This week on the blog we're talking about the greatest story ever told.
It has it all. Love and hate. Loyalty and betrayal. Friends and enemies and friends who become enemies. Birth and death. It keeps you on your toes throughout the entire story. What book am I talking about? The Bible, specifically, The New Testament.
Leaving religion out of it (my apologies to those of you who are firm believers) the story of Jesus of Nazareth is a compelling tale. We have a hero who is born of humble beginnings and uncertain parentage who rose to become the leader of a movement that swept across the nation of Israel and later the world. With nothing more than the carpentry skills learned from his father and an abundance of faith, he became a self-styled fisher of men.
His ability to do magic—turn water into wine, cure the sick and bring the dead back to life—was a major factor in his influence. But the wider his circle of friends and followers became, the more he opened himself to people who were threatened by his anti-establishment philosophies and wanted to destroy him.
We cheered along with the crowd when he turned a few baskets of food into enough to feed the assembly. We cried along with his mother when one of his friends turns his back on him and turns him over to the authorities. We wept with him when he was tortured and paraded through the streets.
When he was nailed to a cross and left hanging there, we almost tossed the book across the room in disgust. Only the hints that had been dropped about eternal life gave us any hope for a happy ending and kept us reading.
The ending (spoiler alert) —the resurrection and then the disappearance of the hero into the clouds—left the reader searching for answers. The various points of view of the four narrators were at times confusing. And although the story contains elements from tales of the time, overall, it cannot be matched.
To find out what the other authors have to say, follow the links below. And feel free to leave a comment!
February 27, 2017 - What is the greatest story ever told?
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I am a firm believer, but admit freely that Jesus has inspired many an archetype.
ReplyDeleteI think we'll see a common theme this week. Thank you.
ReplyDelete