mark through old testament eyes -- a book review

Andrew Le Peau's Mark through Old Testament Eyes:  A Background and Application Commentary is one of the best one-volume commentaries currently available on the Gospel of Mark.  Here, Le Peau models what should be true of every commentary writer:  That preaching and teaching properly belong together.  Readers will find one of the most accessible introductions to the task of biblical interpretation from a real amateur -- one who loves what he does -- through easy-to-understand explanations of the more difficult rhetorical and intertextual parts of Mark.  Le Peau frequently breaks down the various chiastic structures in order to angle how one ought to read more difficult texts.  In so-doing, he also rights many poor interpretations taken out-of-context (for example:  He dismantles the common evangelical reading of "moving mountains" as having to do with "overcoming obstacles" and replaces it with a more text-centered engagement with Jesus as the New Temple).

This makes Mark through Old Testament Eyes a must-have commentary for students and preachers alike.  The tools that Le Peau hands to Bible readers in this commentary will inevitably unlock new ways to engage in the entire Bible.  In short, this book provides onramps for increased biblical literacy for all, something that ought to be celebrated.

But let me be a bit more personal here:  Le Peau's work helps me catch my breath with a biblical text that has often been the most intimidating of the canonical gospels.  What I most love about Mark through Old Testament Eyes is how he takes you into the heart of the journey of following Jesus in the text.  When I was in seminary, my professor at Duke (Dr Mickey Efird) made quite a bit of the "Messianic Secret" in Mark's gospel -- and ever since I've been scratching my head, wondering what to do with a gospel that would rather leave its secrets unavailable to the initiated.  But Le Peau helps readers understand what the meaning of that "Secret" really is:  The "Secret" is to ask the Teacher what the secret to the Kingdom is!  It's the spirit of that "Secret" that permeates this commentary and makes it a joy that readers shouldn't miss!
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I received a free copy of this book from Kregel Publishers in exchange for my honest review here.