Jesus’ Best Friend: A Novel

By Don Thorsen

Christians believe that Jesus was both human and divine. While he lived on earth, however, Jesus lived as a human. He had to grow in wisdom and stature as well as in favor with God and people.
Imagine Jesus having a best friend named Shamir, whom Jesus knew since boyhood in their hometown of Nazareth. What kinds of conversations might the two of them have had? How important was friendship to Jesus?
This novel envisions how friendship aided Jesus in his adult life as well as in his boyhood. Conversations with Shamir suggest the kinds of questions and concerns that the human Jesus experienced. What sense of divine calling did Jesus have? Why did he pray so much? How did Jesus assemble his disciples? How did he view the signs, wonders, healings, and exorcisms that occurred? How did Jesus endure eventual betrayal, crucifixion, and death? How did Jesus understand resurrection?
We gain a needed understanding of Jesus' humanness by reading this novel. Jesus emphasized faith and hope as well as love and justice. We learn about how Jesus developed these virtues and how he communicated them to others. In listening to Jesus' conversations with Shamir, we learn about how Jesus persevered and flourished in living a God-centered life, empowered by grace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Aug 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781666772418

Don Thorsen

Don Thorsen (PhD, Drew University) is professor of theology at Azusa Pacific Seminary. He is the author of An Exploration of Christian Theology, Calvin vs. Wesley, and The Wesleyan Quadrilateral.

Book preview

Jesus’ Best Friend

A Novel

by Don Thorsen

Jesus’ Best Friend

A Novel

Copyright © 2023 Don Thorsen. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Resource Publications

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

Eugene, OR 97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-6667-7239-5

hardcover isbn: 978-1-6667-7240-1

ebook isbn: 978-1-6667-7241-8

version number 090921

Table of Contents

Title Page

Preface

Chapter 1: Wilderness

Chapter 2: Choices

Chapter 3: Plans

Chapter 4: Disciples

Chapter 5: Wonders

Chapter 6: Healings

Chapter 7: Exorcisms

Chapter 8: Parables

Chapter 9: Samaria

Chapter 10: Synagogue

Chapter 11: Teaching

Chapter 12: Learning

Chapter 13: Booths

Chapter 14: Messiah

Chapter 15: Transfiguration

Chapter 16: Greatness

Chapter 17: Unpopular

Chapter 18: Jerusalem

Chapter 19: Debate

Chapter 20: Temple

Chapter 21: Love

Chapter 22: Passover

Chapter 23: Gethsemane

Chapter 24: Trial

Chapter 25: Crucifixion

Chapter 26: Resurrection

Acknowledgements

To my loving wife

Andrea

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.

—Luke 2:52 NRSV

Preface

Christians believe that Jesus was both human and divine. While he lived on earth, however, Jesus lived as a human. He had to grow in wisdom and stature as well as in favor with God and people.

Imagine Jesus having a best friend named Shamir, whom Jesus knew since boyhood in their hometown of Nazareth. What kinds of conversations might the two of them have had? How important was friendship to Jesus?

This novel envisions how friendship aided Jesus in his adult life as well as in his boyhood. Conversations with Shamir suggest the kinds of questions and concerns that the human Jesus experienced. What sense of divine calling did Jesus have? Why did he pray so much? How did Jesus assemble his disciples? How did he view the signs, wonders, healings, and exorcisms that occurred? How did Jesus endure eventual betrayal, crucifixion, and death? How did Jesus understand resurrection?

We gain a needed understanding of Jesus’ humanness by reading this novel. Jesus emphasized faith and hope as well as love and justice. We learn about how Jesus developed these virtues and how he communicated them to others. In listening to Jesus’ conversations with Shamir, we learn about how Jesus persevered and flourished in living a God-centered life, empowered by grace.

Chapter 1

Wilderness

Jesus was undecided. So, he prayed.

During the past forty days, Jesus had prayed a great deal—in the hot and dry desert, by cool and refreshing streams, and under trees and shrubs that provided welcome shade. He had been meandering in the Judean wilderness quite a while. Jesus had fasted and prayed in various ways, meditating on scripture and contemplating God. The remote area was a good place to decide what he would do next.

After the baptism by his cousin John, Jesus responded to his baptismal encounter with God by retreating into the Judean wilderness. Actually, he quite liked being in the desert areas of Israel. The wilderness stretched south of Jericho, between the hill country to the west and the Salt Sea to the east. For centuries, it had been a place of refuge, since few people lived there. The wilderness was a lonely place to be sure, but it was not without its advantages. Being part of Israel’s desert areas, Jesus had the chance to be alone with his thoughts in a peaceful, out-of-the-way place for self-reflection. Jesus had lots to consider.

The Judean wilderness was desolate, far from interruptions, and useful for thinking about his future. He loved seeing all the flying creatures—butterflies, birds, and bees. Jesus also liked the variety of animals, including rabbits, hedgehogs, sheep, goats, and deer. Admittedly, he was not as fond of the flies, frogs, lizards, and snakes, but they added to his overall appreciation for the arid land.

Parts of Judea, in the highland areas, had trees and springs of water that flowed into waterfalls during the verdant springtime. Oak and sycamore trees grew there and became quite tall. Most trees, however, grew best near the Jordan River, where willow and acacia trees flourished.

Other parts of the Judea wilderness, however, were utterly stark. Since it was summertime, there was not much drinkable water available. Creek beds were dry, and wildlife struggled to survive. There was sand, shale, and little else in the desert areas to sustain someone over any length of time. Juniper trees often provided the only shade in the desert, and Jesus would seek refuge underneath them. Sometimes, he found shelter in rocky caves, located in steep ravines. The desolation was good for short periods of time, so long as one brought enough skins with water and food to survive. Jesus always carried dried foods to eat such as figs, dates, raisins, and almonds. He would bring bread too, though it would not stay edible for long.

In the desert, Jesus lived simply. He brought with him the usual supplies needed for sojourning in the wilderness. Jesus carried a knife, flint, water skins, mat on which to sleep, and basic clothing items, such as a cloak to wrap around himself in the cold or to use as a pillow at night. He loved looking up at the moon and stars at nighttime. Jesus could make out several constellations—the Bear, Orion, Pleiades. Jesus resonated with the psalmist’s words pertaining to the heavens showing forth the glory of God.

Jesus fasted while he wandered in the wilderness. Sometimes he abstained from food during the daytime, and then ate at night. Other times, Jesus abstained from both food and drink, though such fasting was unwise in a desert environment. However, every now and then, he felt so needy spiritually that he would undertake extreme fasting.

Jesus used times of fasting to pray, and he prayed many different ways. He rather liked experimenting with a variety of prayer styles. Jesus prayed the customary Jewish prayers every day, of course. He said morning prayers at sunrise, midafternoon prayers, and evening prayers at sunset. The daily prayers brought a sense of familiarity and spiritual encouragement.

Beyond traditional Jewish practices, Jesus said prayers of adoration and praise to God. He gave thanks for all that he had, all that his family had, and all that Jews had, despite the colonial crush of Roman domination. Certainly, Jesus spent time petitioning God for himself, his family, his fellow Jews, and all of the world, regardless of their tribe or circumstances.

For himself, Jesus was trying to discern God’s will. In a sense, he had spent much of his life trying to discern the will of God. Since childhood, Jesus had had a sense of calling into service of some sort on behalf of his fellow Jews, which no doubt had been reinforced by things that his father and mother had told him. Mary had been particularly expectant about what Jesus might accomplish. However, he had never had the clarity of purpose that he desired for undertaking something new or provocative in the world, since he did not have a clear sense of mission.

Yet, something had happened at the Jordan River with John’s baptism that mystified Jesus. On the one hand, it was wonderful that he had heard a resonant voice from heaven saying that he was God’s son. Was not everyone a son or daughter of God, however? While the voice was audible to him and awe-inspiring, it could be misleading. Jesus had long heard people testify to voices that they had heard, dreams that they had dreamt, and testimonials to miraculous happenings. Some seemed to be from God; others definitely did not. Deciding required discernment. So, Jesus wanted to be sure about this newfound sense of God’s presence. Was it real or illusory? Even if real, then what did it mean? Was he a son of God as anyone was a child of God, or was he somehow different? If different, then how different was he?

In the wilderness, Jesus had felt tempted to believe and do things that he knew were contrary to God’s will for his life. If he were somehow different, then would God protect him from starvation? No. Jesus reflected on scriptural writings that said our nourishment, ultimately speaking, was from God. God would help to give, he believed, our daily bread, and the power to persevere during times of want.

Jesus had also felt tempted regarding his safety. The wilderness was dangerous in many ways. In addition to the challenges of finding enough food and water, there were the challenges of wild animals that roamed throughout the Judean desert. There were vipers, scorpions, jackals, and wolves. Some people even claimed to see lions, though Jesus had never seen one. Moreover, the dry heat was tough on his skin. The callouses on his feet were not enough to protect him from cracks that became sore and bled, and Jesus could not always find aloe plants or other succulents to help his wounds heal. It would be easy to ask God to take him away from this lonely time of testing. However, from what he knew of God in scripture, Jesus resisted the temptation to pray for easy solutions.

At one point, Jesus had contemplated thoughts of grandeur. He had had similar thoughts as a child, feeling stirred by comments from his parents and relatives. However, such imaginings had seemed as pointless then as they did now in the desolate desert. When people cajoled you to be amazing, it got in the way of focusing on God. He had always tried to focus on God, and that focus had not led him to acts of greatness. Jesus’ parents had encouraged him to live a positive life, and from a human perspective, he had done well, given the fact that he had grown up as a peasant. Jesus had expected more, though. In the desert, it seemed to him that Satan had multiplied those thoughts of grandeur. But Jesus believed that such greatness was a delusion. After all, the point of centering his life on God had to do with uplifting God and not himself.

Jesus reflected on his upbringing. His earliest memories were of Egypt. Jesus’ parents had taken him there in order to escape persecution by King Herod the Great in Israel. Although his parents had talked about feeling like refugees, Jesus had fond memories of Egypt. Jesus enjoyed the Jewish community in which he had grown up early in life, and Alexandria had been a memorable place to live. He could remember the size and splendor of buildings near the Egyptian coastline. Jesus had been humbly born in Bethlehem, but he grew up as a young child in metropolitan Alexandria, where his father had worked in construction for the Romans and Egyptian aristocracy.

Joseph was Jesus’ father, and his father was good at construction. In Joseph’s youth, he had done various types of local construction of homes and barns. Joseph had worked with carpentry and masonry, and he had eventually served as a manager overseeing other construction workers. When Jesus’ parents went to Alexandria, they found a thriving Jewish community where they were welcomed, and Joseph soon found work through connections he had made at the local synagogue. Joseph became adept at both Egyptian and Roman methods of construction. He even became skilled at architectural design, which made him increasingly valuable to his employers. Joseph had a good conceptual grasp of large construction projects along with practical applications of his building trade.

Joseph had been slow to learn Greek, however, which was the lingua franca spoken in Alexandria. But Mary had been good at languages, and she helped Joseph speak Greek in addition to the family speaking Aramaic at home. In fact, Mary had taught all of her children to speak in Greek and Aramaic. When the family attended the synagogue, they heard some Hebrew spoken as well. It seemed that everyone was trilingual in Alexandria, speaking many languages at the Egyptian crossroads of culture. Greek and Roman culture had long been present in Egypt, along with cultural contributions from northeastern Mesopotamia and tribes from the south.

Mary was so good at languages that Jewish scribes in Alexandria had asked her to help them in translations of Hebrew writings into Greek. Although Greek was the main language used in Jewish worship, the local community valued insight into language usage in Israel. Mary certainly was not adept at speaking Hebrew. However, the breadth of her language skills was sufficiently good in helping scribes to translate and interpret key documents, especially for the Septuagint—the Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures. After all, the scribes knew that the translation of scriptures involved interpretation. Thus, Mary became a useful reference person in helping the scribes prudently translate ancient manuscripts.

Jesus’ family moved to Nazareth about the time he was five or six years of age. His parents had wanted to move back to Israel sooner, but they still feared returning to Judea in southern Israel. Joseph’s architectural skills had become so proficient that he quickly found work in helping King Herod Antipas’ reconstruction of Sepphoris in the northern province of Galilee. Herod Antipas was one of several sons of Herod the Great.

Joseph and Mary had relatives who lived near Nazareth, which was only an hourlong walk away from Sepphoris. So, they decided to move to Nazareth, and Joseph would walk to work daily. He had made enough money in Alexandria to purchase a modest home in Nazareth, where his children could grow up in a family-friendly Jewish community.

They were still peasants, of course, and it was not easy for peasants to buy homes, much less keep them. Agriculture was the mainstay for people who lived on the southwestern hillsides of the province of Galilee, and being farmers never gave people long-term security. If the weather turned bad, or the taxes were raised by the publicans deployed by the Herodian monarchs, who gave tribute to Rome, then peasants could easily lose their homes. If work was available, then they could likely maintain a home. But as day laborers, they could never depend on a full day’s wages. Peasants feared both starvation and debt. So, having a steady job made it possible for Joseph and Mary to provide a stable household for their growing family.

Sepphoris was a garrison city, which had been destroyed by the Roman army decades ago. Jewish zealots in Galilee had tried to oust the foreign colonizers, and they failed miserably. Hundreds were crucified by the Romans for sedition, and the city had been leveled. Over time, King Herod had ingratiated himself with Caesar Augustus and Roman governors in Israel. Subsequently, they gave Herod freedom to govern Galilee and restore Sepphoris as an important garrison for Rome in protecting trade routes from the Great Sea to Damascus in Syria. In honor of the Roman emperor, Herod renamed the city Autocratoris, since it contained royal installations and fortifications. However, the locals still called the city Sepphoris.

Nazareth had been a good community in which to grow up. Jesus liked it there. Only a couple of hundred people lived in the town, and most everyone knew everyone else. Nazareth was located on the side of a rocky hill, near to farmland in a sprawling valley below. Jesus’ family had the good fortune of moving next door to Manaen and his family. Manaen was semi-retired, dedicating himself to Pharisaism. He provided a makeshift synagogue at his home every Sabbath, and Jesus’ family regularly attended. Jesus thought that Manaen represented the best example of what a Pharisee should be like—someone knowledgeable, yet wise, and someone loving, yet just.

Perhaps the best thing that happened to Jesus was becoming best friends with Manaen’s youngest son, Shamir. Jesus and Shamir were about the same age, and they loved playing together. They were friends with others in Nazareth, of course, but Jesus and Shamir developed a friendship that endured.

Soon after Jesus and Shamir became friends, Manaen asked Jesus’ parents if he could join Shamir in rabbinical studies. Shamir’s older siblings were mostly out of the house, and so Manaen asked Jesus and other Jewish boys to study with him. Jesus leapt at the chance to study with Manaen and with Shamir, and Jesus’ parents were delighted as well. Joseph and Mary welcomed the opportunity for Jesus to grow in his understanding of Judaism.

Jesus and Shamir flourished in their studies. They often competed with one another so as to do their best in learning, reading, memorizing, and writing about scripture. They studied texts mostly in Aramaic and Greek, since those were the few scrolls and parchments that Manaen had. Scripture in the Hebrew language was studied more in Judea, in the south. With the limited texts that they had, Manaen expanded on them with his knowledge of Judaism.

Manaen had more of an impact on Jesus than either of them could have imagined. Manaen loved the Pharisee tradition in which he had been trained. He was skeptical of the decisions made by the temple priests in Judea, consisting mostly of aristocratic Sadducees, along with Levites, scribes, lawyers, and other wealthy people in and around Jerusalem. They controlled both the temple and Judea’s complicit relationship with Rome. Not long ago, Herod Archelaus—another son of Herod the Great—had been removed as Ethnarch of Judea. (Caesar Augustus would not let Herod Archelaus be called a king, like his father.) Thus, Manaen felt justified in his local service in Nazareth as a Pharisee, since temple worship in Jerusalem had become politically as well as religiously compromised.

Jesus came to share Manaen’s wariness of temple leadership in Jerusalem. Jesus’ family tried, as best they could, to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem as often as possible for the festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Booths. It was an expectation of Judaism to make these three pilgrimages each year. Jews were often shamed by the temple priests, regrettably, for not making the pilgrimages more often.

While in Judea, Jesus’ family would visit relatives, such as Zechariah, Elizabeth, and his cousin John. Visiting relatives was always a bit crazy, as often happens with family. Elizabeth loved to tell stories, and they seemed more fantastic every year. Zechariah trained John well in Jewish religion, wanting his son to follow Zechariah’s vocation of priestly service in the temple.

John did not fit nicely and neatly into traditional Judaism, however. Always somewhat of a maverick, John seemed to question everything about Judaism, while at the same time being passionate about his service to God. Although he apprenticed in temple worship, John eventually left it all in order to study, among other things, with Essenes in Qumran. The Essenes had had connections with the Sadducees in Jerusalem, and John had encountered them there. The Essenes did not trust what temple worship had become under the chief priests’ collaboration with Roman governors. Instead, the Essenes retreated near the southern end of the Jordan River valley with the intention to live and study ascetically in holy community. John never became an official member of the Essenes, but the community was civilly hospitable in letting him study and fellowship with them.

John was an encourager as much as he was precocious in his religious fervor. He loved spending time with Jesus because they shared so much in common. They were the same age, and they both shared passion for learning about God and in following God’s will. Neither of them, however, was certain about God’s will for their lives. Jesus never seemed to share John’s enthusiasm about his own potential for ministering. Indeed, John thought far more highly about Jesus than Jesus thought about himself.

John was convinced that, somehow or another, both of them would serve God in amazing ways. Early on, John felt called into religious service, albeit with somewhat unconventional ideas. However, Jesus was not so sure. They both felt a sense of calling, but Jesus could not figure out what God was calling him to do. He had been in construction, like his father Joseph. While doing construction, Jesus had had amazing opportunities to travel, study, and serve in beneficial ways on behalf of others, just as most Jewish men wanted to contribute to the well-being of fellow Jews. John was persistent, though, in encouraging Jesus to strike out in ministering to others in ways that reflected Jesus’ developing beliefs, values, and practices.

Jesus could not help but appreciate John’s enthusiasm. It was contagious! Jesus wished he felt the same zeal and confidence. If anything, John’s enthusiasm needed curbing sometimes, whereas Jesus wished that he himself had more passion. Jesus felt that he could be more passionate if he had had a clearer sense of what God wanted him to do.

Now that he had grown up, Jesus indeed felt more inclined to begin ministering. He had come to accept that prospect years ago, and now both John and his baptism sealed Jesus’ decision to begin public preaching and teaching. Perhaps someday he would gather together disciples, just as John had done. He still needed to pray, though, since the particulars of his calling remained uncertain. Be that as it may, Jesus was ready to formalize his public service as God’s Spirit continued to unfold a clearer vision of helping others—physically and spiritually, collectively and individually.

From the wilderness, Jesus was returning to the small town of Capernaum, beside the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. He had made it his home base the last couple of years. Jesus had constructed a modest lean-to in which to live, attached to where Shamir now lived with his wife Mara and their children Rebekah and Jonathan. The one-room apartment was a satisfactory place for him to lodge. Drinking water was close by, as well as food that could be readily purchased in Capernaum. Fresh bread was baked daily. Fish, vegetables, and fresh fruit were also available. After he returned from a journey, Jesus only needed to do a little cleaning of the apartment with a hyssop broom, perhaps disinfecting things with some lye, olive oil, and wine.

Jesus had earlier helped Shamir to build their home, after the family moved to Capernaum. Like Jesus, Shamir had done well in construction, and now he lived in a cooler locale than Nazareth, near the Sea of Galilee. Shamir still did construction, mostly working in the procurement of building materials for local constructors. Trade was flourishing between Syria, Galilee, and beyond to the Great Sea. Caravans traveled from the northeastern lands of Syria and Mesopotamia through Galilee on their way west to the Phoenician coast or to Egypt. Rome approved of the trade, since commerce enriched its coffers and those of local merchants and provincial aristocrats.

Now that he was returning to Capernaum, Jesus looked forward to visiting with Shamir and other friends in town. He needed to rest up for a while, reprioritize his present needs and future plans, and start more formal service on behalf of others.

Hey friend! Shamir exclaimed, as Jesus walked up to greet him.

Jesus and Shamir embraced. They chatted about this and that. You look beat, Shamir said. Jesus admitted that he felt exhausted. Still, Jesus was curious about how Shamir was doing. He asked about Shamir’s wife and children, and Shamir said that everyone was doing well.

Where have you been? Shamir asked.

Jesus responded, I just returned from a forty-day retreat in the Judean wilderness—praying, fasting, and making some decisions.

Shamir asked whether the decisions were little decisions or big decisions. He knew that Jesus had been mulling over next steps to take in his life. Jesus was thirty years old, after all, and fully adult by every Jewish measure. Shamir knew that Jesus was chomping at the bit to begin helping others, to minister more strategically, and yet he lacked clarity about what that help should look like.

Big decisions, Jesus sighed. He shared about his religious experience at the time of his baptism by John, and about how he had felt tempted in the wilderness to stray from his newfound sense of God’s presence.

Shamir was curious, Why were you baptized?

Jesus shared, We often think of baptism as having to do with the forgiveness of sins. But it suggests so much more. Baptism signifies a return from exile, and every Jew knows about the significance of exile; it also means a new way of viewing God and our relationship with God. As a people, we became exiled a number of times—by Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Syria, and now Rome has exiled us in our own land. For me, baptism has to do with a release from exile to old ways of Judaism.

Jesus and Shamir sat down on a roughhewn wooden bench. Jesus continued, For a long time, we clung to our land for future hope; however, we have so little control over it. For a long time, we clung to the temple in order to encounter God; however, we can encounter God anytime and anywhere. For a long time, we clung to the law; however, as important as God’s commands are for holy living, faith has more to do with a way of loving others, justly as well as compassionately.

I suppose so, Shamir commented. As Jews, we have had to adapt over and over again, throughout the centuries. It is our adaptability, I think, that has helped us to persevere, religiously and as a people.

Quite so, Jesus answered.

So, what will you do next? Shamir asked.

I am not entirely sure, Jesus replied. I want to see my mother and family in Nazareth. After my father Joseph passed away, I have not seen my mother, my siblings, and their families as much as I have wanted. Then, I suspect, I am going to ask a couple of people in the area to begin an itinerant outreach with me. John mostly ministered alone, but I think it will be good to gather a group of disciples who can assist me in ministering more effectively and broadly.

Shamir immediately spoke out, "I will