Book Review of Jesus and Community by Gerhard Lohfink, Fortress Press, 1982

Gerhard Lohfink, the author of Jesus and Community, is a German theologian and a former New Testament exegesis professor for the University of Tubingen. In 1986, he left the university to join the Catholic Integrierte Gemeinde to serve as a theologian among the priests living there. He has authored several works including Does God Need the Church? Toward a Theology of the People of God, The Bible: Now I Get It!, and The Gospels: God’s Word in Human Words.

In his book Jesus and Community: The Social Dimension of Christian Faith, Lohfink’s thesis is that Jesus emphasized the importance of community through his formation of a “contrast-society” and desires us to draw others to Him in the way we approach community today. He begins by describing how Jesus desired to gather and restore Israel. He strategically called twelve disciples, who were representative of the twelve tribes of Israel, and incorporated men from all different walks of life in this group. He chose Israel to symbolize his salvation for all of humanity. Although he called the disciples to a very high standard, it was no more demanding than that which he called those who remained at home and followed him from afar.
Within the people of God, societal structures should no longer be normative. There is a new concept of family, one in which God is Father and fellow believers are brothers and sisters. Males and females are viewed as equals, each with something valuable to contribute to the kingdom ofGod. Lohfink cites Galatians 3:28 to illustrate this point: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

This movement towards a “reconciled society” is continued in the early church. There is a great emphasis on loving other believers, and Lohfink says that this should be our primary means of mission. The church should be set apart from the world, not as way of distinguishing itself as better than the world, but in order to demonstrate what God can do in a community. He states: “The world can be changed only when the people of God itself changes. It is not possible to liberate others unless freedom radiates within one’s own group. It is not possible to preach social repentance to others unless one lives in a community which takes seriously the new society of the reign of God (138).”

This book seems to be in such sharp contrast to the way in which the church approaches both mission and community-building within the church today. Partly due to the emphasis on individual achievement and success in our society, we’ve translated this mentality to our faith walk by attempting to develop our faith without the support of others. This work challenged me to look at how I can, as both an individual and a member of the church community, work to distinguish the church from the world. The two should not be interchangeable. It is also an encouragement to remember that the body of Christ is meant to walk alongside us as we struggle in our faith. I especially found this book meaningful in looking ahead to future ministry by reflecting on how the way we live and interact in community can be such a vital tool for missions.