Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus

Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus, Nancy Guthrie (Crossway, 2020)

After hearing Nancy Guthrie give an excellent seminar recently, I grabbed a few more of her books. I have always enjoyed her writing, and have reviewed some books before (on grief, on praying for your children, and on biblical theology). Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus is another one in the biblical theology realm.

Each chapter considers someone in the biblical accounts who interacted with Jesus - both those who came to love him and serve him, and those who turned away from him. From there, Guthrie encourages the reader to think how they too might react to Jesus and respond to his call on their life.

Every chapter is like a sermon, and as such was engaging, easy to read, and very applicable. At the same time, it was biblically saturated and drew links from the Old Testament through to Jesus, providing connections that might otherwise have been missed.

Some of the ‘saints’ and ’scoundrels’ are: John the Baptist, Jesus’ family, Peter, the Pharisees, Zaccheus, Judas, Stephen, and Paul. Each brought out a different aspect of following Jesus and what it means today. While I learned from them all, some stood out: 

1. Jesus family. Exploring his family line, his parents and his siblings, Guthrie posits that the family of Jesus is made of people from less respectable backgrounds, who have a less than complete understanding of who he is, and whose belief in Jesus is better later than never. It’s a comforting encouragement to those who think they could never measure up and an assurance that they don’t have to. 
2. Peter. This was a more balanced and nuanced take on Peter than we sometimes get. She compared Peter in the gospels with Peter in the letters, to show how God works change in people’s lives. 
3. The Pharisees and Nicodemus. This contained helpful cultural explanations and powerful observations. Have you ever stopped to think what it meant physically and emotionally for Nicodemus (and Joseph) to take Jesus’ body off the cross and to the tomb? 

The real strength of this book is the way Guthrie applies biblical theology to each story, giving it more meaning, deeper context, and more appropriate application. What’s interesting is the wide range of people this book is suitable for. It would introduce new believers or inquirers to Jesus and how he changes lives. It would help established Christians to see links across the biblical accounts that they might have missed. It brings fullness to the story of Jesus and our understanding of him. I learnt a lot and appreciated how Guthrie drew threads together that I had not previously seen. Highly recommended.