Rating: 
Summary: It was a murder
Review: A previous reviewer wrote: "Jesus Christ laid down His life for us, it was not simply a "murder" as MacArthur claims. Actually, to be more accurate, it was not a murder at all!"But that is a very imprecise use of "murder". If murder means the unlawful killing of a human being, or the killing of human being without approval by divine precepts, then it was a murder. It did not become something else just because Jesus willingly submitted to it. Even Merriam-Webster defines murder as: "the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought". If you are going to be a smart aleck, at least say something smart, not something idiotic like this. **
For several superb works on theology, I recommend the following. Search for them on the web (many free materials are available from these authors). Vincent Cheung (Reformation Ministries International):
- Systematic Theology
- Ultimate Questions
- Presuppositional Confrontations Gordon Clark (Trinity Foundation):
- Biblical Predestination
- God and Evil Greg Bahnsen (Covenant Media Foundation)
- search for his articles, books, and, audio tapes
Rating: 
Summary: the "murder" of Jesus ??
Review: Crosses are everywhere: Jewelry, Tattoos, Bumperstickers, church ornamentation, artwork, etc. Almost so commonplace as to be trivialized. This welcome book reminds us just what the Cross was all about: the awesome price the Lord of Glory paid on our behalf to satisfy the justice of God. It wasn't nails that held Jesus on the Cross, but His great love for us and obedience to the Father. But the nails, the wounds, the bloodletting, the scourging, the tortuous thirst, the splinters, the agonizing rejection, the humiliation, the full attacks of Satan, the suffocation, the forsakenness - all were part of a very human, very evil conspiracy, kangaroo court, mock trial and miscarried justice: Murder in the Supreme Degree! Yet what evil made into Wicked Friday, God turned Good: Sunday was coming! "I will rise again". This book is a solemn reminder of just how serious it is to neglect, downplay, overlook,fail to appreciate, take for granted Christ's work of redemption. A rereading of Hebrews would wonderfully supplement this work, as well as Lee Strobel's Case For Christ, where forensic medical interviews are conducted to detail the horrors of Roman crucifixion. You will never be the same after reading this book - prayerfully, reflectively, humbly, gratefully.
Rating:
Summary: Excruciatingly Poignant and Powerful!
Review: Crosses are everywhere: Jewelry, Tattoos, Bumperstickers, church ornamentation, artwork, etc. Almost so commonplace as to be trivialized. This welcome book reminds us just what the Cross was all about: the awesome price the Lord of Glory paid on our behalf to satisfy the justice of God. It wasn't nails that held Jesus on the Cross, but His great love for us and obedience to the Father. But the nails, the wounds, the bloodletting, the scourging, the tortuous thirst, the splinters, the agonizing rejection, the humiliation, the full attacks of Satan, the suffocation, the forsakenness - all were part of a very human, very evil conspiracy, kangaroo court, mock trial and miscarried justice: Murder in the Supreme Degree! Yet what evil made into Wicked Friday, God turned Good: Sunday was coming! "I will rise again". This book is a solemn reminder of just how serious it is to neglect, downplay, overlook,fail to appreciate, take for granted Christ's work of redemption. A rereading of Hebrews would wonderfully supplement this work, as well as Lee Strobel's Case For Christ, where forensic medical interviews are conducted to detail the horrors of Roman crucifixion. You will never be the same after reading this book - prayerfully, reflectively, humbly, gratefully.
Rating:
Summary: More indept study of the biggest injustice of all time.
Review: I bought the audio version of the book, and it was really interesting and insightful to listen to events leading to the death of Jesus. I never really put as much thought of the cruxifiction of Christ as being an act of 'murder', especially as it was being committed by the Father Himself. But that just shows you the loving nature of God, He would sacrifice His Son, as an offering to redeem the world for it's sins. It goes in detail of the injustice of the trial of Jesus with the Pharisees, Pontius Pilate, and the rowdy mob who participated in the death of Christ Jesus. This presentation by John MacArthur broadened my horizons and woke me up to truths, according to the infallible Word of God, about the murder of the Son of God.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid, Biblical exposition
Review: I love studying MacArthur's books. He doesn't write terribly well, but he is thorough and insighful. This is one of his better books. It's a study of the crucifixion - written well before the movie The Passion of the Christ and so obviously not written to capitalize on the film, as other books on this topic seem to be. He focuses on how God displayed His sovereignty through the events of the crucifixion. Very, very well done.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Explanation
Review: I picked up this book after watching "The Passion of the Christ" to get a further explanation of the last hours of Jesus' life from a trusted biblical scholar. Once again, Macarthur did not disappoint and he really has put together here an entertaining, inspiring, and educational book on the death of Jesus. I recommend this book to anyone who has seen "The Passion" and walked away with certain questions. While you read this book, you can visualize the movie. The Chapters are short and make for easy reading, especially for commuters. To those whose review of this book was limited to the "Jesus' death wasn't murder" variety, miss the point completely. First, the legal definition of murder, with slight jurisdictional twists, is essentially, "an intentional and unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought." Thus, Jesus death was murder in the sense that it was an intentional and unlawful killing. There were certainly no grounds for his crucifixion and calling it murder is actually accurate. Parenthetically, calling it involuntary manslaughter (e.g. an accident) would of course be incorrect. Despite the "in your face" title, Macarthur makes great strides to point out that the death of Jesus was prophesized and part of God's plan. In fact, Isaiah states it pleased the Lord (which is included in the book). The book also includes the fact that Jesus laid down his life on this own accord. The book also interestingly points out why Jesus had to be pointed out by Judas when he was always teaching in public, which I thought was a great and insightful analysis. I hope you found this review helpful!
Rating:
Summary: Too Anti-Catholic
Review: I picked up this book after watching "The Passion of the Christ" to get a further explanation of the last hours of Jesus' life from a trusted biblical scholar. Once again, Macarthur did not disappoint and he really has put together here an entertaining, inspiring, and educational book on the death of Jesus. I recommend this book to anyone who has seen "The Passion" and walked away with certain questions. While you read this book, you can visualize the movie. The Chapters are short and make for easy reading, especially for commuters. To those whose review of this book was limited to the "Jesus' death wasn't murder" variety, miss the point completely. First, the legal definition of murder, with slight jurisdictional twists, is essentially, "an intentional and unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought." Thus, Jesus death was murder in the sense that it was an intentional and unlawful killing. There were certainly no grounds for his crucifixion and calling it murder is actually accurate. Parenthetically, calling it involuntary manslaughter (e.g. an accident) would of course be incorrect. Despite the "in your face" title, Macarthur makes great strides to point out that the death of Jesus was prophesized and part of God's plan. In fact, Isaiah states it pleased the Lord (which is included in the book). The book also includes the fact that Jesus laid down his life on this own accord. The book also interestingly points out why Jesus had to be pointed out by Judas when he was always teaching in public, which I thought was a great and insightful analysis. I hope you found this review helpful!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Explanation
Review: I picked up this book after watching "The Passion of the Christ" to get a further explanation of the last hours of Jesus' life from a trusted biblical scholar. Once again, Macarthur did not disappoint and he really has put together here an entertaining, inspiring, and educational book on the death of Jesus. I recommend this book to anyone who has seen "The Passion" and walked away with certain questions. While you read this book, you can visualize the movie. The Chapters are short and make for easy reading, especially for commuters. To those whose review of this book was limited to the "Jesus' death wasn't murder" variety, miss the point completely. First, the legal definition of murder, with slight jurisdictional twists, is essentially, "an intentional and unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought." Thus, Jesus death was murder in the sense that it was an intentional and unlawful killing. There were certainly no grounds for his crucifixion and calling it murder is actually accurate. Parenthetically, calling it involuntary manslaughter (e.g. an accident) would of course be incorrect. Despite the "in your face" title, Macarthur makes great strides to point out that the death of Jesus was prophesized and part of God's plan. In fact, Isaiah states it pleased the Lord (which is included in the book). The book also includes the fact that Jesus laid down his life on this own accord. The book also interestingly points out why Jesus had to be pointed out by Judas when he was always teaching in public, which I thought was a great and insightful analysis. I hope you found this review helpful!
Rating:
Summary: Almost as riveting as Scripture!
Review: I read MacArthur's book in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the physical torture that crucifixion brings. I finished the book with a deeper and keener awareness of what Jesus Christ endured for me and EVERY other mortal human being who has lived, is living and will live on this earth. When reading Scripture, I've found that unless you know the contextual background, you won't realize the Word's full impact. Study aids help to understand cultural, grammatical and traditional customs of biblical times. MacArthur provides that and much, much more. In reference to the Passion Week, he smoothly blends top-notch research with the holy narrative to illuminate the goings-on in Jerusalem, detailing the mechanisms of Jewish law, Roman law and how the two should work together. He unveils the Jews' blatant disregard of the government in conspiring to kill the Son of God and the reckless, desperate abandon and hypocrisy they used to do so. MacArthur makes you feel like an eyewitness to the events, offering emotional insights that will pull on your heart, water your eyes and drop a lump into your throat. The disappointment in the apostles, the Lord's physical fatigue and the bloodthirst of the Jewish leaders smacks you in the face! You can't help but notice a difference when you read the crucifixion accounts after reading this book. Besides reintroducing you to your need for God's salvation through Christ, MacArthur gives you a moment-by-moment description of every slap, whip, spit, thorn, nail and spear that should have been borne by ALL of us. He spurs you to meditate why Jesus, being perfect, holy and righteous in all things, volunteered to receive the treatment, punishment and fate of common criminals and miscreants. MacArthur allows you to feel the humiliation, disgust and agony in your spirit. Therefore, he helps you to appreciate even greater how much God loves us. This book will revolutionize your spiritual thinking and humble you at His feet with awe, submission and gratitude.
Rating:
Summary: Separation of the Son from the Father
Review: I was never made so aware of the absolute feeling of isolation that Jesus went through when He, for the first time EVER, was separated from the Father. ("I and the Father are one.") And it suddenly made sense...the anguish in the garden and Jesus' prayer about having the cup pass from him. It was never the crucifixion he was praying about...(He was made for that moment...) but rather the cup of the wrath of God that He took all to Himself so that we would not have to experience that. And the awful anguish at the reality that He, for the first time, would be totally separated from the love of His Father. It is no wonder that JESUS is the only way. Once He had endured all of that for our sakes, it's the least we could do to step forward and acknowledge Him. Our God is an awesome God! Truly. JESUS IS LORD. This book should be required reading at every seminary, in every Sunday School Class, and in sermons from the pulpit. I felt that emotion pouring from page to page and found myself in tears over His physical and spiritual death. He died in my place. This book made that fact profoundly evident.
|
