Book Review: Unexpected Love by Julie Zine Coleman {Book Sneeze}

Unexpected Love: God’s heart revealed in Jesus’ conversations with women, by Julie Zine Coleman
ISBN 9781400204243
Paperback, 233 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Retail: $15.99
From the back cover:

How would you characterize Jesus in his interactions with women? Gracious? Preachy? Aloof? Kind? Dismissive?

Unexpected Love is an essential read for anyone eager to understand Jesus Christ's true heart for women. We ache for a satisfying relationship with him and crave his healing touch. So did the women of the first century. Each approached him with something they wanted. They left with more than they could have imagined.

Writer and teacher Julie Coleman carefully walks readers through the Gospel narratives, offering evidence of a perceptive Savior deeply concerned about the women he met. Through vivid descriptions, thoughtful questions, and empowering applications, she brings a fresh perspective to these sometimes puzzling stories.

Unexpected Love offers a compelling vision of a Savior who meets us where we are and takes us where we need to go. Discover his passion for women. What you read will impact your own relationship with him. You will fall in love with the dynamic, beautiful, and unexpectedly personal Jesus.

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I was honestly drawn to the book by its cover (yellow being my favorite color). Written in a different way than I expected, this book was very enjoyable to read. Each chapter starts with the Biblical account, then with a more detailed possible story of the account. The Biblical account is straight-forward and to the point. The story afterwards gives more feeling and emotion to the account. After each account and portrayal, is a Digging Deeper section. This section gives a contextual background to the account. It puts us more in touch with the practices of the times and places the accounts are taking place. It helps us understand the word choices as well as the behaviors of the individuals in the account. After this is the section titled For Today’s Woman, where we can get a sense of application of the account in our own lives. Finally, she wraps up each chapter with two sections: Food for Thought and Journaling. The Food for Thought gives a bit more information, perhaps, and asks questions to get our minds working and thinking about what was read. The Journaling asks us to write down our thoughts, actions, feelings, etc., that deal with the account and application to our lives.

I’ll give the accounts in order of the book:

• Chapter One: John 2:1-11 (Jesus and Mary at the Wedding in Canaan)
• Chapter Two: Mark 5:21-34 (Jesus and the Hemorrhaging Woman)
• Chapter Three: Luke 7:36-50 (Jesus and the Sinful Woman)
• Chapter Four: Matthew 15:21-28 (Jesus and the Syrophoenician Woman)
• Chapter Five: John 7:53-8:11 (Jesus and the Adulterous Woman)
• Chapter Six: Luke 10:38-42 (Jesus and Martha)
• Chapter Seven: John 4:4-30 (Jesus and the Samaritan Woman)
• Chapter Eight: Matthew 20:20-28 (Jesus and Salome)
• Chapter Nine: John 20:1-18 (Jesus and Mary Magdalene)

“Nine women. Nine cryptic conversations. Nine encounters with the Savior, whose carefully spoken words changed everything.” –from the Conclusion, pg 203

The stories of these women’s interaction with Jesus are ones that I honestly did not really pay much attention to. I’ve never thought that Jesus thought less of women than he did of any other person. I can understand that the wording can sound harsh in some of the conversations he had when we read them in the Bible, but I also understand that the times are not as they were –what wouldn’t fly today could then; and vice versa! I was interested to get a perspective on these accounts, that’s why I chose to review this book.

Personally, right now, I am not really using the Food for Thought or the Journaling sections but for reading them and thinking at the moment. 

I think that Coleman does a great job with her writing. She puts the accounts down accurately as she gets them from the Biblical account. What I really enjoyed though were her opening portrayals of the accounts. This could have happened like this- the emotions and the descriptions she gives make it more real to me. Whether or not they did happen as she illustrates is beside the point –she’s not saying that it is how she illustrates.

Also, I loved the contextual insight. I’ve always been fascinated by the differences time and location make on a situation. Something totally offensive to a group of people is seen as silliness to a different group. It is important to understand –or at least have an understanding that there is the possibility that what we think it means isn’t what they thought it meant –the context when reading. I truly believe 2 Timothy 3:16.

The one problem I have with this book and it is such a problem to me personally that I am hesitant to continue reading (I am currently finishing up chapter five) is Coleman’s use of various translations of the Bible. I can mostly handle her general use of NASB throughout but when she tosses in verses from the Apocrypha –I get a little untrusting (good word? I’m not sure) of her inclusion of scripture. She does this with at least a mention of an account of Susanna in the Apocyphra and chapter 13 in Daniel of the Greek version. As for the NASB, there is a verse (2 Cor. 12:9) that is misleading in the NASB as it leaves out a very important word; the second “my”. Here is her version’s rendition:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

Here is my version’s rendition (KJV):

“…My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…”

I will continue on with this book because I do enjoy the writing and I enjoy these more in-depth studies of these accounts. Accounts that I mentioned, I’d not really paid more attention to than reading them as I came to them. I will just have to be very cautious when she quotes verses and continue to compare them with my Bible.

My daughter is also reading this book and enjoying it. Just if you are adverse to books (Christian) including more than one translation of the Bible and especially bits from Catholicism, you might not enjoy those bits (as I’m not).

***Disclaimer: I received this book free from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given and a positive review is not mandatory. All opinions stated are my own. This post does contain affiliate link(s). See Disclosure/Policies.***