Encounters with Jesus: The Rest of Their Stories

by Doug Greenwold

Publisher:

Doug Greenwold

, 2008

Overview

Encounters with Jesus restores Jesus’ compelling human encounters back to their Middle Eastern context. The book contextually restores 12 “familiar” Lukan passages—the return to Nazareth, Simon, the leper, the paralytic, the calling of Levi, the demoniac, Jairus, the bleeding woman, and more—in an engaging narrative format. In doing so, Greenwold reveals paradigm-challenging insights—with pastoral applications—in passages we thought we knew and understood. Each chapter challenges the reader with open-ended, probing, rabbinic-type questions to draw out appropriate heart, mind, and soul issues for transformational reflection and journaling.

Ideal for small groups, home fellowship, and adult education classes, this volume encourages transformational journaling and pondering. In doing so, it creates a sense of discovery and excitement by digging more deeply into God’s Word through the use of historical, cultural, literary, and geographical context.

Rediscover the Bible writers’ intended approach to studying the Word of God with the Logos edition of Encounters with Jesus. All Scripture passages link to your favorite Bible translation in your library. With the advanced search features of Logos Bible Software, you can perform powerful searches by topic or Scripture reference—finding, for example, every mention of “sabbath” or “restoration.”

Key Features

• Contextually restores Bible narratives
• Discusses specific passage’s in relation to God
• Encourages deeper study to find God’s truth and wisdom

Contents

Top Highlights

“Having just miraculously healed this new ex-leper, Jesus gives him his next task—go to the Temple and present yourself to the priests. Get certified as ‘clean’ so you can once again 1) be restored to fellowship in your community, 2) participate in Temple worship and liturgy, and by implication 3) deliver a message to Temple Leadership that people covered with leprosy are being healed. The Messianic Age has come!” (Page 45)

“He frames the issue of submission right at Simon’s core competency. Jesus does not direct the issue of submission at any of the peripheral areas of Simon’s life, but brings it to bear at the one thing Simon knows best—fishing. Jesus knows that unless Simon submits and is broken at the one thing he knows and does best, the one thing he would always depend upon to provide for his needs, he will never become Peter, the rock, fully and fruitfully dependent upon God for everything.” (Pages 39–40)

“He has established His authority over the Adversary in the three temptations, then sequentially over temporary disease (in Simon Peter’s house), demon possession, over nature with the great catch of fish, and over terminal disease with the healing of the man covered with leprosy. Now the time has come in Luke’s meticulous narrative development for Jesus to assert His authority to forgive sin.” (Page 51)

“Jesus’ disciplemaking strategy was ‘do and teach’ (Acts 1:1), not a ‘teach and maybe do’ approach” (Page 46)

“How did Zechariah and Elizabeth wait? Luke tells us they waited blamelessly” (Page 15)

Praise for the Print Edition

Doug’s insights continue to inspire and stimulate my own thinking and give me new ways of looking at Jesus in the Gospels. Read! Reflect! Contemplate! Your heart and mind will be enriched. But more importantly, your own communion with Jesus will grow and bring waters of renewal to others.

—D. Michael Crow, CRM project coordinator, Jesus-in-Context: Multiplying Jesus Mentors

This wonderful book affords us the unique opportunity to learn the words and ways of Jesus, interact with those words and ways we learn, and then challenge us to live those words and ways. If this book is successful, our lives will become the context through which others might experience the words and ways of Jesus.

—Mark Slomka, senior pastor, Faith Community Church, San Diego

Through revealing context, Doug Greenwold has done a wonderful job of drawing out profound understanding and applications from some very ‘familiar’ passages in Luke. This book is a wonderful resource to help anyone who truly wants to authentically interact with and apply the Scriptures.

—Daryl Nuss, Chief Ministries Officer, National Network of Youth Ministries

Product Details

• Title: Encounters with Jesus: The Rest of Their Stories
• Author: Doug Greenwold
• Publisher: Doug Greenwold
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 109

About Doug Greenwold

Doug Greenwold is senior teaching fellow at Preserving Bible Times, a ministry dedicated to preserving and presenting biblical truth through contextual restoration, where he teaches the Bible in conference, retreat, and workshop settings for church and parachurch ministries. In 1988, Greenwold visited Israel on a study program and realized the importance of integrating the context of the land with the biblical texts. Since then he has been an avid student and passionate teacher of the Bible in its true context.