This is another book on Jesus as a Jewish rabbi and the need for our discipleship to reflect a calling to follow in these footsteps. According to the cover blurb, “‘Follow’ steps back in time to the authentic world of Jesus, and demonstrates with a passion that the same adventures we read about in the pages of the book of Acts can be written on the pages of our 21st-Century lives”.

From Palestine to Columbia

What gives the book a distinctive flavour are the personal stories of the author’s life and ministry as the founding pastor of Mosaic Community in Bogota, Columbia. For some readers these anecdotes may seem to get in the way of what they perceive as their main reason for reading it, and indeed in my case I kept wondering when the book would really start, as it seemed rather bogged down at the beginning with too much personal background. Others, though, will enjoy this extra dimension as we move between the ancient Jewish world of Jesus and a modern missionary scenario.

Gisbey clearly knows his Hebraic roots and the rabbinic world occupied by Jesus, and although much of that material is available elsewhere, there are always a few extra details that will persuade even those who are already well informed on these topics to keep going in the hope of fresh discoveries.

... as we move between the ancient Jewish world of Jesus and a modern missionary scenario.

Authority, midrash and discipleship

The book is divided into eleven chapters, with those in the middle focusing on the main religious groups of the time of Christ. So we get the now familiar portrayals of the Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots, and Pharisees, including the schools of Hillel and Shammai.

The chapter on The World of the Rabbi has a useful section on the concept and importance of authority (schmicha), and the role of midrash within the teaching ministry of rabbis at that time.

By the time we get to Chapter 9, entitled simply Dust, we have reached the real theme of discipleship, though again this is interrupted by anecdotes which, while fine in themselves, do seem to disrupt the flow.

Emphasis on Jesus

This is the author’s first book and is well researched. Overall he does not quote his sources, but for those already familiar with this kind of material it is easy to spot who has taught him.

‘Follow’ is to be commended for the wealth of material in it and the way it reinforces an important aspect of Jesus which is still unrecognised by large parts of the Church.

‘Follow’ is to be commended for the wealth of material in it and the way it reinforces an important aspect of Jesus which is still unrecognised by large parts of the Church.

The author’s personal anecdotes will be welcomed by those who want such autobiographical elements to flesh out the book, but it is the emphasis on Jesus which makes it a worthwhile addition to the bookshelves of anyone who takes following the Master seriously.

‘Follow’ (189pp) is published by Darton, Longman and Todd, and is available from Amazon for £2.90 (plus p&p)