In every generation, Christians face the same challenges—namely doubt, discouragement, fear, guilt, division, rejection, and the struggle against consumerism and lukewarmness.
The Gospels narrate the incredible story of Jesus’ earthly life. Yet there is a story within this narrative that’s often missed. And to my mind, it’s the greatest story never told—a narrative within the narrative.
That narrative is the story of Jesus’ repeated visits to the little village of Bethany.
When we extract the story of Bethany from the four Gospels and trace the footsteps of our Lord there, a beautiful saga emerges. This saga speaks to the challenges of doubt, discouragement, fear, guilt, division, rejection, consumerism, and spiritual apathy. Challenges we all face as believers.
My object in this book is to tell the story of Bethany and bring its powerful message to life. The reason? Because that narrative changed my life. And I’m hopeful that it will change yours also.
This book is a work of biblical narrative. The Gospels give us the meat of the story of Bethany, but I’ve filled in the details by creating dialogue, action, and atmosphere. These details add color and texture to the story. They transform the story into vivid 3D Technicolor, unearthing uncommon insights from the biblical text.
Note that I’ve drawn the creative details from first-century history. As such, they are fully consistent with the biblical record and New Testament scholarship.
Even so, this isn’t a scholarly work. As a result, different possibilities derived from the biblical data are deliberately left out. My narration is according to what I consider to be the best research available.
According to the Gospels, four main characters lived in Bethany: Martha; her sister, Mary; and their brother, Lazarus. A person named “Simon the leper” also lived there.
In the pages that follow, Lazarus will tell the story in six parts. Following each frame of the story, a ““walking it out” section will practically apply some of the crucial points of the narrative that bear on our lives today. The book concludes with a “talking it over” section to help guide discussions for churches and small groups.
Some people may think that Jerusalem is God’s favorite place on earth. And in a sense they are correct. Jerusalem is central in the Bible. It is where God put His name and where He chose to presence Himself in the Temple.
When Jesus arrived on the scene, however, the holy city of Jerusalem became something that God never intended. And it rejected its Savior. So much so that it crucified Him. The tears of Jesus over Jerusalem, therefore, were not tears of satisfaction and joy. They were tears of sorrow for rejecting its Messiah. In the following pages I will demonstrate that the place where Jesus Christ – God incarnate – was happiest, the most satisfied, and felt most at home was Bethany. It is in this sense that I am using the phrase “favorite place.”
As you read the incomparable story of Jesus in Bethany, I expect the profound significance of what our Lord did in this village to come to life for you. And when you are finished, I hope you will discover the meaning of God’s favorite place on earth.
From the early draft of God’s Favorite Place on Earth by Frank Viola, author.