Parables: The Mysteries of God’s Kingdom Revealed through the Stories Jesus Told by John MacArthur

Parables: The Mysteries of God’s Kingdom Revealed through the Stories Jesus Told by John MacArthur intellectually enlightens readers of the history and meanings of Jesus’ parables.

MacArthur examines twelve of Jesus’ parables. He gives complete context of the characters and time period. He includes the parables and many other explanatory Bible references in each chapter. MacArthur shows his readers what parables are, why Jesus used them, and what they mean for us.

After reading the first few pages, I thought I’d made a mistake in choosing to review this book. MacArthur is obviously a seasoned preacher and intellectual, and the scope of this book was far beyond the simple enlightening I wanted of the parables.

However, the book soon surprised me. MacArthur’s expertise easily opened my eyes to many facts, ideas, and perspectives about the parables that I didn’t know, and I soon found myself voraciously scrolling through the pages. MacArthur’s insight definitely made me think and want to share my new findings with my friends! On top of that, his writer’s craft is brilliant.

I recommend this book to others.

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The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.

Jesus: Experiencing His Touch: A Study of Mark 1-6

Never having picked up a Bible study guide, I thought I'd give this one a try. It seemed simple, and the cover advertises it as "a 6-week, no-homework Bible study."

The book is only a study of Mark 1-6, so I figured if I didn't like it not much time would be lost. The fact that it only covers Mark 1-6 also made me think that it'd be a bit in-depth and provocative.

At first I was bored. Juggling the book and the Bible was cumbersome, and the author was asking me to underline and draw pictures around certain words. I wasn't into that.

The book has a neat feature--in the margins of each page are full-text copies of the verses being covered. Once I put my Bible away and just used the book, reading the verses right from the pages, I began to enjoy the study a lot more. I still didn't get into marking the verses (drawing squiggly lines under all references to John the Baptist, marking each occurrence of the word sins with an S, etc.), but I think some people would find it meaningful.

The book contains 6 studies. Each study instructs the leader (this book is deigned for small-group study) to read the verses aloud while the group marks words, then there are a few study questions.

Despite my reservations at the beginning, the book is effective because I'm planning to get the next ones in the series.

I was drawn to Jesus' character and his desire for us to have faith in him.

I received this book from Blogging for Books fin turn for an honest review.