Christopher J.H. Wright

Christopher J. H. Wright (1947– ) is an Irish Anglican Old Testament scholar and missiologist, whose work has shaped evangelical engagement with biblical ethics, mission, and the theology of the Old Testament.

Wright’s scholarship centres on the message of Israel’s Scriptures, the mission of God, and the ethical implications of covenant life. His writings weave together careful exegesis, sweeping biblical-theological vision, and pastoral concern, making him a trusted guide to readers seeking to understand how the Old Testament fits within the whole counsel of God.

He is esteemed for clarity, breadth of learning, and a deeply God-centred approach that consistently points readers to the character, purposes, and promises of the Lord. His commentaries and theological works remain influential among pastors, teachers, and students pursuing faithful, whole-Bible exposition.

Key titles include The Mission of God, The Message of Jeremiah, and The Message of Ezekiel.

Christopher J.H. Wright

Christopher J. H. Wright (1947– ) is an Irish Anglican Old Testament scholar and missiologist, whose work has shaped evangelical engagement with biblical ethics, mission, and the theology of the Old Testament.

Wright’s scholarship centres on the message of Israel’s Scriptures, the mission of God, and the ethical implications of covenant life. His writings weave together careful exegesis, sweeping biblical-theological vision, and pastoral concern, making him a trusted guide to readers seeking to understand how the Old Testament fits within the whole counsel of God.

He is esteemed for clarity, breadth of learning, and a deeply God-centred approach that consistently points readers to the character, purposes, and promises of the Lord. His commentaries and theological works remain influential among pastors, teachers, and students pursuing faithful, whole-Bible exposition.

Key titles include The Mission of God, The Message of Jeremiah, and The Message of Ezekiel.

Author: Christopher J.H. Wright

Christopher J.H. Wright

Christopher J. H. Wright (1947– ) is an Irish Anglican Old Testament scholar and missiologist, whose work has shaped evangelical engagement with biblical ethics, mission, and the theology of the Old Testament.

Wright’s scholarship centres on the message of Israel’s Scriptures, the mission of God, and the ethical implications of covenant life. His writings weave together careful exegesis, sweeping biblical-theological vision, and pastoral concern, making him a trusted guide to readers seeking to understand how the Old Testament fits within the whole counsel of God.

He is esteemed for clarity, breadth of learning, and a deeply God-centred approach that consistently points readers to the character, purposes, and promises of the Lord. His commentaries and theological works remain influential among pastors, teachers, and students pursuing faithful, whole-Bible exposition.

Key titles include The Mission of God, The Message of Jeremiah, and The Message of Ezekiel.

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The Message of Ezekiel

Mid-levelBusy pastors, Lay readers / small groups, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.1Author: Christopher J.H. Wright Bible Book: Ezekiel Series: Bible Speaks Today Publisher: IVP Type: Application, Expositional Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

Summary

In The Message of Ezekiel by Christopher J. H. Wright (IVP, 2024 revised ed.; 400 pages; ISBN 978-1789744323) we find an engaging and pastorally minded commentary on one of the Old Testament’s most enigmatic and challenging prophets. Wright brings Ezekiel’s visions, oracles, and symbolic actions to life in a way that honours the text while making the material accessible for modern preaching, teaching, and pastoral ministry. The commentary captures the book’s weight — judgment, exile, divine holiness, hope for restoration — without reducing Ezekiel’s strangeness to mere spiritual platitudes.

Wright begins by situating Ezekiel in his historical and theological context: exile, social upheaval, false gods, and a people in spiritual crisis. From there he walks through the book’s major sections, giving attention to vision passages, symbolic acts, judgments on Israel and surrounding nations, and the ultimate promise of a new heart and renewed community. His exposition is not technical in the sense of deep Hebrew syntax, but it remains firmly grounded in the flow and structure of Ezekiel’s message. Importantly, he connects the prophetic hope of restoration to the broader biblical storyline, pointing forward to the new covenant and the renewal that is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

This volume is especially valuable for pastors and Bible-teachers who face the task of bringing Ezekiel to life for congregations that may be unfamiliar with prophetic imagination. Wright’s writing is pastorally sensitive and homiletically generous. He helps the preacher wrestle honestly with divine judgement, holiness, human sin, and hope for redemption — themes that are deeply relevant for churches living in a broken world. The commentary offers sermon-shaping insight, especially in texts about God’s presence departing and returning, covenant judgment, and the promise of spiritual renewal.

The balance Wright strikes makes this commentary a helpful bridge: more substantial than a devotional reflection, yet more accessible than a technical Hebrew commentary. It is the sort of volume that a busy pastor can reasonably carry alongside sermon preparation, small-group teaching, or pastoral counselling. In a Reformed context, its emphasis on God’s holiness, his sovereign judgment, covenant faithfulness, and future restoration resonates with the broad strokes of redemptive theology. The book will help a pastor preach not only fearsome truth about judgment, but hopeful gospel about restoration.

For your role — shepherding a congregation, preparing sermons, guiding small groups — this commentary offers a reliable and readable tool. It helps you approach one of Scripture’s most difficult books with confidence and humility, always with pastoral sensitivity and gospel awareness.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend The Message of Ezekiel by Christopher J. H. Wright as a very valuable resource for pastors, small-group leaders, and serious Bible-teachers. It brings theological depth, pastoral insight, and canonical awareness to bear on a challenging prophetic book. While not a substitute for advanced technical research, it excels as a preacher’s friend and a church-teaching resource. For those who want to guide God’s people through judgment, exile, and hope toward the promise of renewal, this commentary is a worthy addition to the shelf.


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The Message of Lamentations

Mid-levelBusy pastors, Lay readers / small groups, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.0Author: Christopher J.H. Wright Bible Book: Lamentations Series: Bible Speaks Today Publisher: IVP Type: Application, Expositional, Homiletical Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

Summary

In The Message of Lamentations by Christopher J. H. Wright (IVP, 2023; 176 pages; ISBN 978-1789744415) we are offered a compassionate, sober, and theologically intelligent companion to one of the Bible’s hardest books. Wright does not shy away from the horror, grief, and theological disorientation woven into the cries of Jerusalem after its fall. He leads us through the poems of Lamentations not simply to observe tragedy, but to wrestle faithfully with suffering, divine judgment, grief, and a fragile hope rooted in the character of God.

From the opening chapters of blistering lament to the final cry for restoration, Wright handles both sorrow and silence with pastoral maturity. He attends carefully to the imagery, poetic structure, repetition, and lament-forms without burdening the reader with unnecessary technical jargon. At the same time, he remains deeply aware of the book’s place in redemptive history, while allowing the pain and rawness of Israel’s grief to speak plainly—and to speak truthfully to the church today.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

For pastors and Bible teachers who must navigate the difficult terrain of suffering, loss, and lament—whether in communal contexts or individual lives—this volume is a rare resource. It gives you theological integrity without being overly academic. That makes it a practical tool for preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and helping a congregation engage the Bible honestly in seasons of sorrow or crisis.

Wright’s work also serves as a corrective to the tendency to skip over the “difficult” parts of Scripture. Lamentations calls the church to mourn, to lament, to hold sin and judgment, grief and hope together—and Wright invites us into that posture. He brings a gospel-aware sensitivity: the book is not merely ancient history, but part of the canon that shapes how suffering, redemption, and God’s covenant faithfulness are understood in Christ’s light. For churches that value sincerity, theological depth, and pastoral compassion, this is a volume that can ground sermons and small-group studies alike.

Finally, the book is compact. At 176 pages it is manageable even for busy pastors and ministry leaders who want to engage the book of Lamentations thoroughly, without getting bogged down in technical detail. It sits well alongside sermons, Bible studies, or pastoral preparation for ministry. It is neither superficial platitude nor academic overload, but a middle road: serious, accessible, gospel-shaped.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend The Message of Lamentations by Christopher J. H. Wright as a very worthwhile and timely resource for pastors, Bible teachers, and small-group leaders. It brings theological honesty, pastoral sensitivity, and canonical awareness to one of Scripture’s most difficult books. Though not a substitute for a technical Hebrew commentary, it fills a crucial place for ministry: guiding God’s people to lament faithfully, worship honestly, and hope confidently in God’s future redemption.


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The Message of Jeremiah

Mid-levelBusy pastors, Lay readers / small groups, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.1Author: Christopher J.H. Wright Bible Book: Jeremiah Series: Bible Speaks Today Publisher: IVP Type: Application, Expositional, Homiletical Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

Summary

In The Message of Jeremiah by Christopher J. H. Wright (IVP, 2023; 480 pages; ISBN 978-1783590322) we encounter a richly engaging and thoughtful commentary on the book of Jeremiah, crafted within the Bible Speaks Today series. Wright draws on his wide experience as an Old Testament scholar and pastor to guide readers through Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry against the background of Israel’s judgment, exile and future hope. The journey he takes us on is faithful to the text, alert to the book’s literary shape, mindful of the theological weight of judgment and grace, and intent on making the message relevant for the church and its mission today.

Wright begins by orienting us to Jeremiah’s world—his calling, the turmoil of Judah, the Babylonian crisis—and helps us grasp how the book is assembled and why it matters. Then he moves through key sections of Jeremiah, offering exposition that is neither overly technical nor superficial. Throughout, readers will appreciate his consistent attention to the God of Jeremiah, the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh, and the redemptive-historical horizon that finds fulfilment in the Messiah and the new creation.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

If you are a pastor who wants a dependable yet accessible guide to Jeremiah, this volume is a strong asset. It speaks to sermon preparation, to teaching Sunday classes, and to small group leadership. The balance struck is admirable: the commentary is deeply grounded in the text, yet never loses sight of the preacher’s need for practical application and theological reflection. For example, Wright handles the weighty themes of judgment and exile without ignoring the church’s call to hope and witness in a broken world.

Moreover, Wright’s theological commitments—rooted in evangelical scholarship and global mission—make the commentary pastorally robust. He brings to Jeremiah a gospel-lens that highlights how this Old Testament book still speaks to Christ’s work, the church’s identity and the world’s redemption. That said, the volume is not aimed primarily at the specialist who wants full Hebrew exegesis, but rather at the intelligent pastor or Bible-teacher who values clarity, sound theology and applicability.

Because you lead and teach, you will appreciate how Wright connects Jeremiah’s ancient context to present ministry. Whether you are preaching on the themes of repentance, covenant renewal, or the new covenant hope, this commentary provides substantive help. It fits well in a Reformed framework: the sovereignty of God, the seriousness of sin, the certainty of redemption—all receive due space.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend The Message of Jeremiah by Christopher J. H. Wright as a very good commentary for pastors, preaching teams and serious Bible-teachers. It offers theological insight, solid exposition and practical relevance in a format that honours both the book of Jeremiah and the life of the church today. While you may want to supplement it with more technical Hebrew-level works for advanced study, for the majority of sermon-preparation and teaching contexts this is a worthy companion.


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