The Conversations of Jesus

Learning from His Encounters

by: Simon J. Kistemaker

• Format

  E-Book

  ISBN

  9781441244376

  Pub. Date

  Oct 2004

  SRP

  $14.99

  Buy

About

Through Scripture and spoken word, Jesus continues to attract millions of followers today. In many ways, those who seek Christ now differ little from those whose stories we learn in the Gospels: Peter, Nicodemus, Mary, the Samaritan leper, even Judas.

Professor Simon J. Kistemaker has spent his professional life studying the words and actions of those who spent time with Jesus. In The Conversations of Jesus he offers a glimpse into the lives of those who were touched by encounters with Jesus Christ. Readers will find much in common with these first-century people, including their feelings of inadequacy, confusion, and joy at meeting the Savior.

Ideal for laypersons and pastors, The Conversations of Jesus helps readers strengthen their walks with Christ as they learn about others who have walked this path before.

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Endorsements

"This is a concise, informative, and down-to-earth account of the people in the New Testament whose lives were touched by Jesus. For the general reader it opens new vistas in understanding the way people related to Jesus and how this relates to our situation today. Enriching."--Richard V. Pierard, scholar in residence, Gordon College

"Dr. Kistemaker writes engagingly and with sensitivity to the text of Scripture. He brings the characters of the Gospels to life in such a way that our own conversations with Jesus are enriched. Lay readers will find this book accessible, dependable, and spiritually enriching."--Gareth Lee Cockerill, professor of New Testament and biblical theology, Wesley Biblical Seminary

"Simon J. Kistemaker, whose erudition and helpful publications in New Testament studies are well known, has tapped into that scholarship to produce a work whose prose, while simple enough for even a child to read, is grounded in a profound mastery of the Gospels materials. Here scholar and pastor meet, the one to dig deep into the life and ministry of Jesus as he encountered individual men and women, and the other to draw from those encounters lessons that are as pertinent and helpful to modern readers as they were to the original audiences."--Eugene Merrill, distinguished professor of Old Testament studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

"The genius of this book is the conception itself-a survey and analysis of all the important conversations of Jesus recorded in the four Gospels. The result is an ever-expanding picture of Jesus and the people with whom he interacted. At the same time, as you keep reading this survey it will gradually dawn on you that the conversations of Jesus are a microcosm of the Gospels and their message."--Leland Ryken, Clyde S. Kilby Professor of English, Wheaton College

"Discerning readers will find in Kistemaker's thoughtful book not only useful background information to illumine Jesus' converstaions with forty-five individuals or groups but also helpful application for our lives today."--Ronald Youngblood, professor of Old Testament, International College and Graduate School

"Simon Kistemaker has spent a lifetime as a New Testament scholar and commentator explaining and applying the Bible. He has helped countless ministers, students, and laypeople with his clear and straightforward expositions of Scripture. In these brief and inviting vignettes, with his usual combination of pithiness and helpfully suggestive applications, he shows us Jesus in conversation with very different kinds of people. These incidents, real historical encounters with Christ, come alive in Kistemaker's illuminations of texts from the Gospels and Acts. In reading this book, pastors and teachers alike will be helped in practically and devotionally applying God's truth, and the Christian public will be supplied with a faithful, heartwarming, elucidation of Jesus' ministry to all kinds of people."--J. Ligon Duncan III, pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi

"With great insightfulness Dr. Kistemaker gives us the setting of and expounds to us Jesus' conversations. Those he conversed with are many and varied: those who became messengers, such as Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, as well as those who opposed him, and a number of other groups in between. But on each Jesus' words left their mark. Take and read and let his conversations draw you in and also impact you."--George W. Knight III, adjunct professor of New Testament, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

"Professor Kistemaker has done an excellent job in portraying a gentler side of Jesus in his dealings with people, and has done so with vivid language that makes each of the forty-six episodes both captivating and educational."--Robert L. Thomas, professor of New Testament, The Master's Seminary

"Every now and then a book comes out that makes one ask, why didn't I think of that? The Conversations of Jesus is long overdue, and Kistemaker has done a terrific job of showing how Jesus related to people and of providing a great model for our own ministries. It is lucid, readable, and informative. The organization is very helpful, and we see quickly how Jesus confronted and challenged the different individuals with whom he interacted. I especially appreciated how Jesus challenged his opponents-an area none of us handles very well."--Grant Osborne, professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

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