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Honored
Honored
Honored
Ebook46 pages1 hour

Honored

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What would it be like to journey back to biblical times and talk with the mother of Jesus? To hear of Jesus' ministry firsthand from the one on earth who loved him the most? In this remarkable book, bestselling author Roberta Kells Dorr explores the person of Mary through the eyes of the physician Luke, the author of the third Gospel.
Determined to find answers to his many questions, Luke travels to Jerusalem with John and Peter to meet Mary. As he talks with this beautiful woman who is aged by time and sorrow, Luke hears the story of Mary's betrothal to Joseph, her visitation by an angel, and other events from Scripture. Captivated by her story, Luke travels with her to Bethlehem to reminisce about the events surrounding Jesus' birth.
Rich in cultural details, warm and personal in narrative, this imaginative novella will make the Gospel story of Jesus newly relevant for contemporary readers of all denominations. It is a beautiful gift for Easter and Mother's Day, and a timeless story that will appeal to fiction aficionados all year round.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 1, 2003
ISBN9781441239389
Honored

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book feels a bit self conscious but the story itself is one I've wondered about - how did Luke learn for the re-telling Mary's story ? what steps and travels led him to the stories he came to know? here's one way it could have happened .

    Colm Toibin wrote of an alternative way in his The Testament of Mary that the disciples could have known and molded Mary's story for future generations - maybe both are possible? maybe neither? but Roberta Kells Dorr's Mary has found a peace that Toibin's Mary's grief will not allow.

Book preview

Honored - Roberta Kells Dorr

31:29–30

stood on the deck of the small sailing vessel and looked down at my dear friend Theophilus on the dock. He had warned me against making this trip. Those people are unfriendly, he’d said. We’re Greeks—they don’t like us. Here, you’re a physician with a popular clinic helping many people. What possible good can you do there?

He knew that for a long time I had been eager to catch every bit of news from Jerusalem that told of a healer and prophet whose name was Jesus. Theophilus had scoffed at the very idea that these stories might be true.

They’re just fables told by poor peasants, he’d said. Who would take seriously a story of angels appearing or a virgin giving birth? And didn’t you tell me you’d heard about miraculous healings and even water turned to wine at a wedding?

Before I knew it I had challenged him by insisting that I would travel to Jerusalem to discover the truth. Many of the people who had known this man, Jesus, were still alive, and I was determined to make every effort to find them. Theophilus was appalled that I had taken all of this so seriously.

As the ship pulled away from the dock and the figure of Theophilus grew smaller and smaller, I began to have second thoughts about my quest. What if I found it was all an invented story? What if I was viewed as an intruder with no right to be asking questions? I wanted, above all else, to see the mother of Jesus. I wanted to ask her about the angels and the strange story that she was still a virgin when she conceived this child. I, a physician, couldn’t imagine such a thing.

The ship stopped at a port on the island of Cyprus and then sailed on down the coast of Palestine until it came to the port of Joppa. Here, to my surprise, two young men were waiting for me. One was dressed quite casually in a robe tied at the waist with a piece of hemp and sandals made of coarse leather. He had a thick beard and wore a head cloth wrapped carelessly around his head. He came forward, saying, You must be Luke.

The other man was younger and had a friendly, almost shy demeanor. I’m John, he said, and this is Peter.

I didn’t know what to say. They spoke rather clumsy Greek. I felt uncomfortable and even a bit foolish. They obviously were not scholars. Theophilus would have enjoyed the scene. He would have pointed out that I, an educated, sophisticated Greek, couldn’t possibly have much in common with these men. I did have a moment of indecision when I even contemplated getting right back on the ship and returning to Antioch and my familiar world. But just then John pointed out that the ship had hoisted its sails and was moving away from shore.

Come, Peter said, we’ll spend the night with my friend Simon the tanner, and then tomorrow we’ll go to Jerusalem.

I immediately forgot about the ship and remembered why I had come. Will the mother of your master see me?

Of course, John answered. She is pleased that someone wants to hear her story. There have been many who want to know about her son, but they don’t think to ask her.

So I went with them to the house of this tanner of Joppa. I remember little of the conversation or the food

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