Issue 37 Encountering JesusBlog | The Gospels – essential reading for preachers
The Gospels – essential reading for preachers
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 27.12.23
Every time I feel low or lost, it’s the Gospels that pick me up. There’s just no one like Jesus. It’s not just the wisdom of his teaching, or the brilliance of his parables. It’s not just his courage in challenging evil and injustice. It’s not just the love and devotion he shows to his friends. It’s not just the way that he demonstrates the breaking in of life, hope and compassion into our world.
It’s not just the way he lays down his life for the sins of the world or rises victorious over death itself. It’s not just the hope he offers to individuals and communities and the whole world. It’s everything about him. The best thing you could read right now is one of the Gospels. It would probably take less than an hour. Why not grab one of the special individual Gospel booklets, with lots of space for notes, that Hodder make, and dive right in. I also recommend the following books to help you find fresh beauty, inspiration and hope in the Gospels.
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels Kenneth Bailey (SPCK Publishing, 2008)
Some people approach the Gospels like they dropped out of the sky and can speak directly into our cultural moment. But Jesus was Jewish, living in first-century Palestine. Investing time in understanding that context will provide us with the tools we need to correctly bridge our sermons from Jesus’ cultural world to our own. Kenneth Bailey has put the hard yards in to understand the f irst-century context of the Gospels. He was brought up in the Middle East and spent decades in missionary and theological service in the region. Any of his many books will open up fresh insights into every Gospel story.
