Jesus' story begins as he is a child at home with Mary and Joseph. He shares what he's learned from reading the scriptures, and they decide the time has come to share with Jesus the incredible circumstances of his birth. In the next segment, Jesus reminisces about his baptism. "At the edge of the River Jordan, I slipped off my sandals and stepped in. I felt cool water at my ankles..."
Each brief and thoughtfully told chapter that follows continues Jesus' "recalling" the favorite events from his life. Though Mack Thomas stayed mostly with conventional Bible stories, he did take a few "artistic liberties" as he imagined what Jesus might have talked about, including a time when Jesus climbed a tree with children who wanted to be near him.
With vivid, picturesque language, Thomas speaks as the voice of Jesus remembering the past. When Jesus tells about the storm that threatened to drown Jesus and his followers, Thomas writes "The men crashed into one another. I heard Peter scream." Then he tells how he stopped the storm. Later we hear Jesus describe the sparks from the torches as a wall of men move in to arrest him. And, in sorrowful detail, Jesus recounts the pain of being whipped and crucified. Finally, it's with a sense of joy that Jesus recounts his resurrection and "remembers" leaving earth to return to his father. "I felt a breeze tossing my hair...it smelled like home... 'Father!' I cried. 'Father! I'm home!'"
Filling out the pages of the book beautifully are Hilber Nelson's rich illustrations drawn in unique perspectives. Each full-color picture seems to allow us to look through Jesus' eyes as he views each scene. Nicodemus searches Jesus' face for answers, crowds wave palm fronds about him, and his own pierced hand is at the edge of his vision as Jesus looks at the thief hanging on the cross next to him. Jesus himself is never pictured because the world is seen Through the Eyes of Jesus.
The stories retold in this book focus more on Jesus' thoughts and what he sees around him than on the details of the stories. The author also has Jesus make several passing references to characters from Old Testament stories such as Jonah and Daniel, so the book will be most appreciated by children already familiar with Bible stories--and by adults as well.
Through the Eyes of Jesus closes with a special message from Jesus to children today. "I see you. Right now I'm looking at you, and I always see you, every moment...I see you. I know you. I love you." From the same author/artist combination that brought us Once Upon a Parable, this beautiful book reveals Jesus' story from a unique perspective to share with your children at Easter and at anytime.
Mike and Amy Nappa are veteran writers in Loveland, CO.
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