Monday, April 22, 2013

When Jesus Wept by Brock and Bodie Thoene



About the Book:

LAZARUS---the man Jesus raised from the dead in one of the most extraordinary encounters with The Living Savior in all of Scripture.

But the life of Lazarus holds interest well beyond this miraculous event.

Living in Bethany, near Jerusalem, Lazarus witnessed many of the most important events of Jesus's life and ministry. Lazarus owned a vineyard and devoted his life to caring for its vines and fruit. But he encountered another man---Jesus---whose vineyard was the world, its fruit the eternal souls of men.

When Lazarus's story and the story of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection touch in When Jesus Wept, we are offered a unique vision into the power and comfort of Christ's love.

Brock and Bodie Thoene's most powerful and climactic writing project to date, When Jesus Wept, captures the power and the passion of the men and women who lived through the most important days in the history of the world.

My Thoughts:

I will most likely be in the minority on this, but I've read books that were much more gripping and well written by the Thoenes.  "When Jesus Wept" had great potential, but just didn't deliver for me.

Lazarus is one of my favorite Bible characters, and I've always wondered how he must have felt when Jesus called him out of the tomb.  The book touches on that briefly.  In fact, the opening pages gave me high hopes for the story.

Authors who write Biblical fiction always take a risk.  Well known stories aren't easy to tinker with, even when added facts are proven accurate with other documentation.  I personally don't believe Mary of Bethany and Mary of Magdala are the same woman, but she is portrayed as one character in the book.

A few more details didn't sound right to me, but nothing necessarily doctrinal.  I just didn't care for the story told around the facts of Lazarus and his sisters.  No mention made of the well known portion when Martha goes to Jesus to complain about Mary, which disappointed me.

I also was disappointed that the book stopped after Jesus' triumphant ride into Jerusalem, the crowds crying "Hosanna" and laying down palm branches.  The back cover led me to believe we would see the crucifixion and resurrection through the eyes of Lazarus.

Maybe in a future novel, but not in this one.

I loved the opening pages and the cover design.  I was not captivated by the story.  I've read many books by Brock and Bodie, so maybe I just expected too much.  Regardless, I'm grateful for the copy I received from Zondervan in exchange for an honest review (and for LitFuse Publicity for allowing me to take part in the virtual tour).

"When Jesus Wept" is mildly recommended, but read your Bible account first.  And always get your theology from Scripture and not from fiction...even when the fiction is well written.



Happy Reading!

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