It’s easy to wrap your mind around a verse or two. But most Christians have trouble comprehending the large-scale structure of the Gospels. Dane Ortlund’s Defiant Grace: The Surprising Mission and Message of Jesus (EP Books, 2011) is a closer look at the overall gospel message of each of the four Gospels as revealed in their literary structure.
Did you know that the book of Mark divides neatly into two halves, and that in the first half Jesus appears as a triumphant king, culminating in Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Anointed One? In the second half, by contrast, Christ’s kingship is manifested in suffering as the path to victory. The choice is not between cross and crown: One must have both, or neither.
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