly don't have a man of mild emotion or two dimensional passivity. For some reason, we keep forgetting that Jesus is operating in enemy territory. We project into the Gospel stories a pastoral backdrop, that quaint charm of the Middle Eastern travel brochure. Picturesque villages, bustling markets, SM smiling children, and Jesus wandering through it all like a son come home from college. We forget the context of his life and mission. His story begins with genocide, the massacre of the innocents. Herod's attempt to murder Jesus by ordering the systematic execution of all young boys around Bethlehem. I've never seen this included in any crochet scene ever. Who could bear it? You must picture ethnic CLEANSING as the 20th century saw in Bosnia, Rwanda, Burma. Atrocity. The ground soaked with the blood of children who five minutes earlier were laughing and playing. Now this is where Beautiful Outlaw really starts to get my attention. I'm even getting a little upset here just reading that line because I have very, very young children just thinking about that. But again, remember how we always think about Jesus being portrayed in the Gospels? Just this kind of, you know, wispy haired Danish guy just going through with his soft features, telling everyone how much he loves them and how cute the women look in their tunics and all that. And so at this point in the book, I'm getting very, very pumped to dig into this chapter because of where I figured John Eldridge was going, and more on that tomorrow. But he caught my attention with an occurrence recorded in the book of John that had never struck me in the way that it did until reading Beautiful Outlaw. And that's the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. So let's go back to Beautiful Outlaw here. Oh, Jesus could be soft and he certainly was humble, but his fierce intentionality is riveting to watch. Look at him before Lazarus's tomb. This is John 11, verses 17, and then 32 and 33. On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in the spirit and troubled. This expression, deeply moved in spirit and troubled seems unhelpfully vague. I'm deeply moved when someone remembers my birthday. An Oxford dawn who loses his notes is troubled. We're not even close to the true nature of his mood yet. The root of the Greek word here means to snort with anger like a war horse. So let me explain that line to you well adjusted men out there because me as a, you know, crazy ginger with a crazy personality, I understand what snorting with anger is. I, I totally understand that where you can't even like get words to come out of your face because you are so angry. Jesus hates sin and he hates death and he knows what he's there to do. But he's so angry that he's snorting in anger, right? Does that sound like the wispy haired guy that I was talking about a second ago? Let's go back to beautiful outlaw here. Something fierce is rising up in him. A second round of this warhorse anger wells up. And this is verses 38 through 43. Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. Take away the stone, he said. But Lord said Martha, the sister of the dead man, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days. Then Jesus said, did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me. When he said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, lazarus, come out. Oh, to have heard this command, heard the mightiness in his voice. John uses the word loud to describe it. He uses this very same word to describe the ferocity of a storm that nearly sank their boat. Apparently Jesus's command here reminded John of the intensity of a storm. Jesus doesn't ask Lazarus to come out. He doesn't suggest that he do it. He commands him to life. With the rumble of thunder and the crack of lightning, obediently, Lazarus comes hopping out like a mummy. And this is verse 44. The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, take off the grave clothes and let him go. Jesus finishes his business here with, you know, very business like order to take off the grave clothes and let him go. Like a hostage negotiator who has just freed a victim. Now, guys, could Jesus have just snapped his fingers and raised Lazarus from the dead? Yep, sure could have. Could Jesus have just called out in a calm, soothing and safe for the whole family voice and raised Lazarus from the dead? Yeah, absolutely. But he didn't. He called out in a loud voice because he's got a flair for the dramatic. No, it's because it was, in his perfect omniscient view, completely necessary to. To do it that way. Sometimes, especially when it comes to pushing back the darkness of sin, we have to get loud because Jesus got loud. All right, guys, come back here tomorrow. We're gonna where we are gonna be doing part two of Fierce Intention. And guys, we're covering some of my favorite stories in all the Bible. So don't miss tomorrow.

[A]

Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you wanna help, equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.