Don Thorsen
Christians believe that Jesus was both human and divine. While he lived on earth, however, Jesus lived as a human. He had to grow in wisdom and stature as well as in favor with God and people. Imagine Jesus having a best friend named Shamir, whom Jesus knew since boyhood in their hometown of Nazareth. What kinds of conversations might the two of them have had? How important was friendship to Jesus?This novel envisions how friendship aided Jesus in his adult life as well as in his boyhood. Conversations with Shamir suggest the kinds of questions and concerns that the human Jesus experienced. What sense of divine calling did Jesus have? Why did he pray so much? How did Jesus assemble his disciples? How did he view the signs, wonders, healings, and exorcisms that occurred? How did Jesus endure eventual betrayal, crucifixion, and death? How did Jesus understand resurrection?We gain a needed understanding of Jesus’ humanness by reading this novel. Jesus emphasized faith and hope as well as love and justice. We learn about how Jesus developed these virtues and how he communicated them to others. In listening to Jesus’ conversations with Shamir, we learn about how Jesus persevered and flourished in living a God-centered life, empowered by grace.
