His Jesus, the Jesus, is a man on a mission, determined, racing. Mark doesn’t waste words, but his words pack a punch and his brief descriptions beg for deep reflection. Like a passenger in a car driving quickly, we can easily miss the details of the landscape if we don’t pay careful attention. Mark sets us on a race, but it’s important to stop along the way.
A Path Strewn with Sinners sets us on Jesus’ race to the cross, but it also insists we take time to ponder, to notice what Mark notes, and what he doesn’t. A master storyteller, Mark leaves room for us to ask questions of the text while at the same time giving us enough information to make that profitable. In so doing, He introduces us to Jesus in a most useful and unique way and makes our race well worth the effort, as A Path Strewn with Sinners shows.
One of the best devotional books I've read in a long time. The Christ-centered, gospel-focused quality is consistent throughout. Strongly recommended for anyone who's a sinner.
Some good devotional readings of various passages in Mark's Gospel. Johnston is better at offering standard Lutheran readings of Mark than in picking up what Mark's theological perspective, but I may be picky here. His handling of certain isogogical issues (e.g. the long ending, authorship, whether the "young man" at Gethsemane is Mark) was a bit odd at least in tone.
This was a great way to travel to the cross during Lent. I received new insights. I will read this again next year! There’s so much to learn and appreciate in this book.
Wade Johnston has a conversational, easy-to-read writing style that makes this book so readable. Mark's gospel is a quick read, and this is a quick companion read. Highly recommended.