Customer Reviews

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus

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This book is one of the most sensible books about the Bible that I have read. It discusses the Bible in chronological order. It begins with the easier concepts. It avoids being overwhelming. Best of all, it draws the whole Bible together -- pointing out the major themes. Yet, although clearly worded, it is not simplistic.

The title refers to Luke 24:13-35, where Jesus himself explains to two disciples, "...beginning with all the Prophets...what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." This book hopes to do the same for us.

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus would be a good book to read before attempting a read-through of the whole Bible. (It sure would have helped make my first read-through more sensible!) However, as one who had read through the Bible a few times before reading The Stranger..., it was still a great help in my understanding.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Bible, Western Culture, or the Christian faith.

This book is an excellent book for a survey of the entire Bible. This book is not exhaustive, but it covers the key stories and themes. The book's strength is that it shows the reader that the Bible has one consitent message throughout.

This book is easy to read, but not simplistic. It is not an academic book, but academics can get something from this book as well.

This book and its companion workbook are essential tools for learning and teaching the essential truths of the Bible from beginning to end. I have been a Christian all my life, yet I always wanted to have a more complete understanding of the Bible and how both the Old and New Testaments tie directly to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The book is filled with scripture and is supported with effective visual aids. The beginning starts with simple truths and it gets more and more exciting with each chapter.

If you are like me and you want to tell your friends and others about the Bible, yet you're a little nervous about being able to explain it, this is a great book for you!

Jesus Christ the Great Interpreter, speaks to our hearts in this well written true story by John R.Cross. The reader will easily seque from page to page, as the Holy Scriptures are chronologically unfolded starting from creation to Christ. This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Jesus Christ is its grand focus, and if you have wondered about who He is and what He has accomplished, then you will be hard pressed to put this book down. It serves as an excellent evangelistic tool, effective in group reads or book clubs or encouraging foundational reading for those already "in Christ." I highly recommend this life transforming book. "Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24:45.

To give you a clear understanding of the basics of the Bible, this is the BEST book I've read. It explains all the important highlights of the Bible in a very clear, easily understood and easy-to-read manner, and is jam-packed with Bible verses. I've read it with someone who said "Now the Bible finally makes sense to me." ANYONE curious about the Bible (or anyone who thinks they know what the Bible says) would be greatly helped by reading this book.

This book is definately a must read for anyone who has had questions about the Bible. It explains how the Old Testament points to the Promised deliever in the New Testament. If you have ever been confused with the Bible or have thought that the Bible wasn't true b/c of inconsistencies you need to read this book. It will help you to understand more clearly how the Bible fits together. This is an absolute must read!

I was introduced to this book by my fiance last year. I was so impressed with it and its clear presentation of the Bible that I loaned it to my father, who is now using it for his sixth grade Bible class. I am currently using the book with two inner-city girls clubs that I help to run. The girls are really learning a lot from this book, as well as the leaders. Many leaders have never been exposed to this kind of teaching and they are coming to realize just how little they know about their Bible. The ministry where I introduced "The Stranger..." is now in the process of using it in their other programs.

I would highly recommend this book for both experienced Christians and non-believers, because I think everyone can learn from it. It directs non-believers to a relationship with Christ and encourages experienced Christians to not view their Christianity as a culture, but to truly understand why they believe what they believe. Everyone I have showed this book to has been very impressed.

The Bible records the story of two individuals walking from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. They were in deep discussion. Just a few days earlier, Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified outside the city walls. The topic of discussion between the two individuals was centered on what they just heard; several people in Jerusalem were dogmatically claiming to have seen Jesus alive.

As they walked along discussing these stories/claims, a stranger joined the twosome. Over the next several hours the stranger took that ancient collection of books - the Bible, and starting at the very beginning, explained it to them in a way that made incredible sense. The stranger's message drove all confusion from their minds. So thrilled were they by their new understanding, that they had hurried all the way back to Jerusalem to tell their friends, who also needed to hear this message - the message taught by the stranger on the road to Emmaus.

Of course, we now know that the Stranger in question was none other than God Himself - come in human flesh. Jesus Christ was the Stranger who taught the two individuals on the road to Emmaus. In explaining the Scriptures in this particular situation, Jesus used the same chronological method of teaching that John Cross uses in his book, The Stranger On The Road To Emmaus.

The Bible says that Jesus started by "...beginning with Moses..." It says he also used "the Prophets." The Jewish people used the phrase, "Moses and the Prophets" as an all-inclusive synonym for what we call the Old Testament. So when the Bible says that, ". . . beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures," the text is saying that Jesus literally began at the beginning of the Bible - Moses, and did not complete his lesson until he had included the rest of the book - the prophets.

When dealing with history, it is necessary to communicate those facts in a chronological format if you want the facts to make sense. One does not read a story by starting halfway through the book, jumping to the last chapter and then wrapping it up on page one. That would be very confusing. The message Jesus taught started at the beginning and then worked its way through the Bible to a satisfactory completion. The two individuals heard the whole story - saw the complete picture.

By starting at the beginning, Jesus would have been teaching the book of Genesis. Genesis is the foundational book of the Bible. In the first few chapters we learn how the universe came into existence, how life all began, where man came from, the origins of evil, language, government, nations, religions, etc. There are 14 major topics that have their foundations in Genesis. If you have not read Genesis, then the rest of the Bible will be very perplexing. Our understanding of the Bible needs to be built upon the foundational truths set forth in Genesis.

In teaching the two individuals on the road to Emmaus, Jesus focused on the most important subject in the Bible - the work He did on the cross. Jesus said, "Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" Jesus was not discussing dietary laws or the nuances of wisdom. Instead, His message focused on Himself and His work on the cross.

Lastly, Jesus had only one theme in His message. The Bible says that ". . . he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." There are only a few key themes that run throughout the entire Bible. If you mix them unwittingly, you will get confused. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus had just a few hours to teach. Undoubtedly, He covered key biblical events, stringing them together in logical sequence in order for the two individuals to come to a clear understanding of the Good News! (For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins ....................................... 1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

This method to teaching was by Jesus and the apostles. John Cross's book, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus clearly and logically explains the Bible using this chronological approach.

I recommend this book to anyone! Whether you are a strong believer in God, or just wondering what the bible is all about. Everyone owes it to themselves to find out what the best selling book in the world is all about. The author in no way pressures you to beleive one thing or another. He simply informs you in an easy to understand way what the Bible says. You won't be dissapointed.

This book was originally loaned to me by one of my students. After reading the first chapter, I knew the right book had found me. I ordered my own copy and returned the original to its owner. This book makes sense of it all. It explains customs of B.C. and gives down to earth details in plain English. I felt like John Cross was sitting beside me...talking me through it. What an education I got!