With Dr. Mears as teacher and mentor, readers will study the four accounts of Jesus Christ's life and ministry from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They will gain a big-picture understanding of key events--Jesus' miraculous birth, His ministry, His teachings, and His crucifixion and resurrection--yet also see how each Gospel evangelist chose to emphasize particular themes for his reading audience. Twelve sessions of study give readers an opportunity to examine Jesus' life in depth, whether on their own or with a group, and discussion/reflection questions invite groups or individuals to go even deeper.

Discover afresh the good news of the gospel. The long-awaited Messiah had finally arrived—only to be betrayed and sentenced to death. Why would Jesus, who knew beforehand all that would happen and who held the power of heaven at His command, submit to being humiliated, tortured, and ultimately killed? In this powerful study centered on the final chapters of the gospel of Mark, you’ll consider for yourself all that Jesus endured to bring forgiveness to sinners and hope to the hopeless. And you’ll understand as never before why it’s so essential to share with others the good news of His death and resurrection.

With Dr. Mears as teacher and mentor, readers will study the four accounts of Jesus Christ’s life and ministry: the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They will gain a big-picture understanding of key events—Jesus’ miraculous birth, His ministry, His teachings, and His crucifixion and resurrection—yet also see how each Gospel evangelist chose to emphasize particular themes for his reading audience. Twelve sessions of study give readers an opportunity to examine Jesus’ life in depth, whether on their own or with a group, and discussion/reflection questions invite groups or individuals to go even deeper.

The Bible implores us to take a long look at Jesus, forcefully beckoning us to “come and see” through profound questions connected with Jesus’ death and resurrection. These questions drive us to consider not just the events themselves but also their meaning as we take a long look beneath the surface and find more of the never-ending treasures of Christ. In Captivated, Thabiti Anyabwile invites you to set aside your early lessons on politeness and stare (yes, do stare) into the mystery of the cross and empty tomb. Table of Contents: 1. Is There No Other Way? (Matthew 26:42) 2. Why Have You Forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:45-46) 3. Where, O Death, Is Your Victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55) 4. Why Do You Look for the Living among the Dead? (Luke 24:5) 5. Do You Know These Things? (Luke 24:17)

Few treatments of the death of Jesus Christ have made a point of accounting for the gruesome, degrading, public manner of his death by crucifixion, a mode of execution so loathsome that the ancient Romans never spoke of it in polite society. Rutledge probes all the various themes and motifs used by the New Testament evangelists and apostolic writers to explain the meaning of the cross of Christ. She shows how each of the biblical themes contributes to the whole, with the Christus Victor motif and the concept of substitution sharing pride of place along with Irenaeus's recapitulation model.