Encounters with Jesus

by Ben Witherington III

The impact Jesus had on numerous lives during his earthly ministry is obvious from the Gospel records themselves. But what we do not have is personal testimonies by those persons whom Jesus helped, healed, befriended, or recruited as disciples. In this creative exploration of what sort of testimonies those original encounters might have produced, Ben Witherington paints a picture for us of what the well known and the less well known eyewitnesses might have said had they been asked. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of the historical context in which Jesus operated, Witherington brings these men and women out of the shadows and into the light of day. 

Genres: Historical Fiction

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2020

About the author

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books, including The Jesus Quest, The Paul Quest, and The New York Times bestseller The Brother of Jesus. He has appeared on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witherington is one of my favorite NT scholars and this is a welcomed edition to his historical research. Encounters with Jesus is a highly accessible book that focuses and twenty-five biographical sketches of those who accompanied the Lord during His earthly ministry.

The range of characters is refreshing as it includes a few of the apostles, women disciples, the centurion and several whose lives were changed by the touch of Jesus. Each chapter is told through in first person narrative and includes the relevant biblical texts. There are several historical insights woven into each chapter that will lead me to do further research on these lives.

Many years ago, while teaching a course on the life of Jesus, I felt a need for a narrative base text that simply helped students to hear the perspectives of those who accompanied the Master. I even began writing some of those chapters but never completed the project. So it is with great appreciation that I can now point students to a great text written by an imminent scholar whose love for the One who changed our lives is found in the careful ways in which these twenty-five offerings are presented.

[Pam Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imaginative expansion of the Gospels' stories of 25 people who encountered Jesus and reminisced about it years later, by a scholar who has a wealth of knowledge of Bible backgrounds. This quote is from the story of Cleopas:
"A crucified messiah was not going to kick the Romans out and redeem Israel. Well … that’s how I used to view it. It took a thorough review of those messianic prophetic texts, and even the texts from the law, by no less than Yeshua himself to change my mind."

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book written from first person perspective, incorporating cultural and theological depth, though at times distracts from narrative flow. Author is true to scripture and weaves passages in. Really appreciate this resource, read around my trip to Israel