The Gospel According to Job

Want a book that s better than well written or persuasive? Want a book that just might change your perspective and convictions. Want a book that will open your eyes. Read “the gospel” according to Job.

My uncle in recommending this book said, 'If I were stranded on a deserted island and could have with me only two books--one, of course, would be the Bible, the other would be The Gospel According to Job.' My personal choices, though, would be (one) the Bible and (two) a comprehensive survival guide with detailed instructions on how to build a boat. However, if I were given a third choice, I would undoubtedly have with me The Gospel According to Job. It's the most profound commentary on Christian living I've ever read. I've handed out dozens to friends and family. All the chapters are two pages in length and are perfect in size for devotional reading. The Gospel According to Job, in truth, is so rich and deep with insight, I find it best to chew on small pieces of its wisdom at a time. It is--in its own right--a practical and spiritual guide for life, and has built me up in ways no other book has. Please read it.

Mike Mason's "The Gospel According to Job" creates a biblical sufferology: a theology of suffering. Point by point, or, more accurately, verse by verse, Mason guides readers, like an ancient spiritual director, into the depth of human suffering. His co-guide is the greatest human sufferer of all time--Job. As Mason explains in his preface, "The Gospel According to Job" is not a commentary but a devotional. Those looking for an exegetical commentary will, therefore, be disappointed. However, those looking for an accurate, unique, refreshing, practical explanation of the life of Job, will be encouraged. Mason is a skilled wordsmith which makes this rather lenghty book an easy read, as does the two-to-three page "chapters." Many of the insights, in particular that Job is about Job, more than it is about God, are startling. In fact, readers of this review are likely saying, "What!? How can Job NOT be about God?" Oh, it is. But it is MORE about God's view of Job than it is about Job's view of God. If I say more, I'll ruin the suspense . . . Not every "chapter" provides the same depth of insight, with some more provocative and perhaps more exegetically grounded than others. But, isn't that the way with a "devotional book." More than enough chapters are "dead on" to make "The Gospel According to Job" a powerful addition to your arsenal in the battle for your soul when Satan assaults. Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."

Do you ever feel like giving up trying to figure life out? Figuring religion out? Figuring out God? So did Job. The book of Job is a fascinating account of a man struggling with life and struggling with how to equate God into the seemingly unexplainable matrix of existence. This book consists of over 200 short chapters following different verses chronologically found in the book of Job. These short chapters hold tremendous insight yet they are very easy to read. Mike Mason writes in a humble, honest way that makes for educational, edifying reading. He shares his own struggles and doubts, and these often parallel what Job experienced. I have heard and/or read many different `answers' to the book of Job. There are dozens of different types of explanations, and some are completely opposite. Mike Mason doesn't try to give an answer to the book of Job, but instead writes a devotional type commentary that often asks more questions than provides answers. I recommend this book to any Christian- especially those who struggle with `trying to figure God out.' In all of our searching, studying, philosophizing and debating- I believe God wants us to come to the same knowledge of Himself as Job came to near the end of the book. God wants us to say WOW.

I have read and pondered the Book of Job many times in my life. But Mike Mason's book goes to the top of my all time list. It is a devotional but so much more. Mason has obviously rubbed shoulders with Joblike suffering, and he has not lost faith. Rather, his faith had been deepened. He has brought a scholarly and devotional blend to his writing. I have been deeply affected and recommend this book to everyone, seeker and believer alike.

Here is a modern 'classic' about the Bible's oldest book, the Book of Job. Job is a 'true classic' in that everybody can relate to the narrative of Job. Mason does an EXCELLENT job of [and according to his forward, he's learned from personal experience] devotionally and practically opening up the eternal issues of doubt, suffering, faith and the human experience. Although it is not meant to be a scholarly commentary, Mason does better than most 'scholarly' commentators with the questions and answers we find in the Biblical narrative of Job. Everybody shares the things Job went through, the important thing is to see that Job [as Mason brings out extremely well] was moved TOWARD God, not away from God in Job's trials and sufferings. As Mason says people reject Jesus but no one rejects Job. And as Job found out you can't reject the Redeemer! Mason's 'Gospel According to Job' is VERY worthwhile reading for pastors, Bible students and any believer seeking a deeper walk with the Lord. With so much PLASTIC Christianity out there, it is great to find some depth. Recommended highly for anyone who faces LIFE. Another largely unknown excellent work on Job is 'Portraits of Perseverance' by Henry Gariepy [Victor Books, 1989]--I don't know if you can find it anywhere but Gariepy [a Salvation Army pastor] does an excellent job of commenting on the Book of Job in short devotional statements, showing Job as a man [like all of us] moved TOWARD God through pain, suffering and trials.