Very few of us can resist a good story, least of all a teen. Jesus was a master storyteller who could surprise, challenge and amaze his listeners. In Astonishing Tales of Spiritual Truth: Gripping Stories Based on the Sayings of Jesus, Steven James retells thirty-six of Jesus’ stories in a contemporary youth context. Each chapter is four to six pages long and could easily be used as a Bible study lesson or as a personal, daily devotional. Astonishing Tales has a small square format with an “Amazing Comics” cover illustration making it visually appealing to youth.
Every chapter includes a section entitled “Origin” which explains where in the Bible that particular tale can be found. The “Inquiry” section explains what the original story meant to the first listeners. James doesn’t believe that Scripture can mean something today that it never meant then.
Chapter 9 “Trouble at the Concession Stand” begins: “‘Can you believe this new guy?’ Antoine asked his friend Trevor as they arrived at their hall lockers one Friday after school. ‘What a wannabe!’
“‘Yeah, no kidding…He doesn’t even own a letter jacket and he calls himself a basketball player…He just wears old worn-out sneakers! How can you play basketball with old shoes?’
“‘You know what I heard? I heard he doesn’t even shoot with both feet on the ground.’
“‘Who does he think he is, shooting in the air?’ said Trevor. ‘I’ll bet he can’t even spin a ball on his finger!’ “
James makes every Biblical story relevant for his modern-day readers. For instance, in the “Relevance” section of chapter 9, the author asks, “Are you more worried about your clothes than your heart? Are you quick to pile up rule after rule for others, and then quick to find loopholes for yourself?” Finally at the end of each chapter, the “Meditation” section gives teens a short prayer to focus their attention on the original Storyteller.
A few of the stories are the well-known, expected parables of Jesus like “The Good Samaritan,” and “The Wheat and the Tares,” but James retells lesser known events and sayings as well, like the parable of the “Ten Virgins,” and Jesus’ encounter with the “Ten Lepers.” Readers familiar with the Bible will easily recognize the stories in their new context, but they will be surprised at how the author ends his rendition with a twist of truth that will change their perspective—just like Jesus did with his listeners.
“Decorating the Hotel Room” was so funny I laughed until I cried which was completely appropriate for what turned out to be a tragic ending. Many of Jesus’ stories don’t have feel-good, happily-ever-after, fairy-tale conclusions. My favorite James tale is called “Wanna Know What I Did Last Night?” Its ironic finish reminded me that “Jesus talks a lot more about how we should forgive other people than He does about how God forgives us.”
Astonishing Tales is technically a non-fiction book, a commentary on New Testament passages which seeks to explain Jesus’ message to young people, but in reality Steven James’ book reads like a short story collection. The theme of the book is God’s story and its intersection with our story. James’ writing style and use of dialog provides a fresh and compelling message for both first time Bible readers, and for those who might be inclined to tune out an oft-told tale from Sunday School. We all need to be reminded that things are not always as they appear to be—including the Kingdom of Heaven.