It is been said before that the gospels are simply a passion account with a long introduction. Today many seem to focus in on the teaching and ministry of Jesus and fail to pay attention to the suffering and death of the Son of God. In his book Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus' Death and Resurrection, Thabili Anyabwile calls us to look deeply into the death and resurrection of Jesus to stare and point at what was achieved by the sacrifice of the Son of God on the cross.
Many people come through our churches and hear messages every weekend but sadly it is possible to attend the modern church for perhaps years and never hear a clear, true, and compelling presentation the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is one of the many reasons a book like Captivated is timely and necessary. Anyabwile writes simply enough for anyone picking up this book to understand yet he holds nothing back from the effect and the ramifications of what happened on the cross.
There have been books over the years that have treated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ chronologically. There've been books that have walked through the sayings of Jesus as he endured suffering and crucifixion that came with the cross. This book treats the death and resurrection of Jesus theologically and practically as it looks at the death and resurrection of Jesus by asking a series of questions that were made by Jesus himself or those around at the time of his death and resurrection.
About the only negative comment I could make about this book is that there simply wasn't enough of it. Yet even this is hardly criticism as anyone in the church, whether a reader or not, could pick up this book and grow from reading it without being daunted by technicality. The entire book is less than 100 pages which is not intimidating to anyone and is a wonderful resource that can be given out to those wishing to know and understand the purpose and ramifications of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each chapter even includes a study guide for an individual or small group to go through together.
It is truly rare that I ever read a book and have nothing that I would add as an improvement. But Captivated is exactly what it claims to be and achieves its purpose by remaining simple and to the point. I would recommend that any Christian read this book for their own growth in their own ability to explain and discuss the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with others. I also would recommend that anyone purchase this book to hand to their friends and family that may struggle with the realities and the difficulties that we face with this issue. I'm grateful for Thabili Anyabwile for writing this book and would love to see him write more in this exact fashion and brevity.
