Luke 24 is one of the most significant and important passages in the Bible as it pertains to what is known as redemptive history. In Luke 24, Jesus sets forth how all of Scripture is about Himself. From the front cover to the last page in the Bible, Jesus is the hero. In the past five years, we’ve seen a huge resurgence in books, articles, and other works written on redemptive history. Added to the growing literature on this topic is Walking with Jesus through His Word: Discovering Christ in All the Scriptures by Dennis E. Johnson.
One of the main criticisms about the emphasis on redemptive history is how some practitioners take a biblical passage and focus only on Jesus, without considering the passage at hand. This book addresses this concern head-on. Charles Spurgeon once said that every road in England leads to London, so every text in Scripture contains a path to Christ. We need to make sure we get on the right railways in order to move the train towards its intended destination. This is best done by engaging in sound biblical hermeneutics, which focuses on making the point of the passage the point of the sermon. By locating the passage under consideration in the context of biblical writers theme, and in redemptive history, preachers and Sunday school teachers can learn to faithfully handle and proclaim the message of the Bible in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In this book, Dr. Johnson shows us that there are established routes we can trust. Guiding us along the network of trails in the Old and New Testament, he points to the signs and markers that help us to identify roads to Christ. He surveys the Bible’s sweeping story that makes up the lay of the land and explores different landmarks—the central motifs in Scripture that give us our bearings as we seek out Jesus. This excellent book has six parts. In part one, the author considers walking through the Bible from Luke 24, and how it sets our lives on fire. Part two considers how to read the biblical texts in their context. Part three considers types and their fulfillment in Scripture. Part four helps us get our “lay of the land” in three chapters, by understanding the covenant fabric of the Bible—Jesus, the Strong and faithful Lord—and Jesus, the Submissive, Suffering Servant. Part five considers Jesus the final Prophet, our great High Priest, and Jesus, the King of Kings. One of the more helpful aspects of this book is at the end of each part, where the author helps readers understand how everything relates to the preaching and teaching of the biblical text. This makes this an excellent book, not only great in theory, but also in practice.
This helpful book will assist preachers engaged in pulpit ministry to faithfully preach and teach the Word. This book will help Sunday school and Bible study leaders to navigate Scripture in light of its central purpose: to draw us in faith and love to our Prophet, Priest, and King Jesus Christ. Walking with Jesus through His Word should be required reading for every Bible college and seminary student to learn how to engage in faithful preaching and teaching of the biblical text with the goal of pointing people to Jesus. I highly recommend this very book and believe it will help enrich and deepen every Christian’s daily reading of God’s Word.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.