Guest Author - Diana Pederson

Leith Anderson. Jesus: An Intimate Portrait of the Man, His Land, and His People. Bethany House. 2005.

The Bible records the story of Jesus in four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus: An Intimate Portrait of the Man, His Land, and His People presents His story in chronological order. The book is not an exact rendition of the scriptures. It is written in the author’s own words. The author expands the story so that it almost reads like a commentary of the Gospels.

Book Features I Liked

The writing style makes this an easy to read biography of Jesus, the most important man that ever lived on this earth. When words that may not be understood by the average reader are used, the author includes a page note explaining it. This significantly expands the reader’s understanding of the scripture story because they learn to understand the meaning of terms or events from New Testament times. Boxed in information gives important information on topics such as the Lord ’s Prayer.


Here is a brief sample of this book concerning the story of the blind man being healed.

It wasn’t a plea for mercy or the volume of his shouting that distressed those with Jesus. It was the blind man’s title for Jesus: “Son of David.” This was a well-known messianic title. The blind man was imploring Jesus for mercy on the basis of Jesus being the Messiah. In politically diverse and volatile Jericho, such shouts could be asking for trouble. The Romans weren’t going to risk competition with a religious leader who had crowds proclaiming him to be their political leader—certainly not in financially profitable Jericho. [Page 248]

Recommendation

Jesus: An Intimate Portrait of the Man, His Land, and His People is a book suitable for ages ranging from upper elementary through adulthood. The book provides an in-depth review of Jesus’ life. I highly recommend it to all people interested in learning more about Jesus and His teachings. It may be purchased at your local bookstores or at amazon.com. Perhaps you would like to purchase it, read it, and pass it on to your church’s library.