Finally, finally and finally, I found a book that speaks of Jesus as if we were there, ground up, listening and observing the going’s on in Palestine 2000 years ago. No doctrine centered thinking here. The author tells us a story, in fact, the book is entitled, “A Life of Jesus” (1973), written by a believing and accomplished Japanese novelist, Shusaku Endo.
Congregation,
please don’t get into a tizzy just yet. A
novelist is a story teller but the story may be from real life. A novelist wants the reader to participate in
the story, on a human emotional level, not just to repeat a murid of supposed
facts. The author accomplished his mission.
This book
came in the mail and I jumped to the last chapter as the story of the resurrection
is told to us. Mr. Endo knows his Bible
and is not afraid of liberal textual criticism, weaving a beautiful story. The point of the chapter is that some of the
disciples believed in the resurrection and were changed from being pliable cowards
to courageous God servants for the risen Jesus.
Although the
fact of the resurrection may not hold up in a court of law, the effects or
power of the resurrection is proven in history as our world heard the news. The
everyday, everywhere folk who experienced death at their doorstep every day of
their lives began to question, maybe, there is a God who, somehow, can bring eternal
life to us in the midst of our misery. The people must decide.
It is clear
from his story that the author believed but to his credit Mr. Endo never says,
because I believe, you should also believe. Mr. Endo gives his readers respect
and the freedom to make their own decision. However it may be explained or
remembered, the spirit of the divine acted at this time and place.
Personally,
I believe in the resurrection but that does not mean that I have to believe
that God was on the cross, to me, that is an unnecessary leap of faith. Considering
the world of 2000 years ago, where the lines between politics and religion were
everywhere muddied, one can understand how many made that leap.
Where have I been for the last fifty years? I missed, at least until now, “A Jesus Story”.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
