Jesus: A Novel

Walter Wangerin writes like he speaks. I heard him speak at a conference in the late 90’s and thoroughly enjoyed his dramatic, poetic flare. He swept his audience into the biblical world with his rich, deep voice and lyrical prose. Breath-taking. Heart-stopping.But 400 pages of it was a little more than I had bargained for.I found myself tempted to skip over portions of the book because I knew that portion of the story, or I wasn’t interested in the character he was portraying at the moment. However, as I continued reading, I was captured by some outrageously wonderful description or seized with such emotion for Mary that I couldn’t see through my tears.This book was the first of Wangerin’s work I’ve read from cover-to-cover. I’ve often read his fabulous Book of God to read a chronological retelling of a portion of Scripture. No one can write a description in the gritty, unspeakable obvious like Walt Wangerin.He describes Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus: “Her great neck was so ringed with folds of flesh that they drove the lobes straight out below her ears.” Can’t you see a chubby Martha bustling around a house?He describes Jesus, deep in thought: “…something was on his mind, some driving conviction which he seemed, by the fierce bunching of his jaw muscles, the muscles in his temple, to be chewing, chewing, never swallowing.”But the most precious—and soul-searching—descriptions were of Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus. I’ve never before been so moved by the changes she endured as the mother of a miracle, and a boy, and the Messiah: “Mary doesn’t hate the holy mysteries; but they shut her out; and if they are capable of love, it is a love too noble and composed to care about white hairs or the flab above a woman’s elbow or the insufficiencies of her soul.”Perhaps this book affected me so deeply because, a little like Mary, I'm discovering the exquisite pain of changing relationships with my children. They're growing older, becoming less dependent on me...and I'm becoming less relevant in their everyday lives. They're now the experts on culture and the world in which we live. I've become "cute" and "precious." When did that happen? ;)Jesus: A Novel, was a good read for me during the Fall season of the year and this season of my life. Perhaps it can speak to others during their own changing seasons.

I absolutely loved this book. The writer makes the characters come alive. We all have read many stories about the life of Jesus and of course its an eternal story. The writer however has captured the humanity of Mary, Joseph the apostles and Jesus. He takes you from beginning of Christ's life all the way to the Crucifixion.. He paints the apostles as real human beings and their relationship with Jesus, is shown in everyday life with its normal challenges. He pulls you into the poverty of the people and the love Jesus has for them .I just could not get enough . I am looking forward to reading the authors next book

A historical fiction book on life of Jesus, told primarily from the point of view of the apostle John and Jesus' mother, Mary. The outline does not deviate from the Gospels, however, it goes beyond the familiar story. Wangerin takes the skeletal style of first century authors and gives it flesh, bringing the Gospels to life on the page with gestures, facial expressions and historical background. It delves into what scenes of life from Jesus' home village may have inspired a certain parable; makes a compelling, creative exploration of the motives of Judas Iscariot; and more. The storyline remains true to the Person you find in the Bible while transporting the modern reader to first-century Palestine with its colorful additions.If I were stranded on an island, this be a great candidate for the one book I'd want to bring. Jesus Himself seemed more living, more alive, as I read the words of a writer with God-given talent and insight. This was the book I have always been longing for since knowing Jesus - the Gospels tell us everything we need to know about Him - but this moving narrative shows us what it may have been like to be right there with Him.I felt Wangerin's portrayal of Jesus was on occasion a bit harsh as compared to my understanding of Him. In the audiobook read by the author ([...] the tones of voice are tougher still. Then again, we are all slightly different in each of our distinct relationships - if you're a parent, maybe you don't use the same tone of voice to convey the same message to two of your children - my parents certainly don't. Likewise, I believe we all see God a little differently too, and that's fine. Most Christians I converse with in depth (primarily conservative evangelicals) see Jesus as more strict than I do, so perhaps not all readers will agree with me on this bit. But I would still recommend the written version above the audio, to better allow the Jesus you know (and the side of Himself He wishes to revel to you) to come through to you personally. I hope you will fall in love as I did with this loving, caring, deep person and all His complexities in this moving portrait Wangerin paints.

People often ask what they should read first from the Bible when it is new to them. Most Christians start with the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. This is where Walter Wagerin begins, too, as he takes us on a walk of discovery. Where we learn about Jesus, His love for us, and about ourselves. In this book, or another like it, may you live in the love of the Lord.