"Jesus came not to make life easy, but to make men great"
As an educator myself, I can confirm that one characteristic of the greatest teachers is their ability to condense great truths into a few words without diminishing it's power. Jesus Himself exercised this ability perfectly with His use of parables.
William Barclay, clearly inspired by Christ's example, explains the atmosphere and culture into which Christ was born, and uses it to give an incredible depth to the meaning of everything we know about Jesus. Verses which would have meant so much to the Jews at the time have their impact revitalized to the 21st Century reader. Time and culture are no obstacles for Barclay, who concisely analyses the mindset of the religious authorities of First Century Palestine, and highlights the stark contrast between their view of God and that of Christ.
Barclay demonstrates a staggering amount of knowledge about the subtleties of the Gospels, and extracts meaning and wisdom from almost every word. Christ's parables, actions and miracles are explained honestly and for the understanding of the modern Christian. Barclay's coverage is all encompassing- no character within the Gospels is overlooked. Short chapters (approximately 5 minutes reading time each) mean these are ideal daily study books.
