"Questions Jesus Asks" Book Review

     Questions Jesus Asks: Where Divinity Meets Humanity by Israel Wayne is a great read for anyone looking to know more about what it means to be a Christian.  Israel has a relaxed style to his writing that makes it easy to read, yet he has a deep knowledge of the topics he is writing about and that is clear in this book.  There are 20 chapters to this book, each based on a question that Jesus asked in the Bible.  Did Jesus ask questions because he didn’t know the answers?  Well, Israel gives an in-depth discussion on that right at the introduction.

     Each chapter starts with a short, personal story that helps put what he is about to discuss in a modern perspective.    Though Jesus lived over 2,000 years ago, His words still apply to us today.  Often when we read the Bible we wonder how it relates to our 21^st Century lives.  That’s what this book does so well – relates the Bible and Jesus to us today. 

So many times I read a study on the Bible and it is just the author’s opinion about some Bible verses.  This book is NOT like that.  Israel takes the Bible verses, helps us to understand the historical context, and then provides multiple views of it supported by additional Bible verses, historical information, and the words of other great writers. 

Reading this book helped answer many questions I had.  I would have found this book interesting, and perhaps life-changing, even if I had read it when I was not a Christian.  It is not written in a holier-than-thou way, it is written in a simple and honest way that invites the reader to think more deeply about the questions being asked. 

Because of the clear way that Israel approaches these sometimes difficult subjects, I think this would make a great Bible study with your children.  Each chapter is short (most less than 10 pages) so you could read one chapter each morning with your children.  I imagine that these readings will often lead to deeper discussions. 

Subjects covered are: Christology, Virgin Birth, Family, Discipleship, Money, Healing, Counseling, Fear, Demonology, Servanthood, Government, Forgiveness, Apologetics, Lordship, Prayer, Suffering, Love, Persecution, Hell, and Resurrection.  

Israel did a great job of adding in the wisdom of so many others, and the many footnotes provide lots of ideas for additional reading on each subject.  I already have a list of other books I want to read based on these footnotes.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  This book was already on my list to purchase, and my review above is what I would have written however I came to own this book.