God's Story: A Narrative Adaptation of the Bible

After Jesus left Jerusalem he saw a man who had been born blind. His followers asked, “Teacher, was it this man’s sin or the sin of his parents that made him blind?” Jesus replied, “Neither. This happened so that God’s power will be seen in him. As long as we have daylight, we must do God’s work. But night is coming and then no one can work.” After saying this he spit on the ground and made some mud. He then rubbed it in the man’s eyes and told him to go to a nearby pool and wash himself. When the man did this, his sight was restored. Those who had seen the man begging started to argue about whether he was really the person they had seen or just someone who looked similar. But when he insisted that it was really him they asked him how he had been healed. When he told them they took him to the religious leaders. This healing was done on the sabbath so when the religious leaders heard the story they said, “This man who healed you is not from God. He defies the law of Moses by wo...

When Jesus’ disciples returned to him they reported all they had said and done and also brought him news of John the Baptist’s death. Upon hearing this, Jesus left on a boat to be alone. But the crowds learned he had moved on and followed him from the shore. When Jesus’s boat landed and he saw a large crowd had already gathered he felt compassion for them and healed their sick. As the night approached Jesus’ followers said, “We’re in the middle of nowhere and it’s getting late. Send everyone back to the nearby villages so they can buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They don’t need to leave. You give them something to eat.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish. There are thousands of men here, along with their families.” they said. “Bring them to me.” Then Jesus told the crowd to sit down. He took the bread, then looked to heaven, gave thanks, and broke it. Then he gave the bread pieces to his followers to pass it out to the crowd. Everyone ate until the...

Out of the crowds of followers who often accompanied him, Jesus called 12 to be his closest allies. In addition to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, Matthew, Philip, and Nathaniel, Jesus called Thomas, James, the son of Alphaeus, Jude Thaddeus, Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot. Then Jesus looked out at the crowd who had gathered on the mountainside and began to teach them. “When you feel crushed by your own sinfulness, look to God for help from a place of humility and you will be lifted up. When you are overwhelmed with grief, look to God and you will find comfort. “Derive your satisfaction in devoting yourselves to living out the teachings of God, no matter what else happens. Keep your hearts pure if you want to remain close to God. Don’t despair if you suffer when you follow God, you will share in the creator’s kingdom. “When you feel you have no power in a world that worships and abuses power, look to your king, God of all creation, for your s...

When Jesus was around 30-years-old, his kinsman John went to Perea, the name of the lands on the opposite shore of the Jordan River from Judea where the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasasah had once settled. There he preached, saying , “Repent of your evil ways. God’s eternal kingdom is nearly here.” He would immerse anyone who heeded his words in the Jordan river to symbolize that they had confessed their sins before God. This was known as baptism and John became known as the Baptist. The Pharisees and Sadducees quickly heard how so many people had come to John to be baptized and went to see him for themselves. When they appeared before him he said, “You snakes. Since when have you feared God’s anger? Don’t come here saying you want to repent unless you are also willing to change how you think and act. Don’t assume that just because you are descended from Abraham that God will automatically rescue you. God could create new children for Abraham right now out of these rocks. The a...