Here is a sensus plenior (SP) critique of Survey of the Life and Teachings of Jesus, Chapter 11 by L.D. Underwood, particularly the section titled “The Religious World in Which Jesus Lived.”
The Hidden Gospel in the Religious World of Jesus: A Sensus Plenior Response
Chapter 11 of L.D. Underwood’s Survey of the Life and Teachings of Jesus offers an extensive historical review of the religious climate in which Jesus lived. From paganism to Jewish sectarianism, Underwood gives a sweeping, often insightful summary of the external forms of religious life in the first century. But through the lens of sensus plenior—the hidden, Christ-centered meaning within Scripture—his account, while informative, fails to capture the spiritual dimension Jesus actually confronted and fulfilled. Let’s examine that gap more closely.
I. Paganism: A Parody of the Gospel
Underwood rightly sees pagan religions as parodies of divine truth. He notes their desire to reach an inaccessible god, their rituals degenerating into superstition, and their myths becoming self-salvation stories. He sees echoes of grace, sovereignty, and righteousness twisted into indulgence, fatalism, and external conformity.
From the SP perspective, this is not just a parody but a testimony. Paganism, like the Old Testament, is part of the hidden structure of longing placed in humanity: a broken shadow of the gospel. Its corruption does not negate its value as a pointer. Even false religion cries out for truth—and in that cry, we see Christ.
Where Underwood sees failure, sensus plenior sees prophecy: every idol, every false hope, every mystery cult dramatizes a yearning for a savior who is accessible, who is not like the capricious pagan gods but who humbles Himself to become flesh, who bleeds not to appease His own wrath, but to satisfy the longing of love. The error is real, but the longing is divine.
II. Gnosticism: Misread Riddle or Heresy?
Underwood describes Gnosticism as dangerous for its claim to hidden knowledge. In his estimation, this sets it apart from true Christianity. But this critique makes the same assumption that Jesus’ critics made: that He, too, taught plainly—when in truth, He taught in riddles so that they would not understand until the cross.
Saying the gospel is not “secret knowledge” denies Paul’s repeated affirmation of the mystery hidden from the foundation of the world (Rom 16:25; Eph 3:3–5; Col 1:26). Jesus spoke in parables, not to simplify, but to conceal until the appointed time (Matt 13:13). The cross itself was a riddle—foolishness to the Greeks, a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Cor 1:23).
From a sensus plenior reading, Gnostic abuse of mystery doesn’t invalidate the method—it simply misinterprets the riddles. They sought wisdom apart from the cross. Jesus taught the cross through riddles. The Gospel of Thomas may be misaligned with canon, but it shows evidence of the same riddling tradition Jesus used to veil and unveil the kingdom of heaven.
III. Jewish Religion: The Form Without the Fulfillment
Underwood offers an excellent overview of Jewish sects and the development of the synagogue, Talmud, and rabbinic law. But his framing of Judaism as a legalistic religion “with everything except a savior” oversimplifies its prophetic role.
Sensus plenior recognizes the entire Jewish system as a shadow of Christ (Heb 10:1). The rituals weren’t just dry tradition—they were divine dress rehearsals. The laws weren’t just burdens—they were veiled portrayals of righteousness fulfilled at the cross. The temple was not merely a sacred space—it was Christ's body (John 2:19). The Sabbath was not just rest—it was His finished work (Heb 4:10).
Underwood critiques the Pharisees for missing Jesus, but sensus plenior invites us to see Jesus even in their failure. Their multiplying of laws mirrors the human impulse to fix the fall by knowledge. Their obsession with ritual purity speaks of the fear of spiritual contamination—the very fear Jesus answered by touching the unclean.
IV. Stoics, Epicureans, Sadducees, Zealots—All Men Are Christ
Underwood catalogs the various philosophies and sects as failed quests for truth. He is not wrong. But sensus plenior adds a deeper layer: every man, even the misguided, plays the role of Christ in some form.
- Epicurus sought peace through pleasure—Christ offers peace through pain.
- Zeno sought freedom through self-control—Christ gives freedom through Spirit-control.
- The Sadducees denied resurrection—Christ embodies it.
- The Zealots fought for freedom—Christ submitted to death for true freedom.
- The Pharisees strained at gnats—Christ drank the cup.
These aren’t just philosophies. They are prophetic roles. They are types of the fallen man—and thus types of Christ in His descent. As SP teaches, Christ became sin—He became all these things in order to redeem us from them (2 Cor 5:21).
V. Reformers and Reactionaries: Cycles of Righteousness in the Flesh
Underwood gives a scathing (and at times humorous) rebuke of Pharisaical religion in the modern church. But SP asks: is the answer found in reform—or in crucifixion?
The pattern of degeneration is real: movements begin in spirit and end in flesh. Reformation becomes formalism. Evangelicalism becomes entertainment. But the answer is not to revive old forms, nor to seek new ones. The answer is to die and rise again. SP teaches that Christ is not only the pattern of salvation but the pattern of all true religion. Every movement must follow Him to the cross—and be reborn, not rebranded.
VI. The Gospel Hidden in Plain Sight
Underwood closes by defending Jesus’ rebuke of the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, and others who rejected Him. But he stops short of seeing what SP affirms: they were supposed to.
Just as Israel rejected the prophets, so too they rejected Christ—so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. Their blindness was part of the riddle. Their rejection made room for resurrection. They play the role of the older brother, the fig tree with no fruit, the law that brings death.
In this way, the religious world in which Jesus lived was not an unfortunate historical backdrop—it was the stage on which God’s greatest riddle would be revealed: the death and resurrection of Christ, the hidden mystery now made known.
Conclusion: The Religious World as Prophetic Theater
Underwood’s historical survey is thorough and often accurate, but it is framed in the language of man—doctrinal, defensive, and sometimes dismissive. A sensus plenior lens sees more: a divine story playing out in symbols, roles, and riddles that all speak of Christ.
- Paganism = the longing for God concealed in corrupted myth.
- Judaism = the shadow of the gospel waiting for its substance.
- Philosophies = human attempts to do what Christ alone would do.
- Sects = expressions of the bride in her confusion before the cross.
Yes, Jesus entered a confused religious world—but not to compete with it. He came to fulfill every longing, correct every shadow, and make known the mystery that was hidden from the foundation of the world—Christ in you, the hope of glory.