Two Reviews

[On Mondays, I review books I have finished reading in a word-for-word fashion in the previous week.]

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The Murder of Jesus

John MacArthur

Word Publishing, 2000 (250 pages)

In this volume, MacArthur simply walks the reader through the events often called “the passion.” Beginning with the plot devised by the Jewish leaders and their conversation with Judas Iscariot, the writer shares thoughts on the events that lead up to the cross.

One major difference in this book and many others by MacArthur that I have read in the past, this book has very few footnotes or references. It seems to be MacArthur just trying to share his thoughts on the flow of the text. If you are looking for a commentary-level book on the events of the cross, this is not the book for you.

In my opinion, the best part of this book is when MacArthur has the reader take a closer look at those around Jesus, such as Pilate. We can often just read through these sections of Scripture and not really think of what these people were like. MacArthur helps us see why these individuals interacted with Christ as they did.

It’s odd to say, but if you are looking for a “casual” reading about the cross (as casual as that can be), then this is a great read. I didn’t learn a lot from it, but was reminded of several great truths.

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Headed to the Office

Glenn Colley

Colley Books, 2010 (119 pages)

This brief volume for young people is designed to walk the student through the God-given qualifications for elders, and to encourage young men to have these qualities. To me, this is a very needed book. (The book is also used by the Lads to Leaders program for a new “event” with the same title.)

Each of the book’s 13 chapters is brief, but filled with helpful information. I like this approach to a class because we often teach young men to be “good,” but we fail to show them these qualities as ones that can help the church in the future.

Colley does a great job of showing not only what the qualifications mean, but also how they can be brought into the life of the young men today. For example, a 13-year-old boy in your class will not be “the husband of one wife,” and he may never marry, but he can still treat young ladies with respect!

As we often say, leadership is lacking in many congregations. Why not use a series like this to begin the process of raising your own future leaders!

To order the book from the Colley family page, click here.