In a classic case of failing to see the forest for the trees, Jensen, a homiletics professor and author of two works on narrative preaching, says that preachers tend to analyze biblical books to glean the slightest bits of exegetical data, yet miss the thrust of the overarching story they try to convey. Jensen contends that preachers get too caught up in an analytical, left-brained mentality that obscures the power and meaning of the good news story. In these pages Jensen helps us approach Mark's gospel with eyes wide open rather than with microscope in hand. He treats Mark's gospel as a...

Preachers and Bible teachers will find this book helpful in guiding them to be biblical storytellers. Testimonies to the value of Dr. Richard Jensen's book have been numerous and include the following: Rather than preach about the biblical text one is encouraged and equipped to proclaim the biblical narrative. His book is refreshingly practical and biblical. It stimulates biblical preaching, preparation and proclamation. The preacher is moved from telling a story to telling the story. Pastor Paul Gunsten St. Philip Lutheran Church Roanoke, Virginia I really appreciate the direction each...

Richard Jensen's research and insights provide a stimulating resource not only for preachers, but also for any serious student of Matthew's Gospel. Going beyond mere academic commentary, Jensen provides Homiletical Directions at the end of each chapter. These directions help the preacher find a focus and locate themes for preaching the text.

Jensen draws clues from the storytelling tradition which underlies much of Scripture to develop a carefully constructed rationale and design for narrative preaching. Chapters detail "sources for stories" and offer field-tested examples.