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A ten-year-old Jewish boy living in Capernaum in the days of the Roman occupation has the good fortune to meet Rabbi Yeshua, someday to be known to the world as Jesus of Nazareth. On his way to work in his father’s wheat fields, Jonathan spies a group of Roman soldiers approaching on horseback. Among them is a yellow-haired Roman boy about his age. Later, he spies that same boy kidnapped by one of the soldier’s slaves. The Roman leader enlists his help to rescue his son, Julius, and from that encounter, Jonathan will become a friend to Julius and a liaison between the Romans and the local Jews. Both groups will hear the words of Rabbi Yeshua, and both will puzzle over his message, as the ties between them grow closer, demonstrating how Yeshua’s message is reaching people of different origins and beliefs.
Author Easley has composed this intriguing tale, with some bright illustrations, to target an audience of young readers. He has clearly done a great deal of research into the historical period and the customs of typical Jewish families and Roman aristocrats. Cleverly, he places his lively young hero solidly into the Bible story, allied with Simon, Andrew, and Reuben, meeting Nicodemus, and witnessing Yeshua’s miracles—the casting out of demons and curing physical illnesses and deformities. In an open-minded manner, Easley depicts characters, including Jonathan, hearing and pondering the serious philosophical and religious issues arising among both Jews and Romans, underscoring the likely impact of the person and teaching of Jesus in his earthly incarnation. This indicates the author’s intention to allow his young readers the chance to question while sustaining Yeshua’s sterling example and Jonathan’s growing faith throughout. The result is an accessible, enjoyable mix of fable and fact suited to the book’s intended readership.