Looking for a book to read for Lent? You might want to consider reading Russ Ramsey's Behold the King of Glory. Ramsey retells gospel stories for his readers in forty chapters. The goal of this one, I believe, is to help readers grasp the big picture, to see how all the stories within the four gospels, come together to tell one story: an amazing story of a Savior and King.
It is slightly similar to John MacArthur's One Perfect Life. Slightly. One Perfect Life is made up of Scripture. The Scriptures have--at times--been rearranged or made more concise. But it seeks to give readers a big picture of who Jesus is from Genesis to Revelation. One Perfect Life is also twice as long as Behold the King of Glory.
Behold the King of Glory is a retelling: an informed retelling, no doubt. It is a retelling that seeks to bridge culture gaps and provide deeper context to contemporary readers. It is a substantive project. And it's a project that I can appreciate. The chapters are not short. The reading are not overly devotional. The readings are meaty, substantive, giving readers something to think about. Don't expect a novel. Don't expect a devotional book. It won't read like either type of book. It is not a paraphrase of Scripture. It is at all times reverent.
At times it is creative, imagining how people felt, what people saw, what people said, etc. At times it reads more like an introduction to a Bible book or a study note. But most of the time it is factual sticking closely to Scripture though not the wording of Scripture.
- Life for the Dying (John 4:43-54)
- Wild with Hope (Matthew 4:1-11)
- Behold the Lamb of God (John 1:19-51)
- One Hundred and Fifty Gallons (John 2:1-12)
- Destroy This Temple (John 2:13-25)
- Zeus and The Pharisees (John 3:1-21)
- Herod's Half Brother's Wife (John 3:22-4:3)
- Famous (Luke 5:1-26)
- Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-11)
- Only Say the Word (Matthew 8-9)
- The Death of John (Mark 6:14-29; Luke 7:18-35)
- The Storm Treader (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-56)
- Bread of Life (Matthew 14:34-16:12; John 6:22-7:1)
- You Are the Christ (Luke 9:18-36)
- Before Abraham Was Born (John 7-8)
- Born Blind (John 9-10)
- The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:1-37)
- The Leaven of the Pharisees (Luke 11:29-13:35)
- Lost Things Found (Luke 14-15)
- Lazarus of Bethany (John 11:1-44)
- A World Upside Down (Mark 10:35-45)
- The Living Legend (mark 10:46-52; John 12:9-11)
- The King's Coronation (1 Kings 1; Luke 19:28-36)
- Hosanna (Luke 19:36-40)
- The Vinedresser's Tree (Matthew 21:18-22; Luke 13:6-9)
- Indignation (Matthew 21:12-17)
- John's Baptism (Mark 11:27-12:44)
- The Scent of Opulence (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 13:3-13; John 12:1-8)
- Thirteen Men (John 13:1-35)
- The Last Cup (Mark 14:22-42; John 14)
- Trial at Night (Matthew 26:47-68)
- The Reckoning (Matthew 26:69-27:2; Mark 10:17-31)
- What Is Truth (John 18:28-19:16)
- Crucifixion (Luke 23:26-46)
- The Forgotten Day (Matthew 27:51-66)
- He Is Not Here (Matthew 28:1-10; John 20:1-10)
- Flesh and Bone (Matthew 28:11-15; John 20:11-29)
- Do You Love Me? (John 21:1-23)
- Behold the Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53; Luke 24:1-35)
- Behold the King of Glory (Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-49; 1 Peter 1:3-9; Romans 8; Revelation 21)
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
No comments:
Post a Comment