Title:
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Author:
Bear Grylls
Publisher: Hodder
& Stoughton
Pages:
276
My
GoodReads Rating: ⭐
When I
first read the title, it reminded me of the book (same title) by Fulton
Oursler, which was a fictional retelling of the Gospel. Bear Grylls’ version
tells the story through the first-person accounts of five key people: Jesus’s
mother, Maryam; a sceptic called Ta’om (more familiar to us as Thomas); one of
his first disciples, Shimon (Simon Peter); his disciple and friend, Yohannan
(John); and Maryam of Magdala (Mary Magdalene).
The
Prologue takes us to the aftermath of the crucifixion, when two men travelling
on the road to Emmaus, are joined by a third man who they don’t recognize
initially. The author doesn’t mention the name Emmaus here, calling it Hammath
instead, possibly the Hebrew name, but one of the two men, who are unnamed in
Luke’s gospel, is named Alpheus here.
Maryam’s
story starts from the Annunciation, including Elizabeth’s unexpected pregnancy,
and her husband’s lack of faith, the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Presentation
with the prophecy of Shimon (a sword shall pierce your heart) and Anna, and the
finding of the Child Jesus in the temple, then on to the Baptism at the river
Jordan, 40 days in the desert, stopping at the wedding at Cana.
To’am’s
account starts from the wedding at Cana, and then covers the bulk of Jesus’s
ministry, stopping at the calming of the storm. He brings us up to speed with
the meeting with Nicodemus, the upturning of the merchants’ tables at
Jerusalem, the Samaritan woman at the well, the woman who touched the hem of
Jesus’s garment, the man possessed by demons, the house of Shimon’s
mother-in-law, the healing of the leper, the invitation to Levi, the tax
collector etc. We get a sense of what it was like to be a disciple, constantly
on the move, following Jesus, no comforts. To’am’s account helps us understand
how Yeshua’s growing influence made the religious leaders uncomfortable.
Shimon’s
account doesn’t give us details about Jesus’ ministry because To’am has already
covered that ground. Shimon takes us deeper, riffing off the calming of the
storm. But he shares the miracle of the blessing of the loaves and fish to feed
5000 people, (Typical Yeshua. Giving away far more than is ever asked for), the
miracle of walking on the water, the Our Father, Yeshua asking His disciples, Who do you think I am?, the
Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, raising Lazarus from the dead etc.
Yohannan’s
account takes us to the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. And then
Maryam of Magdala takes us through the days after the Death and Resurrection,
and finally the Ascension.
WHAT I
LIKED: The use of the original names and spellings for people and places hints
at a desire to be authentic. The story hits the right beats. For instance,
Maryam’s story starts with the Annunciation, then the visit to her cousin,
Elizabeth, the journey to Bethlehem for the census, they all follow in
sequence.
The
personal viewpoint reveals the character of every PoV. It also highlights the
humanity of Jesus, within His divinity, through his playfulness, his laughter,
compassion, and occasional frustration.
Each
PoV reads almost like a journal. Each voice holds its own. Through each, we can
sense the author’s faith, something he has been vocal about.
Mother
Maryam’s account of the visit of the three wise men was a chapter I really
enjoyed. It showed us the Child Jesus, shy, unsure of stranger. He watches the
foreigners worship Him with one eye, while His head is tucked sideways against
His mother’s hip. How cute is that! The chapter also talks about the emotions
stirred by the gift of myrrh.
Maryam’s
account impresses us with the fear and uncertainty that must have gripped her
and Joseph through the tumult of their son’s early childhood. They were after
all refugees through those years, constantly fleeing danger.
Ta’om’s
PoV threw up an insight that I appreciated: that they celebrate Passover —
freedom from Egyptian oppression — while being under Roman rule. Hope is
dangerous to the oppressed. Ta’om is the disciple we know as Doubting Thomas.
Here Grylls builds him a back story of disbelief, and we get a ringside view as
Ta’om’s scepticism slowly crumbles. To’am crosses over from scepticism to
belief when Jesus calms the storm.
Incidentally,
Christians in India have a special bond with Ta’om since it was he who brought
Christianity to India.
One
strong point of the book is the structure. The PoVs lead onward
chronologically, but always stay true to the core gospel.
Maryam
of Magdala reinforces that it was to her, a woman, considered second-class
citizens in that era, that the Lord first revealed Himself after the
Resurrection. I loved particularly her recounting of how Peter came to drop his
shame, after he denied the Lord three times, and how the Lord forgave him. The
number 3 is crucial here.
WHAT I
DIDN’T LIKE: The narrative could have done with better and tighter editing. In
some places, prepositions or conjunctions were missing. Some of the phrasing
was awkward. For example, “A coming king who would hold the very keys…”
“His
local name was Yeshua.” What is a local name? Did the author mean to say His
name as pronounced in Aramaic?
There
is a spelling mistake in Yohannan’s PoV. The author meant to say, I wanted to
retch. But he used the word, wretch, instead.
WHAT
DIDN’T WORK FOR ME: The author refers to the Sabbath as shab-ta. Isn’t it
Shabbat in the original?
ALL
SAID AND DONE: The writing in this book has a slightly modern slant, which has
its own appeal, and might bring in a whole new group of readers who are
unfamiliar with the Bible. Grylls gives us just the right amount of detail to
help us to picture the Gospel story. I would definitely recommend this one.
(I read this book on NetGalley. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.)
