He Chose the Nails

by Max Lucado

Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers (2005)
240 pages

He said “yes” to inhuman pain—the thorns—the wine-soaked sponge—the cross hailing Him as King of the Jews—the two crosses sharing the hill with Him. And, yes, He Chose the Nails.

In typical fashion, Max Lucado has written a book that takes a complex issue and breaks it down in a way we all can understand. Using story-telling, humor, real-life analogies, and self-deprecating wit, Lucado explains why Jesus would choose to die for us—why His death had to happen as it did. None of it was accidental.

He takes us along the torturous path of the Via Dolorosa; he describes the thorny crown which symbolizes the consequence of sin, the nails in Jesus’ hands which opened the doors of heaven to us, Jesus’ seamless garment—his perfection—which he gave up for us. Lucado takes every incident, every symbol, from the crucifixion and breaks it down into layman terms so we can all comprehend the true scope of what Jesus did.

The book is a very quick read. My copy has only 150 pages of reading material. Plus, there is a detailed study guide in the back which encourages the reader to look even deeper yet into Jesus’ sacrifice—Jesus love. With fifteen quick chapters, the book is an excellent resource for a small group Bible study.