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Stories From the Bible
Background and Introduction
In 1849, Charles Dickens wrote his last book, The Life of Our Lord. It was written for his children and not published until 1934. The book begins: "My dear children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the History of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about Him." Jesus (Yehoshua bar Yosef) is the most influential figure in world history, yet Dickens’ wish seems a long way from being true today. There are many reasons for this but one may be that the Bible, the most reliable source of information about Jesus, is usually light on the kind of details which would bring his story to life for the modern reader. In these stories I have tried to enliven the basic accounts found in the Gospels by putting myself imaginatively in the place of one of the characters who encountered Jesus all those years ago.
The origin of Encounters With Jesus lies in a guided silent retreats I undertook at St Beuno's in North Wales. Each morning my retreat guide would suggest a passage of scripture for me to engage with. She encouraged me to immerse myself as fully as I could in the Bible story and to write down my reflections. These stories are the result of those visits. I have taken the raw text which I produced there and refined it slightly. Each story is based on incidents recorded in the Bible and I have endeavoured to make them as accurate as possible to what we know of life in first century Judea and Galilee. They offer a ‘back story’ to flesh out the often bare bones which we get in the Gospel accounts. They are clearly fictional but, I hope, plausible and offer a depth and emotional richness which is not always evident in the originals.
Of the people who have sampled them already, two kinds seem to be have been particularly appreciative: those who are interested in Jesus but find the Bible a bit dry or forbidding and those who know the stories so well that a fresh perspective can help them rediscover the power of the Good News. I hope that they may serve some purpose and perhaps help to bring Charles Dickens’ wish closer to reality.
Miracle Baby
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Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, struggled to get pregnant. This is an account of how things miraculously changed for her.
Following Jesus
After Jesus had been baptized by John the Baptist, John encouraged his followers to get to know Jesus better. This is the story of Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.
Through the Roof
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Jesus has moved to Capernaum and is using it as his base. Crowds come from far and wide to hear him speak and to be healed by him.
Authority
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A Roman centurion is posted to the lakeside town of Capernaum in Galilee and discovers more than he expected.
Like Trees Walking
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In the time of Jesus there were many itinerant healers. Jesus was one of the most powerful and popular with the common people.
Unbelief
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‘Demon possession’ is not the kind of illness that is generally recognised nowadays. In Jesus’ time it was a common diagnosis.
Born Blind
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In Jesus’ time, disability was sometimes associated with sin — if you’re disabled it must be a punishment for something you’ve done. Jesus had another opinion.
The Washing of Feet
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The annual Passover meal celebrates and remembers the delivery of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This particular meal was Jesus’ last with his friends.
Betrayal
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Simon Peter was one of Jesus’ closest followers. He promised Jesus that he would never deny or reject him.
Passing By
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Jesus was very popular with the common people. But there were those who saw him as both a religious and political threat to the Jewish nation.
Crucifixion Duty
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Crucifixion was the cruellest of ways to execute someone. It was designed to be literally excruciating in its pain and humiliating in providing shame and spectacle.
Emmaus Road
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Jesus’ crucifixion seemed to be the end of the story. But it wasn’t.
Fulfilment
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Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”