Author

 

  • Author And Perfecter Of Our Faith: (Hebrews 12:2)
  • Author Of Life (Acts 3:15)
  • Author Of Salvation (Heb. 2:10)
According to the dictionary an author is an originator or creator.  And as we all know Jesus was with God and was God in the beginning and everything was made by Him so it stands to reason that He is the author of everything.

But in thinking about this particular title today I began to wonder if there is more to be discovered about our favourite and most prolific author. 😀

There is a school of thought which proposes that the gazillion stories which have been told over the centuries ( including all the films) can all be reduced down to seven basic archetypes.  Seven plot lines which form the basis for all the stories we tell.   I'll list them here and then we can have a look at the story Jesus has been writing since God first said ' let there be'

  1. 1. Rags to riches: In a rags-to-riches story, a poor and derelict main character gains something they lack (money, power, love) loses it, and then wins it back again by the end of the story. 
  2. 2. The quest: In a quest archetype, the main character must reach a certain location, attain a certain object, or fulfill a certain objective while conquering many obstacles along the way. 
  3. 3. Rebirth: The rebirth story archetype has its roots in religion—think of the biblical resurrection of Jesus—but in common practice, it may simply involve a character changing their ways and becoming a better person, resulting in a happy ending. 
  4. 4. Overcoming the monster: This story archetype involves a hero who must conquer some sort of evil force—typically physical but sometimes metaphysical. 
  5. 5. Comedy:  Comedic plot lines subvert expectations and blend the familiar with the absurd to keep audiences laughing and on their toes. 
  6. 6. Tragedy: Tragedy is comedy’s mirror image. In a tragedy, a protagonist is undone by a critical character flaw or by the cruelty of fate. 
  7. 7. Voyage and return: A voyage and return story sends a protagonist to a strange land, from which they will return armed with wisdom and life experience. 

I think it is fairly evident that the nativity 'story' ( and I hate calling it that because it somehow relegates it to fiction ) contains elements of all of these plot lines.  The life of Jesus has had such a massive influence over so many for so long because His life contains all the elements of every story we have ever told ourselves.  A Prince of heaven gives it all up to become wretched and poor ( 1) regaining it all at the end when He goes back to heaven.  His quest is to defeat Satan and redeem mankind (2) He is not only resurrected from the dead but literally offers all who believe in Him rebirth (3).  He overcomes the natural order of the fallen world to bring healing and deliverance and ultimately defeats death itself (4)  Although the life of Jesus is not a comedy there are plenty of smiles to be had - especially in the stories Jesus Himself tells (5)  On the surface the life and death of Jesus are a tragedy.  A sinless man is put to death by a cruel and unjust state purely for political purposes (6) Jesus rises from the dead to return to heaven whence He came thus completing an epic journey (7)




But there is another layer to this whole thing too - the story of mankind.
Adam has it all and loses it all through the fall but ultimately is brought back to God by Jesus (1) The quest for God's people is to follow Him and obey - this is a rollercoaster journey of successes and failures (2)  The promise of rebirth is offered when a Saviour is born (3) Jesus the man overcame sin and temptation in order to show mankind that it is possible to live as a man in communion with God and not to make the same mistake as Adam (4) Talking donkeys, 300 soldiers lapping water with their tongues, prophets running to get out of the rain - the Bible is full of funny moments, because we as people are always doing funny things (5) The whole history of the human race up until the birth of Jesus has so many tragic elements (6) but ultimately we run and finish the race with Jesus and gain our reward - eternity on a new earth where there are no more tears, suffering and death(7)

Have you ever wondered why we like to tell and hear stories so much?  Books, newspapers, film, tiktok, social media - it's all about the stories we tell.  The reason we tell them and consume them is because the One who made us is the worlds greatest storyteller.  He had the epic narrative of human history in His mind before He spoke a word.  He knows the end from the beginning and the end is good.  They all (hopefully) live happily ever after.  Amen
  

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