This book is a historical fiction. Each chapter is a perspective of witnesses of Christ’s words and deeds. Some are believers such as Mary Magdalen, Anna (Mother of Mother Mary), James (Son of Zebedee) and many more. Reading the memories witnessed by the believers, makes the reader wishful to be one amongst them. Amongst these believers, some followed Him, and some didn’t. Others such as a young priest in Capernaum or a widow in Galilee and many more like them chose to ridicule Him. This book is a portrait of how humans choose to decide the narrative of the truth. The question is: if history repeats and we witness presence of God, will we choose to be a believer or a non-believer?
Assaph (the Orator of Tyre) said, “… He spoke with the power of a spirit and that spirit had authority over those who heard Him.” [page 10] But Caiphas (the High Priest) said, “He poisoned the mind of the simple people, and He led them as if by magic against us and against Caesar.” [page 26] Or else, like the Manasseh (lawyer in Jerusalem) who “would have no man preach” to him finding Jesus’ speech “too distant and obscure to reach” his mind. [page 140] So, the author shows how our belief dictates what we see and hear.
Sometimes, even if we recognize Him, we cannot accept new face or aspect of God like the Persian philosopher in Damascus proclaims, “… my God is the God of Zoroaster … I am content. I need no other God.” [page 36] Or else, we cannot accept new prophets like Jephtha of Caesarea who said, “My heart is overfull with the prophets of old, and that is enough.” [page 143]
“Yea, how shall I know God’s hand?” [page 54] - this is the most pertinent question asked by the rich Levi in the neighborhood of Nazareth. Our inner voice will tell us like Pilate’s wife who confesses to a Roman lady, “… in my soul I knew I had passed by a god.” [page 189] But can we hear our inner voice?
Let's assume we recognize the Divine. After recognition, are we going to be like the shepherd in south Lebanon, who “had not the courage to follow Him.” [page 56] Or, are we going to be like John at Patmos who said, “He called me and I followed Him.” [page 165]
Above all, how will we know the Truth? John (the beloved disciple) provides the answer: we need to know the truth “not only in the mind but rather in the spirit. The mind weighs and measures but it is the spirit that reaches the heart of life and embraces the secret.” [page 145]
About the Author
Khalil Gibran (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) was a Lebanese writer, poet, and artist whose works include Jesus the Son of Man and many others. Gibran was a Christian and wrote about the truth about Christ and his life, as well as about God and religion.
Few quotes of Shri Mataji on Kahlil Gibran
You start understanding the great poets like Khalil Gibran and all such poets [who] have reached the state of oneness with God. After Realization, you share their joy and understand [them]. [1980-0429]
First of all, you see, you cannot judge so rationally, but logically you can find out who is a true master, like, we can say, Khalil Gibran. Khalil Gibran is, no doubt, because he talks of the meeting, not of the suffering, but of the meeting, of the joy and everything. [1981-1009]
If you have to read, read Khalil Gibran. [1982-0206]
I think you’d better read some of the prophets [then] you will also start talking like them. You read Kabir, Khalil Gibran, all these people. [1982-0402]
I would say that in Lebanon a great poet, like Kahlil Gibran, was born, and then in India, we had so many such poets, who just lashed the society and lashed all these ideas of the intellectuals, the ideas of the religions, the ones who were trying to curb them. Because there was no genuineness, there was no sincerity. If we are honest people, we really mean it, then let us face it and see for ourselves what we have to achieve. [1985-1128]
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