THE SHOEMAKER'S GOSPEL

Fiction

I'm an old man now. And an old man is entitled to savor his memories and reflections. I live now in hope of a life yet to come when I will once again see the Teacher.

So begins the memoir of the Shoemaker of Capernaum, a sharp-eyed, pious craftsman whose most cherished memories are those of Jesus, the captivating teacher who profoundly affected everyone who met him. Jesus changed the shoemaker's life--and the shoemaker kept a journal of what he saw and heard in the midst of Jesus' circle of friends and followers. At the end of his life he puts his notes in order.

I can feel him here still. He is telling us about the steadfastness of his Father's love. He is challenging us to attend to the widow and the poor and the orphan and the sick. He is reminding us of a kingdom that we are destined to inherit as his brothers and sisters. And he is embracing us still with those deep eyes and that resonant voice.

Brent's remarkable "fable" is born of the author's own deep desire to encounter Jesus for himself. His imagined first-century world on the shores of the Sea of Galilee is a colorful place where an extraordinary teacher brings love, joy, and meaning to the ordinary people who are irresistibly drawn to him. The Shoemaker's Gospel takes readers on an inspiring journey where they ask and answer: Who is Jesus? What does he mean for me?