There’s a good chance when you hear the name Bear Grylls, the first thing that comes to mind is outdoor adventurist and survival expert, not “author of a book about the Bible.” Bear Grylls became somewhat of a household name for television shows like Man vs. Wild and various spin offs of the same kind. He’s written 100 books before this one, and those other books have been related to the world of adventure and outdoor survival, and personal motivation from tales of adventure and survival.
But Bear Grylls has an active faith in Jesus that is also a central part of his life.
And this latest book, The Greatest Story Ever Told, is an outgrowth of that faith. In an interview for Premier Christianity, Grylls had this to say about this book: “I am proud of my other books, and I don’t want to belittle them, but this is different. It’s the proudest thing in my work world I’ve ever done.” In a nutshell, this book is a retelling of the life of Christ from a first-person perspective.
When I was working on my doctorate, Haddon Robinson required us to read about first-person preaching and to preach a first-person narrative sermon. This felt more like theater to me and was definitely out of my comfort zone. But it had to be done, so I preached a sermon on Samson in the college chapel where I was teaching. And I was amazed at the amount of exegetical work I had to put into that message, and stunned by the impact on the students.
“It’s the proudest thing in my work world I’ve ever done.” —Bear Grylls
So, overcoming my inhibitions, I decided to preach another first-person sermon on Easter Sunday. I’ll never forget the gal who caught me after service to tell me she had been kind of dreading going to church that Sunday figuring it would be “just another same old Easter message”—but the first-person narrative approach was a moving, compelling experience that made Easter come alive for her.
All of that to say, I appreciate what Grylls is seeking to do in The Greatest Story Ever Told.
Summary
Using the Gospel of John as the backbone, The Greatest Story Ever Told is a harmony of the Gospels retold from the perspective of various characters who were there. While it doesn’t cover every story from the Gospels, Grylls does a good job of synthesizing the majority of the stories into a harmonized whole. The chapters are short, and the story moves along at an engaging pace. The book traces the life of Jesus in five parts from five different people’s perspectives.
Part 1 comes from Mary’s perspective. It traces her experience from the angelic announcement of her pregnancy through the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. Her perspective continues through the account of Jesus being left behind in Jerusalem when he was twelve all the way up to his baptism and his first miracle at the wedding in Cana.
Part 2 shares some of Jesus’ early ministry from Thomas’s outlook, picking up at the wedding in Cana. This section includes such well-known stories as the cleansing of the temple, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the calming of the storm on the Sea of Galilee, and several others, all as Thomas wrestles with who this Jesus really is.
Part 3 continues the story from Simon Peter’s standpoint and includes gospel stories where Peter was a central player. It visualizes Peter’s perspective on events such as the feeding of the five thousand, walking on water, and the conversation at Caesarea Philippi. This section concludes just before the final week in Jerusalem.
“Grylls does a good job of synthesizing the majority of the stories into a harmonized whole.”
Part 4 opens with the Triumphal Entry and concludes with Jesus’ death on the cross. It recounts the final week from John’s vantage point, highlighting key moments from Jesus’ interaction with the temple authorities and the upper room discourse with the disciples, before narrating the account of the crucifixion from John’s perspective.
Finally, part 5 focuses on the resurrection through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. She retells her own experience of the empty tomb and meeting the resurrected Jesus. She shares what it was like to see Him in the upper room and later along the shores of the Sea of Galilee when Jesus restored Peter. Finally, Mary Magdalene gives her account of the ascension of Jesus forty days after his resurrection.
What’s Valuable?
The great benefit of a first-person approach is how it brings the story to life. Grylls is a good storyteller, so this approach knocks the dust off familiar stories, providing a fresh experience of the Gospels.
Be aware, however, that composing a first-person narrative always involves making interpretive decisions and taking some creative license, so there were some places where I would’ve seen things differently than Grylls. But I appreciate the fact that he doesn’t over dramatize it and add in too many unnecessary details to the story. He actually shows good restraint by simply retelling the story but from a different angle, and he allows that change of angle to do the work of helping us experience the story in a new way.
When done well like this, seeing Bible stories through the eyes of characters who were there leads to fresh insights on the story and involves the emotions in ways that third-person narrative may not.
A few suggestions
If I could’ve consulted with Bear Grylls on this book, I would’ve made a few suggestions.
First, when it comes to people’s names and place names, Grylls chooses to use Hebrew versions written in English. So, for example, Mary is Myriam, Thomas is Ta’om, Jerusalem is Yerushalayim, and so on. I understand the intent was to add a layer of authenticity to the story, but I think it was more confusing than helpful. I would’ve suggested he stick to the familiar names which would have made the story clearer.
Second, I think it would also be helpful to have some way of adding Scripture references to the stories—perhaps in a footnote or as part of the chapter title—so readers can see where they can read the story in the Bible. For people familiar with the Bible, that may not be as necessary, but if Grylls is hoping this book can reach people who don’t know Jesus or the Bible, then adding that could make this book a gateway to reading the Bible.
“Seeing Bible stories through the eyes of characters who were there leads to fresh insights on the story and involves the emotions in ways that third-person narrative may not.”
Third, I would love to see at least some of these stories told with a little more theological freight, so that the original author’s theological intent in the Gospels comes through in the first-person version of it. I get that this isn’t Grylls’ strength (he’s not a theological or biblical scholar after all), and he did include a few key moments of this. But one of the challenges and strengths of first-person exposition of the Bible is stepping into the world of the original character and thinking what he or she thinks so that you do not merely retell the story but relive it. And when that is done within the confines of the original message of the story, it can deliver the theological freight of the text extremely well.
Conclusion
Overall, however, I was impressed by this book. Grylls did a great job bringing the story of Jesus to life in a fresh way that helps us see the setting and experience the drama in new ways. Personally, there were times my heart was moved, stirring up my admiration and affection for Jesus.
