What do you think?
Rate this book
Encounters with Jesus #3
The Grieving Sisters
The Grieving Sisters
continues renowned pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller’s powerful Encounters with Jesus eBook series
The story of Lazarus is one of the most famous in the Gospel of John. In The Grieving Sisters, Timothy Keller, pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God, uses this story to help answer life’s deep What can we do to improve our condition? Who can put us right? Who is Jesus Christ? Through an insightful examination of biblical passages, Keller reveals the answers to these questions in this third installment of the Encounters with Jesus series.
The story of Lazarus is one of the most famous in the Gospel of John. In The Grieving Sisters, Timothy Keller, pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God, uses this story to help answer life’s deep What can we do to improve our condition? Who can put us right? Who is Jesus Christ? Through an insightful examination of biblical passages, Keller reveals the answers to these questions in this third installment of the Encounters with Jesus series.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 19, 2013
30 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Timothy J. Keller
454 books5,864 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Timothy Keller was the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which he started in 1989 with his wife, Kathy, and three young sons. For over twenty years he has led a diverse congregation of young professionals that has grown to a weekly attendance of over 5,000.
He was also Chairman of Redeemer City to City, which starts new churches in New York and other global cities, and publishes books and resources for faith in an urban culture. In over ten years they have helped to launch over 250 churches in 48 cities. More recently, Dr. Keller’s books, including the New York Times bestselling The Reason for God and The Prodigal God, have sold over 1 million copies and been translated into 15 languages.
Christianity Today has said, “Fifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.”
Dr. Keller was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and educated at Bucknell University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary. He previously served as the pastor of West Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Hopewell, Virginia, Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, and Director of Mercy Ministries for the Presbyterian Church in America.
Timothy Keller was the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which he started in 1989 with his wife, Kathy, and three young sons. For over twenty years he has led a diverse congregation of young professionals that has grown to a weekly attendance of over 5,000.
He was also Chairman of Redeemer City to City, which starts new churches in New York and other global cities, and publishes books and resources for faith in an urban culture. In over ten years they have helped to launch over 250 churches in 48 cities. More recently, Dr. Keller’s books, including the New York Times bestselling The Reason for God and The Prodigal God, have sold over 1 million copies and been translated into 15 languages.
Christianity Today has said, “Fifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.”
Dr. Keller was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and educated at Bucknell University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary. He previously served as the pastor of West Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Hopewell, Virginia, Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, and Director of Mercy Ministries for the Presbyterian Church in America.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 28, 2015
This is only one of 10 in Keller's Encounters with Jesus series. Short but insightful read about the death of Lazarus. I've always wondered why Jesus would always respond to Martha and Mary very differently, and Keller's essay goes about explaining that. It's a great reminder of who Christ is: fully god and fully man.
January 16, 2024
I bought this on my Kindle - it says it's 240 pages but it's definitely not. It only took my 20 minutes to read the whole thing. I was like a mini-commentary on the story of Lazarus. Nothing was very different than what I've heard before.
April 14, 2025
Worthwhile; I enjoy these short written sermons from Keller.
February 25, 2017
Read the first three in the series back in 2013... rereading to catch up so I can read the rest in 2017.
April 8, 2013
The Grieving Sisters has no mor than a handful of pages but it’s powerful. In it, Timothy Keller examines the story of the death of Lazarus. The focus rests squarely on Jesus’s response to Mary and Martha. Keller notes both sisters respond verbally the same way “if you were here Lazarus wouldn’t have died.” He then notes the different ways Jesus responds to the grieving sisters.
For Martha his responds with truly about his divinity. “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” He expounds theological truth. He comforts her with his Godhead--an assurance of Lazarus’s own life. For Mary he responds with human compassion. She asks him the same question but Jesus sees her weeping and responds with tears. Keller expounds John 11:38
I get frustrated with virtually every English translation of verse 38. Here we read it say “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.” But this verse contains a Greek word that means “to bellow with anger,” and somehow no translator feels that he or she has the freedom to say what every commentator and Greek expert says the text is saying. Jesus is absolutely furious. He’s bellowing with rage— he is roaring. Who or what is he angry at? There is no indication that he’s angry at the family. Then what is it? (Kindle Locations 188-192).
Jesus provides the fullest revelation of his humanity.
Such a wonderful and insightful exposition of John 11. You could give it to a grieving friend. You could read it for its masterful revelation of Jesus. Or you could use as a lesson in expounding the text in a Christ-centered way. I would highly recommend it and also the series (The Encounters with Jesus) as a whole.
For Martha his responds with truly about his divinity. “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” He expounds theological truth. He comforts her with his Godhead--an assurance of Lazarus’s own life. For Mary he responds with human compassion. She asks him the same question but Jesus sees her weeping and responds with tears. Keller expounds John 11:38
I get frustrated with virtually every English translation of verse 38. Here we read it say “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.” But this verse contains a Greek word that means “to bellow with anger,” and somehow no translator feels that he or she has the freedom to say what every commentator and Greek expert says the text is saying. Jesus is absolutely furious. He’s bellowing with rage— he is roaring. Who or what is he angry at? There is no indication that he’s angry at the family. Then what is it? (Kindle Locations 188-192).
Jesus provides the fullest revelation of his humanity.
Such a wonderful and insightful exposition of John 11. You could give it to a grieving friend. You could read it for its masterful revelation of Jesus. Or you could use as a lesson in expounding the text in a Christ-centered way. I would highly recommend it and also the series (The Encounters with Jesus) as a whole.
March 19, 2013
Keller has always been a good read and this book is no exception. It is really a booklet from the "The Encounters with Jesus" eSeries.
It is short but to the point.
As the title suggest, this is a book about the death of Lazarus. The two sisters are Mary and Martha. Jesus doesn't get there in time and Lazarus dies. The sisters are bereaved, as is Jesus. This is the section of the Bible that records Jesus wept.
Keller shows how Jesus treated the situation. Each sister acts in a different way, causing Jesus' response to be different when speaking with each woman.
It reminds me of the doctrine of Law and Gospel. Some people need the law. They are puffed up and think the world revolves around them. They need the Law to show them that they are not as great as they think they are. Others need the Gospel. They are already devastated and the Law would break distort them.
It is a great little booklet. I am interested in reading the others.
As an added bonus there is a preview of his new book, "Every Good Endeavor", which is a biblical case for work.
I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book, free of charge, from Penguin and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It is short but to the point.
As the title suggest, this is a book about the death of Lazarus. The two sisters are Mary and Martha. Jesus doesn't get there in time and Lazarus dies. The sisters are bereaved, as is Jesus. This is the section of the Bible that records Jesus wept.
Keller shows how Jesus treated the situation. Each sister acts in a different way, causing Jesus' response to be different when speaking with each woman.
It reminds me of the doctrine of Law and Gospel. Some people need the law. They are puffed up and think the world revolves around them. They need the Law to show them that they are not as great as they think they are. Others need the Gospel. They are already devastated and the Law would break distort them.
It is a great little booklet. I am interested in reading the others.
As an added bonus there is a preview of his new book, "Every Good Endeavor", which is a biblical case for work.
I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book, free of charge, from Penguin and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 14, 2016
The Grieving Sisters is a short narrative look at John 11. It almost felt like a sermon that was reformatted into a mini-book. There are several of these floating around in Timothy Keller's "Encountering Jesus series;" short stories of a biblical account, explained, illustrated, and applied. I think these books are phenomenal for introducing people to Jesus in an accessible and intellectually stimulating text. You can get these books for $1.99 or less on Kindle. I'd recommend them for people who are looking for a basic introduction to Jesus and perhaps don't know how/where to start with the Bible.
This specific book walks through the account of Mary and Martha (The grieving sisters) as they encountered Jesus in John 11, after the death of their brother Lazarus. Keller skillfully shows who Jesus is through this account, culminating with great illustrations of the mission of Jesus as seen in this biblical account.
This specific book walks through the account of Mary and Martha (The grieving sisters) as they encountered Jesus in John 11, after the death of their brother Lazarus. Keller skillfully shows who Jesus is through this account, culminating with great illustrations of the mission of Jesus as seen in this biblical account.
Read
February 2, 2016Keller has a way of bringing things out of the text that is unlike most others. This quick look at Mary and Martha around Lazarus' death was extremely insightful. The thing that struck me most was the humanity of Jesus as he navigated Lazarus' death and his friends' pain. I'd recommend this book to every Christian.
April 7, 2017
Solid essay. Still wondering my these were all $2. C'mon Keller.
April 27, 2013
Short and sweet. Keller being Keller.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews