Before launching into my review of Jim Jackson’s book Days with Jesus, I need to offer full disclosure – I have not yet purchased this book and did not receive it from any publisher websites. The author found my book review blog and asked that I read and review a PDF version of the book, which, obviously, I agreed to do. Without giving away too much of what will be said below, I do want anyone reading this review to know that I have placed my order for an actual copy of the book.
Jackson tells any readers that his book is a little different because he references it as a “docuvotional.” The author offers short sections to be read on a daily basis – a devotional – while also using it (along with videos on his website) to provide historical, cultural, philosophical, and social context to the events of the selected Gospel account – the documentary.
He purposefully selected the Gospel of John for this intimate look at Jesus Christ. As a trained historian, I would have selected Luke’s account because he utilized eyewitness accounts and placed them in the proper order (Luke 1:1-5). Jackson, however, took a different approach and simply explained his rationale – John was one of the inner circle of disciples and is referenced as the “one whom Jesus loved.” Thus, Jackson wanted the details of this individual who was directly there during the ministry and did not forsake his Lord during the crucifixion. It is one thing to piece together a historical account but another to write the direct biography from personal experience.
The format of the manuscript makes it easy to read by the utilization of humor; yet that format, at times, was where I struggled. For instance, I thought the chunks were too big to gain a deeper understanding of the passages. The author’s subtitle says “Part 1;” so we know other pieces are coming – just not how many. Not understanding the exact intent (is this going to be 2 books or 3), I am somewhat perplexed in what to say. Although I did not write the book, I can see this being a wonderful tool in the hands of a believer; so I would love to see this stretch to at least a 90 day “docuvotional.”
There is also a “FYI” section all the way at the end of the book, and the reader is keyed into more information through the use of an asterisk (*). I am the type of person that reads the footnotes of every book, so I would love to have seen this information at the bottom of the page rather than all the way in the back. Also, some of the info in the FYI section did not really add to the understanding of the concepts but was more about interjecting humor (i.e. the Jesus steak recipe…which was quite good!). This section needed a direct tie into the examination of “days” or it should have been stricken totally.
With my format criticism out of the way, let’s turn to the work itself. I can summarize my thoughts in this statement: the more I read, the more I liked it. His use of realistic examples resonates well with any reader and ties them into the specific passage. This easy-to-read language overcame the fact that the book started a bit slowly. Jackson then hammered home some tremendous points. In fact, look at this succinct statement of the God we serve – “While men want the pomp, power, and prestige that come with taking the presidency of a country or becoming CEO of a company, the God of the universe gets the unglamorous title of Lamb” (page 13). I will be using quite a bit of his commentary in my up and coming series for the Bible class I teach at church.
The author also has the ability to turn a short phrase with complex meanings. On page 19, he summarizes, in one sentence, what Mark Batterson spent an entire book discussing in his book Wild Good Chase – “Following God is serious business, but it is not seriously boring.” How true! God has promised to be there every step of the way on this adventure that will bring Him glory and honor. We make it through the serious journey and the frenetic pace by spending Days with Jesus.
I have been a Christian for quite some time but learned a great deal about the cultural context of this Gospel account, and those contextual frameworks add wonderful relevance to the words of Jesus. As an example, look at day 24 entitled “When the Son Shines.” Jackson points out that Jesus, in John 8:12, would have been speaking during the “lighting of the lamps” at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles. The location of the Temple meant that this area would have been lighted for the entire city to observe. Thus, Jesus’ words on broadcasting light throughout the world gained additional significance through the immediate word picture at hand.
In rating Days with Jesus, I waffled between 3.5 and 4.0 stars. I did go with the 4 stars due to the novel “docuvotional” and the common sense language used throughout. Unfortunately, many Biblical works use scholarly tones written for Biblical academicians but that is not the case in Days with Jesus. As a reviewer, I can state with absolute certainty that you must check out the website videos that accompany many of the days. In doing so, you will come to understand how and why these short vignettes pushed me over the edge to the 4 star rating. You can find them at www.dayswithjesus.com.
The book is sound Biblically and can serve as a wonderful resource for discipleship ministries with new believers; so follow my example and get a copy. Clearly, the thoughts of Jackson can assist new Christians learn and grow while also adding additional context for more mature Christians. In conclusion, my title says it all – our lives should be filled by Days with Jesus. Those chosen Days with Jesus, along with this book, are an eternal worthy investment.
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