Through My Eyes is the Journal of the Sister of Jesus (Yeshua).
B.R. Houseman recently published “Through My Eyes,” which is the Journal of the Sister of Jesus, written for her children.
Susannah is the fictional youngest daughter of Josef and Miriam. Therefore, the story of Jesus is told through her eyes and her experiences growing up in the same house as Jesus of Nazareth. Because they are so close, you will feel a connection you’ve never felt before.
Biblical and historical sources support this fictional work. The author describes the daily lives of the family, bringing to all of us a sense of His humanity while bringing us closer to understanding.
B.R. Houseman has been a teacher for many years and has a passion for inspiring Bible believers to live their faith without compromise or complacency. A weekly Bible study on the Torah is available free of charge for subscribers at In Tune With Torah, a Weekly Torah Commentary.
From the Heart
I read the book over a two-day period and didn’t want to put it down. As a result, this is the review I published on Amazon:
On rare occasions, you read a book that touches you to your very soul. “Through My Eyes” is one of those books. The realism of the story of the life of Jesus of Nazareth as journaled by his youngest sister, Susannah, brings you into the story in a way I’ve never experienced studying the Bible stories.
Also, the author is not only a Jewish mother like Mary, but she lives in the Holy Land. The descriptions of family life and the locales are extraordinary for the average reader.
“I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked”
My greatest wish in life is to “walk where Jesus walked” and after reading this beautiful gift from B.R. Houseman, I feel as though I’ve taken that journey. The book is not only an intimate look into the heart of a sister, but that which has always seemed untouchable has become so real.
One of my favorite hymn’s words, “I walked today where Jesus walked” have never carried such meaning before. I am so touched by this book that as soon as I turned the last page, I ordered a hard copy for a young middle-grade student who wants to grow up to be a minister. There is no doubt in my mind that she’ll love it as much as I did. I received a copy of this book from the author when I offered to do an interview on this new release.
There were so many moments in this book that touched my heart. I’d never considered where the purple robe came from that the Roman Soldiers gambled for at the crucifixion. I’m sure you never thought much about it either, but when the author shared that it was made for Him by his Grandmother Hannah, wife of Joachim, my heart skipped a beat.
The Wedding
The author tells the story of the wedding of Deborah and Nathan. You’ll remember the Bible story where Jesus turned the water into wine. We sometimes forget the meaning behind the stories. The empty jars are symbolic of the people running out of Godly wisdom and righteousness. At that time in history, the Jewish nation was at the lowest level of spirituality they had experienced since their fathers left Egypt.
The jars were made of stone, symbolizing the coldness of men’s hearts. Plus, they were empty like Israel’s hearts. When Jesus approached the jars, they were filled with water. As you know, the water of life comes only from heaven.
The Challenges
The story follows the young couple and their newborn son into exile to Egypt after the census. Until I read this book, I never considered how hard it must have been for them to return to Egypt after Moses had brought his people to the Promised Land. Therefore, the unease of daily life had to be nearly unbearable for the young mother as they awaited the time to return to Israel.
How did the young parents feel when they couldn’t find their son in Jerusalem?
Excerpt from the Journal of the Sister of Jesus:
Standing in the streets of Jerusalem peering around every corner and looking down every alley for her beloved Firstborn, (your) Grandmother wondered if this was the sword of sorrow Simeon had predicted. Coming up behind her, Josef took her by the arm and said, “Miriam, we have searched and searched, and still we do not find Him. Let us go to the Temple to pray that God will show us where He is.”
(Your) Grandfather took me from Grandmother’s arms for he could see that she was exhausted and carried me himself as he helped her through the crowd and up the Temple steps. Entering the outer court, Grandfather suddenly stopped and looked around. Grandmother looked at him questioningly and then she heard it, too!
The Voice they knew so well!
Weariness vanished at the sound of His Voice. They looked around to find where it was coming from. Over to one side, a group of Pharisees was gathered in a circle. Approaching them cautiously, Grandfather and Grandmother were amazed and shocked to find Yeshua sitting in their midst, both listening to them and asking them questions that astounded the Teachers of Israel.
Casting propriety aside, Grandmother rushed to Yeshua and said, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been searching for you for three days! We have been so worried!” Yeshua looked at her with a hint of surprise on His face. With a solemn expression, He replied respectfully, “Why were you looking for Me anywhere else? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
A Murmur Went Through the Crowd of Sages.
One of them approached Josef and asked, “Where do you live?” When Grandfather replied that our home was in Nazareth in the Galilee, the Teacher replied, “Your Son is advanced for His years. We find Him to be most intelligent and deeply devoted to our Torah. We could make a place for Him to study here at the Temple with some of our greatest Sages. He is young, but we could make an exception. I am prepared to take responsibility for Him myself. My wife and I have no children. By the way, my name is Nicodemus.”
Grandfather and Grandmother thanked Nicodemus for his generous offer but respectfully declined. “He is too young. Our Son’s place is with us,” Grandfather said.
Nicodemus Presses On
“He will be a brilliant Rabbi one day,” Nicodemus pressed. “It would be my honor to have a part in His training. I tell you, the Holy One, blessed be He, has favored this Boy. There is something very profound about His soul. He has astounded us with His knowledge and His insight.”
Josef and Miriam left Jerusalem for the second time with Yeshua walking closely by their side. They asked Him about His conversations with the Teachers in the Temple and He recounted to them discussions of the Torah and the prophets. He repeated to them certain questions He had posed to which the Sages had no answer.
A Father’s Love
“Father,” Yeshua turned towards Grandfather. “Of whom does the prophet Isaiah speak when he says ‘by his knowledge the Righteous One, my Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear the iniquities.’ None of the teachers could give me an answer.”
Grandmother felt a strange foreboding and looked quickly at Grandfather. His face was stricken with a strange look. He stopped, put his hands on Yeshua’s shoulders and said gravely, “Son, when the Almighty wants you to understand, He will give you the answer.”
We all know how this story ends, but you haven’t ever seen the life of Jesus through the eyes of his sister. Furthermore, there is the beauty of the innocence of childhood in her perceptions as she recounts her life with Jesus.
“These scars will always be with Me, Susannah. They are my glory,” He paused and then added, “and yours.” I didn’t understand, but at that moment it didn’t matter. All I knew was that HE was ALIVE. My brother was back, and I was delirious!
So, as we approach the Easter celebration of the gift of the Son, I urge you to pick up a copy of this beautiful journal and to share it with your bible study groups and book clubs. You won’t be disappointed!
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