Young Moshe and Rachel are on their way home with an elderly neighbor couple when they meet a mysterious stranger. And as they walk together and share stories, the kids realize that this simple-looking man is so much more than he appears.
Young Moshe and Rachel are on their way home with an elderly neighbor couple when they meet a mysterious stranger. And as they walk together and share stories, the kids realize that this simple-looking man is so much more than he appears.
Jerusalem was abuzz with whispers about the man named Yeshua. It was said by some that he was a man of God. Some even called him a prophet. But for young siblings Rachel and Moshe, the hushed comments were well above their understanding.
All they knew was that this “special” man had been put to death by the Roman soldiers several days ago. And though they had walked all the way to Jerusalem with their elderly neighbors, Cleopas and Miriam, to get a peek at what was going on with him, they had seen nothing.
So, as the four begin the long trek back to their small village of Emmaus, Moshe hopes that they might at least get something good to eat. Or maybe even a small toy if Cleopas and Miriam are feeling generous.
What they don’t expect, however, is that some stranger would start walking with them. He shakes off the road’s dust and asks for their thoughts on the happenings in the city. The man even prompts Miriam and Cleopas to quietly say that though they had hopes that this Yeshua was someone who might make positive change to their world … he had ended up unable to even save himself.
But the stranger balks at their description of things. And then he begins to tell stories. Stories about God, stories about the past.
Rachel and Moshe had heard some of his stories before—tales of mankind’s beginnings; stories of prophets and of God’s love—but the way this man speaks is almost magical. The narration, the ideas, come alive in their minds. Even Cleopas and Miriam admit that the stories they know so well already suddenly seem new in this man’s mouth.
The stranger smiles and says, “Citizens of heaven bring new treasures out of old storerooms.”
Just like that, the miles-long walk before them feels much lighter; even Moshe’s belly is rumbling a little less. For if this stranger, this teacher, will share the walk with them, there will be lots of time for more stories, more thoughts, more discussion.
In fact, the more they all walk and talk, the more that the stories of the past and the present all begin to fit together. The tales are sometimes hundreds of years apart, but they flow from one to the other and fit snuggly together like the treads of an amazing tapestry. It’s as if someone intended them to be so carefully connected.
Rachel is astonished. She’d never thought of her parent’s and grandparent’s stories of God in that way. And Moshe is brimming with questions about something other than his next meal for a change.
Rachel is actually the first to realize that this mysterious teacher is so much more than he first appeared to be.
And she suddenly wishes their walk might never end.
God With Us: Bible Stories on the Way to Emmaus is not just a recounting of biblical stories. It’s an interesting blend of many quick-take stories from the Bible, woven together to illustrate Luke 24:13-35. If Jesus (or Yeshua, as he was called in Hebrew) walked along with someone for several miles and recounted stories of God’s love and grace to gently address their daily struggles, it might indeed look a lot like what we see and read here.
The 10-chapter graphic novel jumps back and forth through the arc of man’s creation; to tales of prophets (such as Jonah and Moses); to Jesus’ birth and a variety of His parables and actions; to the true meaning behind the crucifixion. Each chapter sports its own theme, and points clearly to God’s purpose for His actions. (For instance, it raises questions about the difference between the biblical Great Flood and the Persian version of that event. It wonders why Jesus allowed his friend Lazurus to die before raising him from the dead. Etc.)
Collectively, though, the book suggests that the things of the Bible are not accidental. Instead, they are completely interlocking, planned by our heavenly Father.
This graphic novel declares that God brought light into a fallen world of darkness. And He offers all mankind the chance for redemption through Jesus’ personal sacrifice on our behalf.
We hear about a number of miracles, such as the one in 2 Kings about the widow and the olive oil.
None.
God uses a number of characters to move His plans forward in the stories we hear. Some, such as Jonah, the prophet who ran from God, aren’t necessarily people we should emulate. But Jonah’s tale helps us understand God’s mercy and patience. And characters such as Martha and Mary help us understand God’s view of making wise choices. Etc.
Other than the storytelling stranger (whom we later learn is, of course, Yeshua himself), though, the two central authority figures are Cleopas and Mirium. This older Jewish couple is wise and caring toward the young charges that they’re looking after. However, they are also wise enough to recognize that they haven’t correctly understood God’s full intent. They take the stranger’s wisdom to heart.
The walking group also comes upon a Pharisee named Itzhak. He takes an opportunity to instruct the group on several subjects and stories that focus on God’s unwavering law. The stranger uses the story of the good Samaritan to help this learned man (and us) to think about God’s mercy and grace.
There are, of course, some rather violent moments woven into many biblical stories. We hear about David felling and beheading Goliath, for instance. But while we see the rock smack that giant in the forehead, the bloodiness is kept from view.
That bloodless focus is consistent throughout the graphic novel. As the stories unfold, we see raging beast encounters; tales of people dying and being resurrected from the dead; and Jesus’ crucifixion. The intensity of all those moments is implied and made clear without actually illustrating any of it.
It’s stated that a woman betrayed her wedding vows and “cheated on her husband” in one briefly referenced story.
Are there ever instances where Bible stories don’t make sense to you? Did this graphic novel help you think about them differently? Do you think God’s hand guided people in some of those stories? Why do you think He did that?
In fact, did that book help you see that separate Bible stories, hundreds of years apart, could somehow be connected? Does that suggest that it was all planned? Why would God go to all that trouble? If you could choose one thing that the stranger was trying to tell Rachel and Moshe, what would it be?
What do you think Cleopas and Mirium’s biggest takeaway was? The Bible says that a similar storytelling walk on the way to Emmaus actually did happen after Jesus’ resurrection. Why do you think He took all that time and shared those stories with a couple walking home?
This well-crafted graphic novel uses the curiosity of an elderly couple and their two young charges to give us a fresh perspective on God’s long-range purpose for mankind, the forgiveness He offers us and the interconnected nature of biblical stories.
Knowing the full context of the stories used here will certainly enhance what God With Us is trying to convey. But even those young readers with no scriptural knowledge will find this fleshed-out illustration of Luke 24:13-35 to be compelling.
There are violent moments in the biblical story mix, but the illustrations keep bloodiness well out of view.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
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