Action man Bear Grylls has written a dramatic account that will catapult you into first century Israel
Review by Bruce Pearson
The Greatest Story Ever Told. An Eyewitness Account By Bear Grylls (Hodder & Stoughton, 277 pages)
Bear Grylls, former SAS soldier, TV star, author, adventurer, and Chief Ambassador for the Scouts, has now written a book that he calls “the most important work I’ve ever done”. In all his TV and radio interviews, Grylls says that he would seriously give up all his previous accolades to have written ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account’. Now the book has topped The Sunday Times bestseller list, which is thrilling news in itself.
So what’s all the excitement about?
Grylls blends fact and fiction to convey the story of Jesus Christ, cleverly narrating Jesus’ life from the foretelling of his birth to his ascension, through the eyes of five witnesses: Mary the mother of Jesus, three of the apostles (Thomas, Peter, and John), and Mary Magdalene. Jesus’ mother Mary starts us off, telling us about her experiences from Jesus’ conception until his public ministry, where Thomas and Peter continue the story up to Jesus’ final Passover. John’s testimony ends with Jesus’ execution, and finally Mary Magdalene recounts the resurrection.
Grylls writes in first person, drawing you into the action as if the apostles and the Marys had written it themselves. The book uses the exact words of Jesus and the other witnesses taken directly from the Gospels, which, alongside artistic licence, adds drama, and gives realism to what the witnesses would think, feel and experience – this is where the genius of ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ lies.
Having said that, make sure you give yourself time to take a breath while reading – the stories are told as three-page long events at most, jumping from one scene to the next very rapidly. With a book full of emotions, you may need time to pause and reflect; but with its hurried pace, it almost feels that the narrative moves forward too quickly at times. Nevertheless, the stories recounted in this book are life-changing, and Bear certainly packs them in! If you were ever to be stranded on a desert island, then this is definitely a book to take in your survival kit.
Bear Grylls is well known for being bold and brave, and ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ is no different. Some Christians may feel uncomfortable with the book’s artistic licence and ‘adding’ to Scripture.
To recount a sacred story from a completely new perspective, while connecting the texture of landscape, sounds, emotions, drama, and character is a challenge which Grylls meets perfectly. But this is the book’s real strength; by placing you into the shoes of the Apostles and both Marys, Grylls will catapult you into first century Israel to experience the roller-coaster of emotions that these witnesses surely felt.
I could not put this book down; at times it made me laugh out loud, feel wrought with tension, and deeply moved with sadness. As it is both easy to read and accessible for any level, this book is, as Grylls says, for people of different “faiths, background, pain and scepticism”.
Whoever you are – whether a seasoned Christian or reading the story of Jesus for the first time – ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ will be a blessing to those who read it. One of Thomas’s reflections provides a perfect summary of the book: “Sometimes you can analyse things to death and then miss the beauty in front of you.” It’s true that we can sometimes overanalyse and overstudy the Bible, thereby missing the beauty of Jesus.
Through this book, Grylls invites us to see the beauty of Jesus in a fresh light. Let’s all say “Yes” to that invitation!