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Jesus the King Study Guide: Exploring the Life and Death of the Son of God
In this 9-session Bible study guide, Jesus the King , Timothy Keller will help you and your group discover the most influential man to ever walk the earth … Jesus. His story has been told in hundreds of different ways for thousands of years. What more can be said about this man? Timothy Keller will help you and your group to unlock new insights into the life of Jesus Christ as he explores how Jesus came as a king, but a king who had to bear the greatest burden anyone ever has. Jesus the King Study Guide helps you discover the life of Christ as told in the Gospel of Mark. Keller shows how the story of Jesus is at once cosmic, historical, and personal, calling each of us to look anew at our relationship with God. It is an unforgettable study of Jesus Christ, and one that will leave an indelible imprint on your group's journey through the Gospel of Mark.
128 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2015
79 people are currently reading
585 people want to read
About the author
Timothy J. Keller
396 books5,735 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.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 2, 2025
great book to read during Easter month! he lived the life we should have lived and the death we should have died
August 30, 2018
Consistent with most of Keller’s work this book has moments of absolute brilliance! I have a four year degree in Biblical Studies and there were numerous times I found myself dumbfounded by the amazingly intricate details Keller finds and expounds on in the gospel of Mark. This is essentially just a less dense commentary on the book of Mark. Yet Keller retells the story in such a way, through illustrations, allegories, real life examples, that the reader feels like they were there. If you are an intellectual looking for some new “factoids” then this book is for you. If you are interested in the historicalness of the gospel then this book is for you. The book gets off to a slower start but the last few chapters are absolutely bonkers! They are completely loaded with deep, mind blowing theological/doctrinal connections found woven throughout all of history, hidden in plain sight! Having Doctor Kellers intellect to find, simplify, and explain everything to the reader is what makes this book so great. Highly recommend!
July 28, 2022
Such a good read! In diving into the book of Mark, it remains both insightful and convicting. Keller covers so many scriptures and topics and yet the book still feels whole.
June 24, 2025
I read and re-read portions of this book in preparation for teaching the gospel of Mark on an on-going basis. Tim Keller’s deep insights are unparalleled.
February 6, 2019
Reviewing this book gives me an opportunity to engage in one of my favorite rants regarding publishing. If this book is viewed in isolation, it is a perfectly fine book. However, this volume also happens to be a nearly identical version of a previous book, titled King's Cross. Admittedly, this book has a catchier title that is probably better for sales, but having gotten both books from the library since it was not clear that they were, in fact identical, I felt rather ripped off even having requested them both from the library. I would have felt even more ripped off had I paid money for this sort of thing. I should note that C.S. Lewis, a man both the author and I deeply admire, was deeply concerned about readers not being asked to put out money twice for the same material, and the fact that this book was done (likely with the author's permission) suggests that the author is more on the lines of a John Maxwell than a C.S. Lewis with this particular offering. And that is a great shame. No one should want their book marketing practices to mirror John Maxwell's.
Since the structure of this book is identical to its previous volume, I will copy what I said here, with a note that there are more pages here because the paperback is smaller in size, being about 250 pages in length. As I mentioned earlier,"The first nine chapters of the book focus on Jesus Christ as the king (I), and the second nine chapters look at the cross and its looming presence over the second part of the Gospel of Mark (II). We have chapters about the dance of faith (1), the call to follow Christ (2), miracles of healing (3), and Jesus' search for rest in the face of continual activity (4). After that we look at the power of Christ and how it was manifest in the world (5), the waiting for God to act (6), the stain of contact with sinners and the ill (7), the approach of the Canaanite woman to Jesus to obtain healing for her daughter (8), and the turn of Jesus towards Jerusalem and death (9). The second half of the book continues with discussions of Jesus on the mountain (10), the trap that his enemies sought for Him (11), the ransom that He paid for us (12), and his experiences in the temple (13). Finally, the book concludes with the promised Feast of the Passover (14), the cup of wrath that staggered Him in the garden (15), the sword of punishment He faced (16) as well as His crucifixion (17) and resurrection (18)."
If you have not read King's Cross, I would recommend this book as a worthwhile book to read. There is another book that is associated with this one that is a study guide for this book that helps readers (and small groups) deal with the material in the book of Mark by asking some thought-provoking question as is often the case. This book, though, seems like a bit of a cash grab, and that is regrettable. I'm not sure how much of this was done with the author's intention. There look to be some minor tweaks with the text, but nothing that would suggest a wholesale revision of it. Was this change forced upon the author by the publisher who was concerned that this book did not sell as well as the author's other books, which are generally bestsellers, or did the author push for the change himself? Again, viewed in isolation this book is a perfectly fine discussion of the Gospel of Mark that is well worth reading, but there is a high chance of this book being confused for something new when it is not, though admittedly one can tell if one reads the small print at the bottom of the front cover rather than looking up the book online as I did.
Since the structure of this book is identical to its previous volume, I will copy what I said here, with a note that there are more pages here because the paperback is smaller in size, being about 250 pages in length. As I mentioned earlier,"The first nine chapters of the book focus on Jesus Christ as the king (I), and the second nine chapters look at the cross and its looming presence over the second part of the Gospel of Mark (II). We have chapters about the dance of faith (1), the call to follow Christ (2), miracles of healing (3), and Jesus' search for rest in the face of continual activity (4). After that we look at the power of Christ and how it was manifest in the world (5), the waiting for God to act (6), the stain of contact with sinners and the ill (7), the approach of the Canaanite woman to Jesus to obtain healing for her daughter (8), and the turn of Jesus towards Jerusalem and death (9). The second half of the book continues with discussions of Jesus on the mountain (10), the trap that his enemies sought for Him (11), the ransom that He paid for us (12), and his experiences in the temple (13). Finally, the book concludes with the promised Feast of the Passover (14), the cup of wrath that staggered Him in the garden (15), the sword of punishment He faced (16) as well as His crucifixion (17) and resurrection (18)."
If you have not read King's Cross, I would recommend this book as a worthwhile book to read. There is another book that is associated with this one that is a study guide for this book that helps readers (and small groups) deal with the material in the book of Mark by asking some thought-provoking question as is often the case. This book, though, seems like a bit of a cash grab, and that is regrettable. I'm not sure how much of this was done with the author's intention. There look to be some minor tweaks with the text, but nothing that would suggest a wholesale revision of it. Was this change forced upon the author by the publisher who was concerned that this book did not sell as well as the author's other books, which are generally bestsellers, or did the author push for the change himself? Again, viewed in isolation this book is a perfectly fine discussion of the Gospel of Mark that is well worth reading, but there is a high chance of this book being confused for something new when it is not, though admittedly one can tell if one reads the small print at the bottom of the front cover rather than looking up the book online as I did.
April 27, 2025
I don’t read often, and when I do I don’t read fast. This book was even made to be a slow read. Jesus the King beautifully depicts Jesus through the context of the book of Mark. Very hard to wrap your mind around truths but in the best way. I already have to reread sections to understand them so you can imagine how many times I probably read this book after finishing. I will absolutely be rereading it because I know those truths have many angles to them.
November 4, 2022
It offers me a very insightful reading on the life of Jesus Christ according to the book of Mark. I'm indeed blessed by the author's illustrative expository of the Word, yet simple and clear enough for my understanding and application.
November 10, 2017
Amazing BOOK! I would suggest reading it in a group like I did. The study guide really helps you take parts of the book and apply it to your life and make sure you really understand it!
January 16, 2019
This is my go to gospel commentary book. The in depth look at the book of Mark was so well studied and it was broken down to such an easy to understand manner.
July 2, 2020
Keller is one of the best when it comes to good solid Biblical study in the context of real human life and struggle.
January 7, 2021
This thoughtful walk through the gospel of Mark was challenging and pointed me to the glory of God’s plan in redeeming His people.
April 3, 2022
Such incredible spiritual insight.
May 5, 2022
Very interesting. Provided a lot of context to the story of Christ's death and resurrection.
May 10, 2022
Great study guide.
August 13, 2022
Good book. Slow read for me. Probably just a bad time to read it.
August 5, 2023
I actually read the book, not the study guide. So profound, and I highly recommend.
April 3, 2024
Anything Tim Keller wrote is worth reading.
April 21, 2025
lesenswert
November 22, 2025
Excellent. Clearly presented, compelling information.
December 31, 2022
so so good!! foundation ideas and multiple verses opened and connected to old testament.
4 stars only for how textbook-y it was, but i LOVED it :)
4 stars only for how textbook-y it was, but i LOVED it :)
February 21, 2021
One of favorites from Timothy Keller! This book gives great imagery on who Jesus is, what he has accomplished and why it is important. I always enjoy his writing and teaching style.
April 25, 2016
This study guide offers some good questions and points to reflect upon when using "Jesus the King" in Bible study. It wouldn't be necessary for all participants to have it though. Just the leaders of the study used it.
July 23, 2015
Oh, my. Such clear thinking and deep insight expressed so effortlessly. Next I read the Gospel of Mark I'll have to have this close at hand to keep me refreshed on Keller's exceptional exposition.
July 30, 2025
Keller brings the story of Jesus to life in this breakdown of Mark’s gospel!
March 1, 2019
At this rate I should be done with this book by June or July, 2019.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews