Simply Stories of Jesus By Dorothy Wigan 

Reading this stimulating booklet might inspire preachers and teachers to become better storytellers (but those looking for historical detail should look elsewhere) 

Simply Stories of Jesus 
By Dorothy Wigan 
Onwards and Upwards 
ISBN 978-1-911086-80-2 
Reviewed by Pieter Lalleman 

In this slim book (46 pages of text) Wigan retells biblical stories of people’s meetings with Jesus. Eleven of the stories are taken from Luke’s Gospel, the twelfth is about Thomas. Wigan presents them all in the first person and in the present tense, which gives them great immediacy. Only the story of the resurrection in Nain (Luke 7:11-16) is told by a third person. The retellings put much emphasis on the warm feelings that the persons must have experienced when Jesus met with them and healed them physically and/or mentally.  

Reading this booklet might inspire preachers and teachers to become better storytellers. Those looking for historical detail should look elsewhere. Most stories do contain small trespasses against the perspective, in being unrealistic about what the person can possibly have known or thought about Jesus at that time or in mixing up the order in which the person’s thoughts about Jesus developed. Yet many readers will hardly spot these things. 

My one qualm about this stimulating book is that the woman in Luke 7:36-50 is called Mary; this perpetuates the false suggestion that this person was Mary Magdalene, which is historically very unlikely.  
 

The Revd Dr. Pieter J. Lalleman teaches Bible at Spurgeon’s College