The Dramatic Story of the Messiah in the Holy Land

JESUS

A VISUAL HISTORY

DONALD L. BRAKE SR. | with todd bolen

ZONDERVAN

Jesus, A Visual History

Copyright © 2014 by Donald L. Brake

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brake, Donald L., Sr., 1939–

Jesus, a visual history: the dramatic story of the Messiah in the Holy Land / Donald L. Brake, with Todd Bolen.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-310-51537-1 (softcover)

1. Jesus Christ—Biography. 2. Palestine—Description and travel. 3. Israel—Description and travel. I. Title.

BT301.3.B725 2014

232 — dc23

2014003705

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

All photos, unless otherwise noted, are from the photo library of Todd Bolen, © Todd Bolen, used by permission.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with the literatry agency of Credo Communications LLC., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525; www.CredoCommunications.net.

Cover design: Studio Gearbox

Cover photography: top: ramzihachicho/www.istockphoto.com; bottom left: D. Brake; bottom middle: Todd Bolen/www.BiblePlaces.com; bottom right: © Alex Gulevich/www.123RF.com

To my wife, Carol, the original “Wonder Woman.”

From a blind date to life partner, mother of my children,

grandmother of my grandchildren,

and love of my life for sixty years.

Contents

Acknowledgments

A Word …

Preface: God’s Playing Board

Introduction: The Holy Land under Siege

1. Messiah in a “Crib”: A Baby Changes Everything

2. Messiah Identified by Divine Promises: The Nazarene from Galilee

3. Messiah’s Divine Authority: Certified by Obedience, Testing, and Miracles

4. Messianic Message Defined: The Kingdom of God

5. Messianic Discourse: The Sermon on the Mount and Parables by the Sea

6. Messiah Faces Intense Opposition: The Call to True Faith...