Four Portraits, One Jesus

If you, like me, have read the four gospel accounts wondering why there are four of them and not a bit perplexed as to the point of each one, this is a must read. 

Or if you wonder, why the different genealogies to start Matthew and Luke, while Mark and John have no genealogies at all? And then there is the gospel of John, which seems so different. 

Strauss does an excellent job presenting each gospel as a literary unit with key themes and structures honed to display Jesus in a certain light that is both helpful and, dare I say, life-changing in the way you read the gospels.

The book is written very clearly and non-technically, using charts, diagrams, and breakout boxes, making this a wonderful selection for non-theologians like myself.

Finally, as a personal note, I am falling in love with the gospels for what feels like the first time because of this wonderful resource. It is helping me see the unity of each gospel in context of their literary and theological purpose(s), and as a result is, I hope, making me fall in love with Jesus in a deeper way. And knowing Jesus is life. 

“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 Jn 5:11-12).

Buy it HERE.