The Master: A Life of Jesus

by John Charles Pollock

A gripping, authentic version of the Greatest of all Stories by a Master Storyteller. In these pages you will meet Jesus in all of His humanity and all of His deity. You'll experience His unfolding story through the eyes of the disciple John--from the day he met Jesus, on to the Resurrection and the Day of Pentecost when he experienced Jesus in the fullest sense. andquot;This vivid retelling of the life of Jesus may well become a modern classic.andquot;- Billy Graham andquot;I have been enormously blessed by John Pollock's magnificent historical works. Now he has given us the most important biography of all--a life of Jesus.andquot;- Charles W. Colson

Genres: Christian, Religion, Christianity, Biography, Biography Memoir, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

The late John Pollock, an award-winning biographer, had a flair for telling a dramatic story. He used this talent to write many biographies including ones on D. L. Moody and Major General Sir Henry Havelock.

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author attempts to do the impossible, write a biography on Jesus. But you know what, he actually does a great job. This book should be read with its non-divinely inspired nature in mind. But with that said, the author does an excellent job of sowing the stories together, filling in artistically some "holes," and portraying the life of the most important man, ever.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, comprehensive retelling of the life of my Savior.

[Chesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent, worthwhile, lightly fictional account of the life of Jesus. Mostly from the disciple John’s point of view. I like how it covers just about EVERYTHING from the Gospel accounts. I like the portrayal of Jesus. I like seeing a perspective I haven’t seen yet in other books about Jesus. I wish it was more literarily immersive—that he would have stayed in the story and not have zoomed out every so often with phrases like “and then Jesus told that now immortalized story of the prodigal son.”

I don’t recommend the old audio recording unless you like the story of Jesus told in a posh British accent—just don’t forget to rewind the tape for the next listener (wink).

[Samantha McEnhimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to relate the life of Jesus in chronological order and with historical and cultural context. Reading this helped clear up some areas of mystery for me in the things Jesus did and said. Highly recommended.

[Lilian Y. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeper understanding of the heart of Christ.

[Mona Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great historical narrative of Jesus' life. Highly recommended.

[Pranav Behari · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Master is basically the Gospels in "Novel form" written from the perspective of John. We see the story of the Gospels thru the eyes of John. I enjoyed this retelling of the Gospels, as somebody who is trying to get more exposed to the Gospels, I found this a good way to hear the Jesus story again. It does a good job in making the Gospels accessible to modern readers. One big doubt or question of the Gospels is how we did the Gospels writers learn about the private convos of Jesus. For example, how did the Gospels writers know about Jesus and Nicodemus. In that situation, I imagine Nicodemus told the Gospel writers about his convo. But for other convos, such as between Pontius Pilate and Jesus. How do we know what they said? I doubt Pontius Pilate told the Gospels writers. In this story, it shows Pontius Pilate and Jesus talked in public, among on-lookers, so John got to hear what they said. In "The Passion of the Christ", it shows Jesus and Pontius Pilate talk in a dungeon and it is private. In other parts of the book, where something happened private between Jesus and another person, the book just says "This was revealed by John, in later times in heaven, by God" Which seems like a cop out answer!
The book is similar to the Gospels, as there is isn't too much emotion. It doesn't read like a modern novel with lots of emotion that you feel thru the characters. So the book is NOT like The Chosen (TV show) sadly, which shows the journey of all the apostles and the struggles they go thru. So not much emotional weight when reading.
This book is still pretty good at showing the Gospel and it has helped me in continuing to learn the Gospels.

[Randy Corn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book is “A Life of Jesus.” Unlike most of what I have read in that genre, it is presented simply as a story and that from the vantage point of the Apostle John. That is not to say that it follows the storyline of John’s Gospel but presents a reasonable way in which John would have been exposed to the information which made up his gospel.

I have to say that I was struck more than once by the insights into the biblical narrative which Pollack drops in from time to time. Besides being a very good story teller it is clear that he spent a great amount of time researching his subject. I would be curious to know how much time he spent working on this book as opposed to his book on the Apostle Paul. My assumption is that the book on Paul would take longer since it deals with so much more travel.

This really is a well written book. Reading it made me anxious to follow up with some of Pollack’s other works and to spend some more time reading in this area. I can’t help but think it would be a beneficial thing for my preaching.

[Caleb Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 on logic. 2 on style. 2 on affections. 2 on weight/ purpose. 2 on research. 9 out of 10.

Pollock did a great job with his goal to powerful portray the message of the four Gospels. Pollock paints Jesus as grave, and yet constantly merry. I have often wondered if Christ's human personality was chatty, or quiet; merry or somber; pessimistic or optimistic; gentle or bold. I think Pollock leans towards toward quiet, merry, optimistic, and gentle. I don't think Pollock exactly got nailed what his personality would have been like, yet it was thought-provoking nonetheless, and I'm glad I read it.

I love how Pollock stuck close to the actual stories and texts of scripture, just adding details or conjectures here and there.

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read Pollock’s masterpiece, The Apostle, so I picked up this book with high expectations and was not disappointed. The writer has a beautiful gift of story telling that made his scholarly observations so accessible that you could literally envision yourself in Galilee walking the roads with Jesus.

This book is both inspirational and very beneficial to anyone desiring a synthesized record of the gospel witness. I finished reading my copy two days ago and it is already in the hands of another eager reader.

Sit down and enjoy the story of the greatest life ever lived.

[Collins Hinga · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Pollock definitely did a fantastic job with this masterpiece. He makes the story of Christ Jesus fresher and even more captivating. The book reads like a novel and a very thrilling and immersive novel for that matter. Having just come from Christmas period and just about to start the new year (2020), I couldn't have chosen a better time to read this book. For me, the story of Jesus Christ is the most life-changing story I've ever read and it never gets old. This is definitely a must read for all folks out there. It's a 5-star for me.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

You're basically reading the gospel in narrative form with historically accurate cultural elements seamlessly integrated. In doing so, you're better able to visualize the characters, the culture, and the significance of different Biblical events. The humanity of Jesus and his disciples is on full display, as is the divine. The hidden gem within this book is how flawlessly it weaves together the four gospel accounts.

[Mathew Nix · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like this one nearly as much as I enjoyed Pollock's biography of Paul. He did an excellent job converting/combing the gospels into a narrative style that is an enjoyable read. But, one thing I really liked about the Apostle was how many historical facts and elements from his research that Pollock added to enhance the story. This one had some of that at times, but not nearly as much as I was hoping.

[James C Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely wonderful book on the life of Jesus. I have been trying to read the Bible for clarity my entire life, yet after discovering John Pollock and reading his biographies my understanding has finally reached a greater depth. A Life of Jesus makes the gospel infinitely more accessible. A wonderful book for young and old.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice straightforward read that combines the gospel narrative into a smartly woven framework along with some really useful historical side notes to flesh out the context. Recommend to young and old alike.

[Andrew Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graphically brings together the story of Jesus with his disciples encompassing his death and resurrection. I've known these accounts all my life but Pollock strings things together, making a compelling narrative.

[Souperblue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A narration of the life of Jesus in chronological style and compilation of the gospels. As I read, the scenes appeared to me from The Chosen, much in the style of a historical novel, adding the meat of cultural context to the bones of scripture. My Lord and my God, He lives!

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical fiction of the life of Jesus following the gospel of John.

[Aaron Shafovaloff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful. Loved Polluck's storytelling of the earliest days of the ministry of Jesus and his last week, Passion Week.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to read during Lent

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. I learned a lot of cultural and historical information that added to my understanding of Jesus.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informational for those who are interested in studying the life of Christ, though there were a few I had heard before it was still very good.

[Kevin Driskill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book that puts events of the gospels together into a seamless story. Obviously the "putting together" is speculation but interesting none the less.

[Drew Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does a great job of tying everything together. I can see the Gospel Story playing out pretty close to this. I believe that this is a great book for new believers to read.

[Bret Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful telling of the gospel story. I felt like I was there.

[Maali · Rating 4 out of 5]

بإسمك أيها الإله الحبيب , خالق السماوات والأرض

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written

[Peter]

A walk with Jesus as close to as it probably been at the time he lived. An amazing book taking you on a journey with Christ and ministry ultimately to watch him hanging on the cross for our sakes.

Having walked areas of Israel that Jesus walked was lovely. To be taken back to those regions and seeing them through the eyes of the writer but ultimately trying to see how Jesus would have done.

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joy to read. He masterfully combines the Gospels into a flowing narrative. He includes important teachings and chronologically puts the actions together.

What was most impressive to me was how his order, compilations, and dramatic and specific additions were not random. Rather, they were extremely well researched exegetically and historically. In this way, Pollock's work here is almost like a commentary. Since the Gospels are so long, he only rarely goes beyond what is written. But when he does, usually there can be found exegetical reasons, or at least solid historical reasons, for why he did so. In this way, it wasn't just his dramatic imagination. Rather, it was a systematically crafter single narrative of Christ and the apostles.

Lastly, his last 80 pages or so on the crucifixion and resurrection were top notch. In short, while reading this, one sees glory. I am thankful, therefore, for Pollock's work.