“Page-turning . . . Set against the political and religious turmoil of the times, the Thoenes’ story vividly reimagines the evolving friendship between Jesus and Lazarus.” —Publishers WeeklyLAZARUS—the man Jesus raised from the dead in one of the most extraordinary encounters with The Living Savior in all of Scripture. But the life of Lazarus holds interest well beyond this miraculous event. … well beyond this miraculous event. Living in Bethany, near Jerusalem, Lazarus witnessed many of the most important events of Jesus’s life and ministry.
Lazarus owned a vineyard and devoted his life to caring for its vines and fruit. But he encountered another man—Jesus—whose vineyard was the world, its fruit the eternal souls of men. When Lazarus’s story and the story of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection touch in When Jesus Wept, we are offered a unique vision into the power and comfort of Christ’s love.
Brock and Bodie Thoene’s most powerful and climactic writing project to date, When Jesus Wept, captures the power and the passion of the men and women who lived through the most important days in the history of the world.
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As with all of the Thoene’s books, I appreciate the details of ordinary life which were presented in the novel. Faith-building and insightful. Thank you.
These books are beautiful. Their writing is exceptional and inspiring. This is the first of this series I’ve read, but I already look forward to the rest in the series.
I was asked about a good rainy day read. Well first I have to say thr bible. It is the beast read at any time. That aside I just finished When Jesus Wept and am now reading the sequel. It is a great read. Clean imaginative well developed. I enjoyed it. Of course it is fiction so I did not expect biblical accuracy. I enjoyed it for what it was. I would recommend the book and its sequel. It is a good read for adults and teens.
Read this as part of a series. While each book in series could stand alone, there are details here and there that refer to first two books. While it is fictional author did a good job trying to stick to historical facts. I found the story both interesting and informative.
Loved the book. It really brought the story of Jesus’ friendship with Lazarus, Mary and Martha to life for me. I don’t think I’ll ever read/hear the story of Lazarus’ rising from the dead the same again. Highly recommend!
The Thoene’s take, on how life may have been while Jesus walked in Israel is nothing short of masterful, creative and believable! One is transported back in time to the streets of Jerusalem and the towns of Israel as Jesus taught his disciples, performed miracles, powerfully impacting the lives of those around him. I highly recommend this book and any book written by the Thoene’s. Of course, this book would not be complete until you’ve read the other two books in this series, Take This Cup and When Jesus Wept.
This was a wonderful book to read especially during this time
Pretty good Christian fiction. History was not as involved as I wanted.
It seems the Theone’s took certain aspects of the biblical narrative and really stretched it’s meaning. This is a work of fiction and is a compelling story, however, I think it can be confusing to people who do not understand the bible.
The freedom taken with scripture was troubling, but it was an interesting perspective (Lazarus) .
I read the Zion Covenant Series and loved every book but I just couldn’t get into this book. Skimmed a lot of the book.
Excellent read. One of three in the series. Will be reading all three again.
For Easter, I wanted to read a Biblical Fiction series set in the New Testament. I wanted something that would connect me to the time period Jesus lived in and maybe even offer new understanding in the way fiction does best. I chose The Jerusalem Chronicles by Bodie and Brock Thoene and what can I say? I wasn’t disappointed! These books have changed the way I read the Gospels. The books were simply amazing!
The first book in the series is When Jesus Wept. While the story is told through the eyes of David ben Lazarus (aka Lazarus), it will walk you through the earthly ministry of Jesus and explore what it could have possibly been like to be a friend of Jesus.
First off, I loved the amount of Scripture used! On almost every page, passages of Scriptures were quoted directly from the Bible. In a way, this surprised me, but on the other hand, it felt completely natural. (Obviously, if Jesus is going to be a person in your book, why not quote what He said?) This was a refreshing addition to a story where you expected a lot of fictional elements and imagination to be used.
Another aspect of the novel that amazed me was how the authors wove the Scripture in with the fiction. The first scene that hit home for me was when the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery before Jesus and He said, “You without sin, cast the first stone.” In the Bible, we are not told who the woman was, but here, the authors portray the woman to be Mary, Lazarus’s sister. I felt the scene was a turning point for Lazarus. In the book, Lazarus, who had disowned his sister because of her sin, was there to witness the scene. When he saw Mary encounter Jesus, something inside him changed and he began his journey to forgiveness and compassion for Mary.
The whole novel was filled with stories we’ve heard over and over again, but, told with characters we recognize from the Bible. Of course, whether or not those people were really the ones who participated in such events didn’t take away from the story. After all, we know that part of the story was fictionalized! What made me embrace the writing style was that it made me think about these stories in a different way and feel new emotions toward familiar Scriptures.
Finally, we can’t go over a novel about Lazarus without talking about his death and resurrection. With the book being written in first person, it was different than what you might expect, but, it was intriguing! I really think the authors did a great job of capturing life after death…I can imagine that writing about something no one knows about firsthand would be a challenge, yet, it was believable and had a “heavenly” feel to it.
Conclusion: I loved this book! Not only did it tell the story of Lazarus, it spanned all three years of Jesus’ ministry. The book began with John baptizing in the Jordan and ended with Jesus being in Jerusalem for Passover right before He was arrested. Of course, you also read the tragic experience of Lazarus’s death and then his resurrection on the fourth day. Throughout the novel, you get a clear representation of what it was like to be a Jew in Israel at that time. (Not easy!) In fact, the book had a very Jewish viewpoint. (We’ll see in books two and three, that each one is written from a different viewpoint). An easy read with a style that really flowed, yet, very inspirational! Highly recommend if you’re interested in Biblical Fiction set in the New Testament era.
The story telling was good. But even keeping in mind this is a work of fiction, there were too many scriptural inaccuracies and the speculation was too far fetched for me to completely enjoy this book.
Great story from a time of the greatest change in our world. Jesus came and offered a way of peace and love. A fictional story centered around the time Jesus walked this earth. Exciting story, and I was sad when to read the last page. The Thoene’s never disappoint.
This book was amazing. Changed my life and it parallel with John 15
I enjoyed reading “When Jesus Wept” by Bodie and Brock Thoene. I thought they created a imaginative, but realistic telling of the life of Lazarus and his interactions with Jesus and others. The character development of Lazarus, his sisters Martha and Mary, Jesus, and others was very well done. Much more than other books and movies, they portray Jesus in down-to-earth human characterizations without downplaying his divine nature. The same can be said of the many other characters with whom we are familiar from Scripture readings. This is a well written book.
This was a wonderful read, I laughed, I cried. Such a different take on the Lord and how He felt and how He expressed the things in life.
Not as good as I had hoped
A wonderful perspective on biblical events.