Customer Reviews

When the Good News Gets Even Better: Rediscovering the Gospels through First-Century Jewish Eyes

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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I was excited when I received this book for review. I loved the idea that I would be looking at the gospels from the perspective of someone who was in the first century, listening at Jesus' feet. I also liked the idea that it was a study/workbook all in one. I began it almost immediately.

The study takes you from Jesus' birth to his resurrection and ascension. Each day there is a section of scripture to read and then commentary by the author. The commentary includes pertinent facts that are always valuable when studying scripture, such as the author's insights that he has gleaned from over 34 years in ministry. The snippets of Jewish culture and history are helpful to understand the reactions that the people of Jesus' day had when they heard him speak.

I found the book to be a welcome addition to my study times. It can be done as a private study or in a group study. I do believe it would make a great group study and at times wished that I was in a group while I was going through it, because of some of the intriguing questions that came up. Like this one - "Is there a difference between the "Christian mind" and the "mind of Christ"? Intriguing question isn't it? The questions are geared to help you examine your life and how you are living it in regards to Jesus' teachings.

Introspective, enlightening and intriguing - When the Good News Gets Even Better, will be a welcome addition to your study time.

Great insight from a perspective I just didn't know about. It was so helpful to get some of the comments Jesus and others made from the context of conversational language and idioms of the time. Great study, but need to go through it more than once.

This is well written and insightful. Excellent! I'm hoping for another book by this author. Thought provoking!

This book guides us through the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) to give new insights and a very interesting look at the life of Jesus during His ministry. While answering historical and cultural questions, It brings to light the amazement of the greatest life ever lived.

When the Good News Gets Even Better
Rediscovering the Gospels Through First-Century Jewish Eyes
Neb Hayden
2009
David C. Cook
Non-fiction/Christian Living/Spiritual Growth

Reviewed by Cindy Loven

A fan of David C. Cook Bible studies, this one does not disappoint. Rediscover, or even discover the teachings of Christ. Delve into the meaning of Jewish customs, and the Jewish language, phrases and context of the Scripture.
Laid out in a eye pleasing, easy to study format, this 12 week Bible study, will be a joy to participate in. With study notes in the margins of the book, similar to the lay out of some study Bibles, you will learn tidbits to help you understand each section more clearly.
Using symbols, such as a Star of David, to explain Jewish customs, or a light bulb for insights of the author, this guide is set up to maximize your study time, allowing you to learn more and retain more during your time.
Discussion questions through out the study, make this a perfect study for a group or an individual. David C. Cook Publishing and Neb Hayden have brought us a book most definitely worth sharing with others! 5 star rating from this reviewer. 302 pages[...]

When the Good News Gets Even Better by Neb Hayden is the perfect guide to getting a thorough understanding of the Gospels. I've read through the Gospels several times, and they really are essential to understanding who Jesus is, but even my son has asked: why do they keep telling the same stories over and over again? Reading through Matthew, then Mark, on to Luke, and finally John can make you feel like you are just reading the same stuff over and over again. Hayden has written a superb guide to the Gospels, taking the reader on a journey from the birth of Christ to his death in order. It's a twelve week study that can easily be done in just 15 minutes each day. The reader will follow Jesus' life chronologically to gain greater understanding of what order things happened. I always thought that Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman late in his ministry, probably because the story is told in the book of John, but the meeting actually took place very early on. Hayden includes Jewish customs and a great deal of historical detail to put Jesus and his life firmly in context. Knowing that King Herod was an Edomite gives texture to his order to kill all of the baby boys in Bethlehem; the tribes of Israel had been fighting with Edom since Jacob and Esau were still in the womb! Each lesson has questions to encourage further reflection. I have loved spending time in this devotional each night. It's added to my overall comprehension of who Jesus was not just to me in the 21st century, but in 1st century Jerusalem as a Jew as well.

Often, when reading the Bible, I've come away from a passage confused as to why a person reacted the way he did. And that was because I was reading the passage as a 21 century female Gentile, not as a Jew living in Biblical times. I truly believe that a person gains more out of what he reads if he knows more about the author and more about the time/setting/people being written about. Even in fiction, but certainly when reading non-fiction.

In a Bible study, it is, without a doubt, a help to know as much we can in the way of background. When Good News Gets Even Better focuses on just that.

It's not a heavy Bible study - at least not what I've come across so far (I am taking my time and doing the study as it was intended as to get the most out of it as possible). But it is an insightful one.

The author has laid out a helpful, easy to follow set of symbols to guide each day's study. Which may take 15 minutes or so, depending on if one re-reads the passage being discussed for that week. I found myself so intrigued that I was doing a week's worth of studies at a time and then mulling over it for a few days.

This book was provided free of charge by the publisher. No payment was provided in return for this review. The publisher had no editorial rights or claims over the content or the conclusions made in this review.

This is one unique study. The point of view is to "rediscover the gospels through First Century Jewish Eyes", and I love it. An appreciated feature is the little icons that flow through, letting the reader know you are learning tidbits that make the text more relevant by understanding the world these people lived in. It is well laid out, nice sidebar notes and the text is nicely spaced and easy to read

I like this study. The author has laid down the actual scene, the customs of the time, what was expected of the people and their knowledge. The first century was so very different from our time that when we read about Jesus' life I think that we lose out on the familiarity of the customs. It was nice to have the explanations right with the passage rather than reading about it in another book later. An excellent study of the life of Jesus.

This is a wonderful Bible study that walks you through the gospels and gives you a different perspective. You'll be seeing what happens in the gospels through the eyes of a Jewish man in the first century. Great Bible readings, and excellent commentary help to build a wonderful foundation of understanding of Jewish culture and what life was like in the first century A.D. I thought that this book was easy to understand and combined with extensive Bible readings, really gives the reader a different and fresh view of life in the first century. This would be a great resource for small group Bible study or for the individual.