The city, still packed with tens of thousands of Passover pilgrims, was just waking. The shofar blew from the Temple pinnacle. The single note seemed to be joined by ten thousand others as the echo resounded across the land, announcing the beginning of a new day.
Philo suddenly appeared through the gates. Claudia spotted him dashing—skipping!—over the paving stones. The boy’s eager face turned upward toward the parapet where Claudia watched.
Just behind him a troop of soldiers clambered along in broken formation. Even at this distance, Claudia could see something was terribly wrong with the troop. In spite of the shouts of their commander, they struggled to stand at attention. Instead of marching, they stumbled forward, turning to peer back over their shoulders in terror as though they had been routed by a fierce enemy.
Claudia straightened, clasped her hands, and gazed heavenward in joy as the last blast of the shofar died away. “So it is true. Oh, Lord, it is true!”
When she looked down, she again located Philo running ahead of the soldiers. He scattered a small flock of sheep being moved toward the meat market.
“Philo,” she called, “it is three days!”
“Mother!” Philo shouted up to her as he rounded the corner. “It is all just as he promised. Jesus is not dead, but alive! I have seen him. Jesus is risen!”29
Notes
CHAPTER 13
1. Read the story and message of John the Baptizer in Luke 3:1–20
CHAPTER 20
2. Isaiah 7:14
3. Micah 5:2
4. Isaiah 9:6 KJV
CHAPTER 30
5. Isaiah 35:5–6 NASB
6. Isaiah 35:4
7. Isaiah 35:6
CHAPTER 32
8. Matthew 6:24–32
9. See Matthew 8:1–4
10. See Matthew 5:43–44; Luke 6:31, 45
CHAPTER 33
11. See Matthew 8:5–13
CHAPTER 35
12. Matthew 18:23–35 NKJV
CHAPTER 36
13. See Matthew 13:1–35; Mark 4:26-29
CHAPTER 38
14. See Matthew 26:52
15. See Matthew 16:13–20
CHAPTER 40
16. Zechariah 9:9 NKJV
17. See Matthew 21:12–13
18. Psalm 69:4, 9 NASB
CHAPTER 41
19. See Matthew 24
20. Matthew 24:4–6, 9, 14–16, 21–22, 29–31, 36, 42 NKJV
21. Matthew 25:31–46 NKJV
22. See Matthew 26:1–2
CHAPTER 43
23. See Luke 22:47–53
CHAPTER 44
24. See Luke 22:66–23:23
CHAPTER 45
25. See Matthew 27:33–56
CHAPTER 46
26. See Matthew 27:57–60
27. See Matthew 27:51–53
28. See Matthew 27:62–66.
EPILOGUE
29. See Matthew 28:1–15
Authors’ Note
Jesus clearly believed in the power of stories. He told parables—stories—to stretch the minds and transform the hearts of his listeners. We too believe in the life-changing power of stories, and that’s why we’re passionate about writing fiction.
In every work of our fiction, there is truth, based on research, and there is imagination, based on our minds and perspectives. We weren’t here, on this earth, as Jesus walked among the people, but through the verses of Scripture and our imagination, we have portrayed to the best of our ability what he might have said and the way in which he might have said it. Behold the Man is how we imagine the events might have happened for Claudia, for Philo, for Marcus, for Carta, for Josephus the Elder, and for all the other characters in this story whose lives, bodies, and hearts were transformed by Jesus. It also traces the path of Jesus’ days on earth, including some of his miracles and words, as well as his arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
Can lives, bodies, and hearts truly be transformed today as they were in the days when Jesus walked the earth? With Jesus, anything is possible! Through Behold the Man, may the Messiah come alive to you . . . in more brilliance than ever before. And may you look forward someday to the realm of heaven, where the desires of your heart will be met and your questions answered.
Bodie & Brock Thoene
Discussion Questions
1. In what ways is Claudia held captive by her circumstances? How does she choose to make the best of them?
2. Have you ever felt trapped by the parameters of your own life? If so, how did you handle that situation? If you are in the midst of difficulties right now, how does Claudia’s story encourage you to have a long-term perspective?
3. Philo and Jono rescue a bird with a broken wing. “She may grieve so much for her family, who have all flown south by now, that her heart may break like her wing. There is no mending a broken heart,” Jono says.
But Philo insists, “Mother will fix her wing. I will tend her heart . . . feed her and sing to her.”
Do you believe it’s possible to mend a broken heart? If so, how? How might you be part of that “mending” in someone’s life today?
4. Jono had every reason to hate Marcus. Their hand-to-hand battle spelled the end of Jono’s nation, and Marcus enslaved Jono, later giving him as a gift to serve Philo and Claudia. Why then does Jono consider Marcus as a friend and say, “Yes. I owe him everything”?
How might the two friends’ story impact your treatment of those you consider enemies?
5. It has been eight years since Claudia and Marcus pledged their love to each other, planned their escape, and were betrayed by Pilate—someone Marcus considered as a friend. Now, though Claudia and Marcus still love each other, they can only gaze at each other from afar.
Have you ever loved—and lost—someone? Or been betrayed by a friend? If so, how has that experience influenced how you relate to others?
6. Josephus says, “The choices made by ordinary men and women can profoundly alter the course of history. If true, then all words spoken and deeds, done or not done, may be important.” Do you agree? Why or why not? When has a single choice or a few words altered your life?
7. Imagine you are one of the people hearing John the Baptist speak in the valley of the Jordan: “The time has come for you to change your hearts! Look inside. You know the truth about yourselves. Rend your hearts, and not your garments. The Almighty is giving you one last chance!” How would you respond to his challenge? Which of the people below would your response be more like, and why?
• A Pharisee: “Watch how you speak. We are true sons of Abraham!”
• Quintus: “This fellow’s more abusive than a nagging wife!”
• Marcus: “He is no one Rome or Herod Antipas need worry about. . . . Son of David. It’s a myth. Nothing more.”
• Carta: “Who is the Son of David?”
8. Pilate’s first work as governor is to incite a riot by carrying foreign gods into Jerusalem. Pilate insists the people are rebels. Marcus counters, “They are simple folk. Simple folk who happened to be in the street when the Zealots struck.”
Pilate shouts back, “What was I to do? Insult Caesar? Hide his images as if we were frightened to enter Jerusalem? This city belongs to Rome, and Tiberius is Rome. This is his property, isn’t it?”
Marcus chose not to reply. If you had to reply, what would you have said?
9. When Cassius and Marcus encounter a father, mother, and crippled child on the
way to the Sea of Galilee, the father tells them, “We hear a rabbi named Jesus of Nazareth is there. Teaching our people the ways of peace.”
The mother adds, “They say he heals many diseases by the power of God . . . we are taking our son there.”
If you were Marcus, would you have stayed to listen to Jesus, or ridden away, back to Jerusalem? Why?
10. At first Marcus didn’t believe the claims of John the Baptist or the claims of Jesus. In chapter 23, what events changed Marcus’s mind about both? And led him to ride with Kuza all night so Jesus could work his miracle on Boaz?
11. When Jesus says Boaz is healed, and tells Kuza to go home, Kuza believes him . . . and goes home. Miryam, who has seen the boy’s healing with her own eyes, flees Kuza and Joanna’s home. Marcus pleads with her: “Come with me, to see the power of this man. To hear him. Maybe he can help.”
But she spats back, “Go see this healer yourself! I’m not sick. You’re the one, not me . . . I’m content with my life the way it is.”
Why do you think Kuza and Miryam responded so differently? Which character most accurately reflects what your response would be? Explain.
12. If you could ask Jesus for any miracle today, what would you ask for, and why?
About the Authors
BODIE and BROCK THOENE (pronounced Tay-nee) have written over seventy works of historical fiction. That these bestsellers have sold more than thirty-five million copies and won eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards affirms what millions of readers have already discovered—that the Thoenes are not only master stylists but experts at capturing readers’ minds and hearts.
In their timeless classic series about Israel (The Zion Chronicles, The Zion Covenant, The Zion Legacy, The Zion Diaries), the Thoenes’ love for both story and research shines. With The Shiloh Legacy and Shiloh Autumn (poignant portrayals of the American Depression), The Galway Chronicles (dramatic stories of the 1840s famine in Ireland), and the Legends of the West (gripping tales of adventure and danger in a land without law), the Thoenes have made their mark in modern history. In the A.D. Chronicles they stepped seamlessly into the world of Jerusalem and Rome, in the days when Yeshua walked the earth. Now, in the Jerusalem Chronicles, the Thoenes continue that journey through the most crucial events in the life of Yeshua on earth.
Bodie, who has degrees in journalism and communications, began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News & World Report, The American West, and the Saturday Evening Post. She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as “a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!”
Brock has often been described by Bodie as “an essential half of this writing team.” With degrees in both history and education, Brock has, in his role of researcher and story-line consultant, added the vital dimension of historical accuracy. Due to such careful research, the Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles series are recognized by the American Library Association, as well as Zionist libraries around the world, as classic historical novels and are used to teach history in college classrooms.
Bodie and Brock have four grown children—Rachel, Jake, Luke, and Ellie—and nine grandchildren. Their children are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audio books. Bodie and Brock divide their time between Hawaii, London, and Nevada.
www.thoenebooks.com
www.familyaudiolibrary.com
THOENE FAMILY CLASSICS™
THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC HISTORICALS
BY BODIE AND BROCK THOENE
Gold Medallion Winners*
The Zion Covenant
Vienna Prelude*
Prague Counterpoint
Munich Signature
Jerusalem Interlude
Danzig Passage
Warsaw Requiem*
London Refrain
Paris Encore
Dunkirk Crescendo
The Zion Chronicles
The Gates of Zion*
A Daughter of Zion
The Return to Zion
A Light in Zion
The Key to Zion*
The Shiloh Legacy
In My Father’s House*
Say to This Mountain
Shiloh Autumn
The Galway Chronicles
Only the River Runs Free*
Of Men and of Angels
Ashes of Remembrance*
All Rivers to the Sea
The Zion Legacy
Jerusalem Vigil
Thunder from Jerusalem
Jerusalem’s Heart
Jerusalem Scrolls
Stones of Jerusalem
Jerusalem’s Hope
A.D. Chronicles
First Light
Second Touch
Third Watch
Fourth Dawn
Fifth Seal
Sixth Covenant
Seventh Day
Eighth Shepherd
Ninth Witness
Tenth Stone
Eleventh Guest
Twelfth Prophecy
Zion Diaries
The Gathering Storm
Against the Wind
Jerusalem Chronicles
When Jesus Wept
Take This Cup
Behold the Man
THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC ROMANCE
BY BODIE THOENE
Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii
THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC AMERICAN LEGENDS
Legends of the West
BY BROCK AND BODIE THOENE
Legends of the West
VOLUME ONE
Sequoia Scout
The Year of the Grizzly
Shooting Star
Legends of the West
VOLUME TWO
Gold Rush Prodigal
Delta Passage
Hangtown Lawman
Legends of the West
VOLUME THREE
Hope Valley War
The Legend of Storey County
Cumberland Crossing
Legends of the West
The Man from Shadow Ridge
Cannons of the Comstock
Riders of the Silver Rim
Legends of Valor
BY JAKE THOENE AND LUKE THOENE
Sons of Valor
Brothers of Valor
Fathers of Valor
THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC CONTEMPORARY
BY BODIE, BROCK, AND LUKE THOENE
Icon
THOENE CLASSIC CONTEMPORARY
BY BODIE AND BROCK THOENE
Beyond the Farthest Star
THOENE CLASSIC NONFICTION
BY BODIE AND BROCK THOENE
Little Books of Why
Why a Manger?
Why a Shepherd?
Why a Star?
Why a Crown?
Writer-to-Writer
Making the Call
LANCE EA
SLEY, WITH BROCK THOENE
Face to Face with Jesus
SAMAA HABIB, WITH BODIE THOENE
THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC SUSPENSE
BY JAKE THOENE
Chapter 16 Series
Shaiton’s Fire
Firefly Blue
Fuel the Fire
THOENE FAMILY CLASSICS FOR KIDS
Sherlock Holmes & The Baker Street Detectives
BY JAKE THOENE AND LUKE THOENE
The Mystery of the Yellow Hands
The Giant Rat of Sumatra
The Jeweled Peacock of Persia
The Thundering Underground
The Last Chance Detectives
BY JAKE THOENE AND LUKE THOENE
Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa
Legend of the Desert Bigfoot
The Vase of Many Colors
BY RACHEL THOENE
THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC AUDIOBOOKS
Available from
www.thoenebooks.com
or
www.familyaudiolibrary.com