Jesus audiobook

Good Story #83. Scott watches in horror as Julie says, "um... excuse me, Lord, but he's been in there for three days, I don't think you want to go in there."My full review is below.========I am a fan of Father James Martin's books, especially A Jesuit Off-Broadway. When Scott chose this book for our next religious book discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast, I was excited, having been interested since I first saw it mentioned at Amazon. This is a much thicker and more substantive book than I expected. The bibliography alone makes one step back and realize there is more hard-core scholarship than in any of his previous books. Yet it is written in Father Martin's trademark style, interspersing personal experience with the main book text. It is accessible and interesting. It isn't dumbed down and isn't too scholarly. It's juuuuust right.Martin's goal is to help us consider our answer to Christ's question to his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?"This means we must consider what it means to be "fully human and fully divine." Martin does a very good job of presenting a lot of contextual information for understanding Jesus' life and ministry through this lens. As we travel through the gospels, so to speak, he intertwines the various stops (recruiting the disciples, healing demoniacs, etc.) with his own pilgrimage to Israel. He then stops to place everything in the context of our own lives and is extremely generous in sharing his own life changing experiences, whether flattering or not. I especially appreciate Martin's openness in sharing the spiritual experiences he had, most notably that in the Church of the Resurrection.I especially appreciate the way that Father Martin approaches questions from all angles. For example, when considering Christ's healings of "demoniacs," Martin isn't afraid to discuss the idea of psychological or physiological illness as a cause. This will be welcome to those who like to get down to examining facts. However, he always does this in a thoughtful, thorough, Christian way that leaves no doubt we are reading about the Messiah and that miracles can (and do) happen.Each chapter ends with Martin's deeper thoughts on how our own lives can be enriched with the aid of what Christ has shown us about this part of his life. This is where the rubber meets the road for most of us and Martin brings great sensitivity and understanding to these pages. In fact, I was enduring great inner turmoil about something when I read Martin's thoughts of what it means to take up your cross daily. The whole section spoke to me strongly, but nothing more than "wait for the resurrection" which I sorely needed to hear that very day.This is the sort of book that used to be much more common. To Know Christ Jesus by Francis Sheed and Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen are just a couple of the older books I've read like this.  We have been sorely in need of a new one and I'm so pleased that James Martin wrote this book which is truly a treasure for reading and rereading. I'm beginning to feel that this book might be a "must have" for Christians who want a more rounded, personal experience of Christ. Or for those who don't understand the "Christian thing" and would like some general context of their own. I also have a feeling that a lot of readers are going to come away wanting to visit the Holy Land. Not me, but I appreciate Father Martin's descriptions as it helps me "feel" the place a bit better. And, to be fair, I've never especially felt the need to go to Rome or anywhere else on pilgrimage, for that matter.However, what it did was help me feel a deeper familiarity, connection, friendship dare I say, with Jesus when I encounter Him in the gospels. It made me think of Father Martin's story about his spiritual director showing him a green tree and reminding him it would be red in autumn, without anyone ever seeing the gradual change. That's what happened to me. A step closer. All to the credit of this book, which is doing it without "wows" or "aha" moments. Truly that is a credit to this work.NOTEI also received the audiobook for review. I was eagerly anticipating this but was surprised to find that Father Martin's reading was extremely plain and without nuance or subtlety. In a sense, it was like a father reading to his children who is unused to reading aloud. I'm used to authors reading their work who are extremely good at it, such as Father Robert Barron or Neil Gaiman (yes, I know that is an unusual pair to put together but both are excellent at reading aloud). That said, once I adjusted to Martin's style, or lack thereof, it actually worked fine for this book. In a sense, it took out any of his own personality and allowed the text to speak for itself. Which is actually just as it should be for a book like this. With that in mind, I can recommend the audiobook.

This was both educational and spiritually uplifting. The writing and insights into the scriptures was outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed the way in which the author laid out the book. In his words, “Each chapter, then, will include some travel narrative, some study of the text, and some spiritual reflection.” This is all done in a conversational manner. Not at all dry. He visits a location, describes it as it is today, explains the historical significance of what happened there, and then shares the corresponding scriptures. You feel as if you are the author’s friend traveling along with him. While I don’t think of myself as a travel narrative guy, I enjoyed learning about what the actual biblical sites look like today. I know I’ll never get there to see them myself, so the author’s experiences were much appreciated. I do however, think of myself as a trivia guy and this book gave me tons of facts that I had did not know but feel I should have. For example, although never mentioned in the Bible, what is the name of Mary’s father? (view spoiler)[ St. Joachim (hide spoiler)]. That led me to Google the name of Mary’s mother (view spoiler)[ St. Anne (hide spoiler)] What is the only miracle (apart from the Resurrection) recorded in all four of the Gospels? (view spoiler)[ The multiplication of the loaves and fishes. (hide spoiler)]Because I also have an interest in linguistics, and because there are varied interpretations of the Bible, I appreciated the fact that he referenced the Greek text in which the original was written, the literal translation and the inferred meaning. While the travel and trivia were fun, the most profound and one of the most moving parts of the book was what the author says about the Eucharist, “Whenever I receive the Eucharist or distribute it during a Mass, I always remember what St. Augustine, the fourth-century theologian, wrote about the Eucharist: “Behold what you are; become what you receive.” An excellent mantra to be sure.

Even since Mark Twain first raised the issue in INNOCENTS ABROAD a century and a half ago, there has been a concern among Americans traveling abroad about distinguishing between what is genuine and what are fake concoctions put together by hucksters. It's a pleasure to read this account of a two week visit to the Holy Land by an American Jesuit who is well-able to tell the difference. His motives for visiting Palestine are religious ones. He writes, "It is to take a look at Jesus as he appears in the Gospels, through the lens of my education, experience, prayer and faith." He emphasizes that he is not a theologian nor a scholar, but a reasonably well-informed Christian who is interested in both the "historical Jesus" (as far as that can be determined) and a Jesus that has informed his faith. This is a balancing act, and it's to Martin's credit that he always keeps his equilibrium. He writes a good deal about the historical Jesus, the conditions of his life that historians and archeologists have been able to reveal, details that don't appear in the Bible. At the same time, he talks about issues such as the "divinity" of Christ, the role of his place in Christian beliefs, his relationship to the Father, what "salvation" means, and the Resurrection. Martin is alway seven-handed, explaining his own views as well as giving credit to other interpretations . Day-to-day what Martin and a fellow Jesuit companion visited various sites mentioned in the Bible, most of which over the centuries have had church structures built on them, all claiming o be on authentic locations. A few probably are, but most have dubious claims and have been built and rebuilt over the centuries, all the way from Byzantine structures of the 4th and 5th centuries to those of the Crusaders, and some even erected in the 20th century. Martin sorts these out with a clear eye, not taking any claims at face value. Even if the sites are not geographically certain or accurate (say, where Christ met the woman at the well) Martin emphasizes that a knowledge of the history of the area is important, , as well as how their claimed Biblical origins symbolically represent aspects of his faith. Martin comments on the fact that he goes to places where Christ's actopns were recorded, almost always miracles. It's not that Christ's words are unimportant, but places always celebrate events, not speeches or words. Martin was there in the blisteringly ho summert, and it required a good deal of endurance and perseverance just to get through some days. He has a good sense of humor and points out this might be, to a believer, an example of God taking small things and making them great. As a Biblical question puts it, what thing of importance could ever come out of such an insignificant place as Nazareth? Martin concludes that he hopes his book, limited as he readily admits, will lead readers to explore more about Christ. As he writes, "You've met my Jesus. Now meet your own." In his common sense key way, he asks readers to sort out for themselves what is authentic and what is spurious about Christ as reflected through these Holy Land places.

A Joyful Experience of Jesus I have been waiting a few years to read this moving personal journey of faith. Father Jim Martin takes us through the Holy Land while giving both theological and historical perspectives. It was far from a theological textbook. Although his references were top notch and perfectly sourced, Martin’s personal sharing provide a refreshing depth. Personally, it was a delight to read this work of substance for the committed Christian. More than a book, it’s a diary of the author’s pilgrimage to the land where the Divine and human experience intersect — where Jesus called home.”

Jesus: A Pilgrimage begins with an introduction that clearly lays out what the book is and more importantly, what the book is not. I point this out because, I generally go in with preconceived notions of what I expect or want from a book. Fr. Martin is quick to point out that this book is not a theological discussion on who Jesus is, nor is it a Bible commentary. This book, however, is a look at Jesus, as we see Him in the Gospels, through the viewpoint of Fr. Martin's education, experience, and a recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land. If we keep this in mind when reading the book, we can give it a proper review.Each chapter is laid out in the same format. Fr. Martin first mentions the place he is going to visit. He then describes the journey there. Details from this include the actual process of travelling to the location, scenery along the way, and bits of the culture and environment he encountered. Then, comes the heart of each chapter - his reflections. Mixed with theology, history, tradition, and Fr. Martin's wisdom and wit, we put ourselves in the exact moment and location of Jesus and try and picture what it must have been like for both Jesus and those around Him. We then end with the Scripture passage which served as the basis for the site Fr. Martin visited.The most interesting chapter in this book to me was entitled, "Nazareth." In this chapter Fr. Martin talks about the "Hidden Life" of Jesus. This term refers to the period of Jesus' life, age 12-30, that is absent in the Bible. Fr. Martin, like many, are drawn to this period of Jesus' life because they imagine it is a lot like our lives. "None of us is going to be preaching and performing miracles – at least not as Jesus did – but all of us live everyday lives, as Jesus did in Nazareth, being taught and cared for by our parents, loving and squabbling with our families, playing with our friends, learning what it means to be an adult, and in time earning a living." I never thought of Jesus in this light, but it does make sense. In this chapter, I also learned about just how small and poor Nazareth was. Knowing this, it really puts into perspective the disparaging remarks people make regarding Nazareth. It also shows you the environment Jesus grew up in, and influenced his parables.Fr. Martin is an excellent storyteller. He does a fine job painting pictures of the places he visited, and he draws out details in the Gospels that one could easily miss. There were, however, parts of this book that I didn't enjoy. The beginning annoyed me a little when he waffled about wanting to go to the Holy Land. (Really what Christian, wouldn't want to see the place of Jesus?!) I also got bored in the beginning reading about the trek to get to each of their destinations, and would think to myself, "Hurry up and get there." However, I eventually accepted that that was the nature of this book as a personal pilgrimage. It would be incomplete to ignore the journey and focus solely on the destination. Those complaints aside, I still enjoyed the book. It was quite interesting to see Jesus, the Gospel passages, and the modern day Holy Land through the eyes of Fr. Martin.

I loved, loved, loved this book. Martin brings the gospels to life through his travels in the Holy Land. I feel I can better picture Jesus and his world, and better appreciate how miraculous and revolutionary his life and works were. I cannot recommend this book enough.

An excellently written book of wry humor and experiences in the Holy Land, by a grounded author who isn't bogged down by verbal plenary inspiration, is well versed in Greek in order to shed light on commonly held misconceptions, and offers a variety of novel ways to look at parables that are often held to he "well understood" (particularly the parable of the talents). His experience in the holy land, and the surprising cooperation of people of various faiths and creeds was truly fascinating, and gave some hope to the idea of people of different religious creeds cooperating (Muslim families, for instance, have passed down keys to key Christian sites for hundreds of years). A very good book overall, though if you are familiar with Martin's other writing, there is a fair bit of overlap from his other books. Then again, I suppose that is to he expected when you've read as many of his books as I have, haha.

In this book James Martin, SJ, weaves together his experiences on a short visit to The Holy Land with his Christian faith. It was an enjoyable read for someone like me who has never been there, but who shares the faith of the author, and a passion for ancient history. Israel is a land with a long and rich historical heritage, and Martin’s book is as much about the thousands of years since Jesus walked those dusty roads, as it is about the years surrounding his earthly life. Jews, Romans, Christians, Muslims, Crusaders, pilgrims and religious orders populate the story. Many of the places he visits are traditional sites of one New Testament event or another, but archeological endeavours have been only partly successful in validating the traditions, as he points out without casting any doubt over the historical veracity of the Biblical account. So even though a venerated site may be not where the familiar event happened, he is inspired as he visits to reflect deeply on the story which gave rise to the tradition, and this reflection acts as a lovely introduction to the life and words of Jesus which have dropped out of the common knowledge of so many in the “post-Christian” West. Ultimately the book is about the person of Jesus. Like all pilgrimages, it is a journey backward in time to where it all began in an effort to understand more of the man who began it all and gave us a way to come back into a relationship with our Creator, through his life, death and resurrection.

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This book is phenomenal. I recently finished reading the life of Christ by Bishop Fulton Sheen, and although it was wonderful it was just so hard to read. This book is extraordinarily easy to read very insightful and just has a great delivery. Part Bible study part history lesson part travel log this book is just awesome.

I *was* just going to read the book one chapter at a time, but I found that it was just too good a book to put down.Which makes my earlier hesitation to even crack it open all the more hilarious, doesn't it?This book is one that (a) I know I'll be buying for my favorite bibliophiles, (b) I know I'll be raving about for at least the next 500 days or so, and (c) I know I'll be rereading. Maybe yet this summer.Look up "awesome" in your thesaurus and go ahead and just apply all the synonyms here. This book is all that, with whipped cream on top, a side of chocolate, and a hearty pot of coffee. It's not only a book I wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommend, but it's one that I will probably not ever at all lend. Nope. Can't do it. Sharing's not an option with a book that could turn into a yearly read...Don't miss this book. You deserve it, especially if you've ever loved Jesus. This book will make you look at him more clearly, appreciate him more authentically, and find your faith more tangibly.

It’s refreshing to read the Gospel narratives through a different perspective. It’s also highly encouraging to read a serious Bible scholar who does not believe in the literal inerrancy of the Bible and yet shares an authentic faith in Jesus Christ. Martin is the perfect guide to walk us through the life of Jesus. Quite literally he takes us to the places where Jesus walked and performed his miracles, in travel-memoir form. But he also provides exposition and sometimes alternative interpretations of passages throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as application for our lives. It was difficult to read this book straight through. Each chapter is like its own sermon and it was hard for me to digest several chapters all at once. A better way to read this book, I think, is like a daily or weekly meditation. The extensive footnotes also provide a great guide to further reading for those of us who are interested in learning more about the life of Jesus.

Father James Martin demonstrates once again why he's my favorite Catholic spiritual author. In Jesus: A Pilgrimage, he weaves together a travel narrative of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in-depth (but not overly scholarly) Bible study, and personal meditations on the person of Jesus Christ. He looks not only at the divinity of the Son of God but also the humanity of Jesus the carpenter from Nazareth, and he does so in an inviting, accessible way that anyone, even non-Christians, can enjoy. Whether you're a Bible nerd (like myself) who can't get enough analysis of the Greek and Aramaic text or someone who's learning about Jesus for the very first time, this book is sure to educate and inspire.

Many people have written books about Jesus, and about the Holy Land.This book, written by a Jesuit Priest, while on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as he sought out locations of the Churches, Shrines, and land marks where Jesus, lived, performed miracles, died, was buried, resurrected, and Ascended into Heaven.By writing it in this manner. Father Martin is able to convey the story of Jesus as written in the Gospel as sort of a travelogue for the reader.If you are tired of reading Theological books (quite frankly they confuse the heck out of me), read this book.