The Parable Of Joy - Reflections On The Wisdom Of The Book Of John

by Michael Card, Douglas Gresham (Foreword), Keith Mueller (Illustrator)

Singer-songwriter Michael Card takes an in-depth look at the Gospel of John and offers his own unique insights into the apostle's outlook on life. Includes his own translation from the original Greek text.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Devotional, Spirituality, Christianity, Religion

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 1995

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Michael Card (born April 11, 1957) is an American Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which couple folk-style melodies and instrumentation with lyrics that stem from intensive study of the Bible. Since his debut in 1981, he has sold more than 4 million albums and has written 19 No. 1 singles.He has also authored several books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner A Sacred Sorrow.

http://www.michaelcard.com/#/about-mi...

Reviews

[Lisa Lewis Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource! Michael Card translated the book of John from the original Greek and added a plethora of notes to really explain what the book meant at the time it was written.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful guide to the book of John. Notes verse by verse, as well as some reflections on chapter by chapter.

[scott d. smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always loved Michael's depth and thought progression. I had expected perhaps a different style of look at the Gospel of John than what this is. It is still very good, but my expectations were looking for something else. Hard to fault the author for that but after reading many of his books I found this to be on a more basic course than I anticipated.

[Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very readable reflection on the book of John. I did not find it extremely deep or life changing.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no qualms with Michael Card or his music.

This book had some great thoughts, and makes readers look at the Gospel of John in a different light.

So...why only three stars?

Throughout this book, there were numerous occurrences of two of my pet peeves when it comes to literature: short chapters and wasted space. There were umpteen pages that were over half empty, if not completely so. Also, some unnecessary illustrations added nothing to his writings.

The edition I purchased was an old one from a thrift store; I hope that later printings did away with the wasting of paper.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking insights and descriptions in the author's presentation of the Gospel of John. While I did not agree with some of his translations, I did appreciate his inclusion of numerous Biblical references and found his lists of Old Testament references very enlightening. Long have I enjoyed Mr. Card's music. His written narratives here are reminiscent of his music writing ~ lyrical and poetical.

[Kimberly Purcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Card gives us another in depth look into the scriptures. Many segments are written in first person narrative as if the person was right there at the time of the incident. And while those pieces are fictional they are cock full of truth. Another book I'm seriously considering for study in my Sunday morning community.

[Jonnica LeeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad I read this. It has been sitting on my shelf for years and I read it during my 21day fast. Card throughly explained each detail of the book of John. He taught the words that Jesus used and what context he meant the lesson’s point across. He used examples of certain situations to make sure the reader pictured the scenerios. I’m gifted this copy to my mother. It was amazing.

[David King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at a library sale and it’s been a great .99 expenditure. Michael Card has clearly spent much time studying and meditating on the gospel of John and in this book gives us the fruit of his work. Devotional yet has good insights

[Deborah Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Michael Card's music because his songs are so full of meaning and insight. His insightful look at the book of John is no less delightful! I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it.

[Miriam Roush · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book touched my heart and my soul. Thank you, Michael Card!

[Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago during my adolescence and it has stayed with me; as have the words of the Gospel. D

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is amazing in the way it takes one of my favorite books of the Bible (John) and makes it come alive.

It makes the stories in the Bible easier to understand, making the characters seem more real, and helping you better grasp what John was trying to tell us. Because the stories in the Bible happened in a different culture, so long ago, it's hard to grasp their meaning and the depth of what God wants us to learn from them. But this book is easy to read, and guides you through the book of John in small enough chunks of text that you can easily get through it - and so it makes sense. You feel more like you were there, when the events happen, picturing what it looked like, what people felt, and why God included each story in the Bible.

I plan to read this book again, and I highly recommend it.

[Grant Davis]

VERY good book ! Several awakening stories by the author that help the reader see things from the book of John in a different light. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Whether they be a young Christian looking for fresh milk or an experienced disciple looking for a good t-bone to chew on....this book has something for everyone.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great "narrative commentary" of the book of John. Card uses his imagination as well as his scholarly mind to bring the verses and stories to life. I really appreciated his insights and the fact that it is accessibly written.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much insight and it gave me a fresh look at the Book of John and the Life of Jesus, John, His Disciple, His Ministry