Dig Deeper into the Gospels: Coming Face To Face With Jesus In Mark

A popular, casual, but thoughtful guide to Mark's Gospel, but for babes like melamine in milk or bread baked with gravel.Its strengths are its helpful toolkit of sound contextual interpretation, particularly the insight gained by examining the structure of the Gospel, and the thoughtful application of these tools. In these skilful and diligent hands, the structure and allusion tools are highly illuminating and bathe old passages in new light. The fig tree-Temple double sandwich, and the link between the feeding of 4000 and the inclusion of Gentiles are persuasive. The language is engaging and easy.The work defends and respects full verbal inspiration, argues for Mark's historicity, even gives passing approval to particular redemption and unlike many IVP technical commentaries searches for pastoral challenge.However the tone is so informal that at times it borders on flippancy, the numerous allusions to dubious comedians, soaps, debasing film, rap and celebrity are disappointing for a work that celebrates the sacred distinctiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Saviour warns the godless to repentance, the authors too often commend their wit and example.The writers have missed some important opportunities and observations to press their own case. (1)They also seem to give too much ground to the new hermeneutic, by largely attributing the arrangement and intent of the Gospel to Mark's human perspective, not enough to the Divine Inspirer. This leaven still ravages most neo-orthodox Bible colleges. (2)It's most disappointing that conservative writers should affirm the theft of the last 12 verses of the Gospel, and the plainest Great Commission of the four, on the highly dubious and unreliable basis of Aleph and Vaticanus, heretical Hort and dubious Metzger's testimony and not much else. Why quote Papias in defence of the historicity of the text, then ditch him and many other pre-Sinaticus fathers, when it comes to this most vital terminus of the Gospel? Had they applied their own tools they would have seen the harmony and symmetry of including its testimony. The Gospel is made to end in an unconvincing anticlimax of fear and disbelief.Peanut butter mousetraps may take out a handful of murines, but they usually tantalise and don't tackle the nest. To drive them out needs the sound, smell and claws of a serious mouser. Dealing with sin lightly and Lausanne-inspired Nadabite worship may just wound and even maim a few sins, but it won't uproot the deepening vileness of our peculiarly adulterous nations. Neither Christ nor John the Baptist would look kindly on the desalinated, over-honeyed tone of so much of the work. Where is the Spirit's purifying fire?Footnotes(1) Really no links between Genesis 49.11's foal in the vineyard and 11.11 or Shiloh, despite Jer.7.12, Isa.63 et al? There is another web here, Ishmael too being a thread.Why waste so much ink on vain misconstruals of the Olivet discourse in ch.13, when having established the fig tree-Temple link, they fail to spot the key significance of a reconstructed Temple as harbinger of the Coming and indication or a reiteration of history not just narrative - with leaves but absolutely no fruit.Why the embarrassment at Mk 13.30, when genea refers to the stubborn but 'indestructible' race not only here but in 8.12 and 9.19, not Christ's own generation? etc(2) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Like-Any-Other-Book-ebook/dp/B006TJANEE/

It’s really interesting to read. Clear, easy to follow and insightful. It makes me want to read some of the other books in the range as this is a bit more of a sequel one as it has useful ‘tools’ to help understand the bible

Best resource on Mark's Gospel that I've used. It's brilliant. If you're interseted in understanding the content and the meaning of Mark's Gospel I've not come across anything that does so better. It's simple and it's clear. But it's also deep. I've used it in preparing talks, study notes and Bible studies in Mark's Gospel. It's not a commentary. And that's its strength. It doesn't treat everything as equally significant. It doesn't digress to interact with everything that every other commentator has posited as a potential interpretation of what's written. It's caught up singl mindedly with authorial intent; what did Mark want us to understand and what did Mark want us to do with what he'd written. I can't recommend this resource highly enough. It's terrific. (As are the other two books in the series).

An excellent book, with superb insight and explanation. Highly recommended. Accessible, humbly written and erudite, with fresh insights.The style of writing is a little touch much like someone writing down (verbatim) how they would deliver training - but that’s a minor style point given the quality of the context. Don’t let it put you off!

This is a great book. It makes Mark's gospel come alive and opens your eyes to ways to read and understand the other books of the Bible too with simple tools to use. I would recommend this to anyone. It will transform the way you read the Bible.

Insightful. Promotes good hermeneutical practice. Valuable resource as a starting point for sermon preparation or leading a small evangelical Bible study.

Wonderful book, with helpful teaching, guides, rather than dictates

All based on the Gospel of Mark. Insightful, easy to use and very accessible. Great for someone new to reading the Bible or someone is looking for ways of getting more out of the Bible as they seek to grow in their relationship with God.