Foreword

RicoTiceGerard Chrispin has spent decades working out how to teach the Bible with the utmost simplicity and relevance to young people on beach missions and latterly to men in prison.  The result of all this experience is a commentary by a man, who again and again has stood up and said to himself, as he stands before his listeners, ‘What is the one thing this passage has to say?’  In section after section of this book you can see his preacher’s heart isolating that one thought and causing it to walk off the pages of Mark’s Gospel.
As a preacher who is focused on Mark’s Gospel, I have numerous commentaries on my shelf which take me through the detail of the book verse by verse and passage by passage, but I’m convinced from now on the first commentary I’ll reach for is this one by Gerard because it will be so refreshing to see what the one thought from the passage is and how that has been communicated with passion and simplicity.  It has often been said that to explain simply you must understand deeply and that, I think, is the hallmark of this commentary on Mark.  I’m delighted to recommend it and hope that it will not only help the Christian preacher, but indeed will also be clear and simple enough for a person who is investigating the Christian faith for themselves and just wants a simple commentary on the shortest of Jesus’ biographies.  If that is you, as you read this preface, then may I assure you you’ve found a fine tool to accompany you on your journey into the Identity of Jesus (who he is), his Mission (why he came) and his Call (what it means to follow him).
Rico Tice,
Associate Minister at All Souls Church, Langham Place, London and author of Christianity Explored

Those thinking through the Christian Faith will find this site helpful.

Recommendation by Sir Jeremy Cooke
High Court Judge

Time spent thinking about what Mark says about Jesus is ‘Mark Time’, in the words of the title of this book. It is time well spent. Making the most of time means spending it with and for Jesus and living out the life He gives. Though we cannot have our past time over again, we can use ‘time out’ to get ourselves right for the future. This book (and the discussion course and correspondence course based on it) will help to do that. It comes with my strong recommendation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *