Review
======
Title: Jesus-Centered Bible
Author: Group Publishing
Publisher: Group Publishing
Genre: Bible/Study Bible/New Living Translation
Year Published: 2015
Number of Pages: 1440
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN10: 1470734044
ISBN13: 978-1470734046
Price: $24.99
Reviewed by Steven Ray Montgomery for the Association for Mormon Letters
There are many ways to study the Bible. You can read it straight through, from cover to cover to understand the overall context. Chronologically, to understand its development. Topically, when you wish to understand specific doctrines better, or thematically, in order to trace individual threads in the overall tapestry. You can study it by looking at various literary devices, such as parallelism, chiasmus, and other artful designs present in the text.
There is also another way to study the Bible, which I’ll introduce through the retelling of this story: A young Baptist pastor once sought out the popular 19th century preacher, C. H. Spurgeon, and asked for his advice on how to improve his sermons. Upon listening to one Spurgeon bluntly replied, “that was a poor sermon.” When asked why, he said, “because there is no Christ in it.” Of course the young pastor protested that of course there was no Christ in the sermon, the verses he had selected didn’t even mention Jesus. Spurgeon in rebuttal queried, “Don’t you know, young man, that from every town, and every village, and every hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London? And so from every text in scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the scriptures, that is Christ.” As the editor of this Jesus-Centered version explains, this is the “heart that fuels the passion behind the Bible. . . there has never been a Bible like this before, where every page points to Jesus in a fresh way.”
So it is that the Jesus-Centered Bible uses blue letters to point out references to Jesus in the text of the Old Testament, and then, in addition, there are explanatory blue boxes to better help the reader make the “Jesus” connection. And for the New Testament, there are the familiar “red letters” for the text, and explanatory red boxes.
This is a perfect Bible for anyone wishing to study the scriptures in this “Jesus-Centered” way. I found some new insights reading this Bible. Here are just two of them.
Regarding Psalm 22, rather than an agonizing complaint, might he have been drawing attention to his divinity when in verses 1 and 2 he proclaims, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I cry for help?” As the Jesus-Centered Bible points out, and I would have never known without the explanatory note, “Jesus says this very statement on the cross. He clearly knows this prophecy and speaks it as it comes to pass [it] is not a sign of doubting.” Rather those who heard him would have recognized a familiar Psalm, they would have known it by heart, their attention would have been drawn to the entire Psalm because they were titled by their first lines. So this is a Messianic Psalm which had Messianic fulfillment on the cross, such as the taunt in verse 8, “If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him” and his cry in verse 18 that his enemies had divided his “garments among themselves and throw[n] dice for [his] clothing.” John and Luke were certainly impressed by this fulfillment; no doubt his followers on Calvary’s mount would have been impressed as well.
Jeremiah 16:16 is likewise impressive for its fulfillment at the time of Christ (not to take away from its latter day fulfillment). The verse states: “But now I am sending for many fishermen who will catch them,” says the Prophet. As an explanation the Jesus-Centered Bible states that “the Lord promises to send out ‘many fishermen who will catch’ the people of God in exile. And when Jesus recruits his first disciples, he promises them, ‘From now on you’ll be fishing for people!’ (Luke 5:1-11).”
There are similar insights in the New Testament “red letter” portion. Since we are already familiar with the “red letter” Bibles, I won’t burden this review with them, except to point out that the red letters are not only for the words of Jesus, but also for any mention of him or his titles. And the explanatory red boxes are not only for doctrine but also thoughts on becoming a better disciple of Christ.
The Bible is of good quality. The leather is soft and the 9″ by 6″ size is perfect for me. The design is clean and beautiful, with a lay-flat binding. The experienced researcher or study Bible enthusiast will not be greatly challenged, but even so, there are insights that this lifelong Bible lover never knew before. And it’s an excellent Bible for beginners, youth, or for devotional use. Or perhaps as a gift.
As a Latter-day Saint I was intrigued with the title, “Jesus Centered-Bible.” I wondered what it was all about, and whether it could benefit this lifelong active member. Any Bible, if understood properly, talks, rejoices, preaches and prophesies of Christ (2 Nephi 25:27). The key is in the “understanding properly” part. This is a Bible that does just that. It helps the reader to understand properly because its entire focus centers on Jesus Christ, and contains a wealth of insights into Christ and his gospel. Like the Book of Mormon, it too will bring the earnest reader to Christ by testifying of his divinity, of our need for a redeemer, and of his gospel. This is a Bible that infuses life into the “Old” Testament, and reaffirms the “New” Testament. It deserves a place in this Latter-day Saint’s home, right alongside the Book of Mormon, another testament, Judah joined together with Joseph.