CITY ON A HILL: PARABLES OF THE CARPENTER IN THANE

Another chapter in the greatest story ever told... Come meet Jeshua (known today as Jesus) before he started attracting crowds. In his previous book, The Welcoming Door, Kenny Kemp retells the cherished New Testament parables in an entirely new and unique way -- placing Jeshua himself, as a working carpenter, in the very stories he would one day teach the world. Simple, subtle, and heartfelt, the Parables of the Carpenter delight readers with a Jeshua they have only imagined: young, vibrant, and questioning -- a thoughtful student of human nature who soon would become the world's greatest teacher. Now, in City on a Hill, Jeshua's formative adventures continue, weaving two New Testament parables into a compelling narrative. Just five miles from Nazareth lies Sepphoris, the teeming capital of Galilee, where Jeshua encounters the larger Roman world, a world of powerful, scheming men who love darkness more than light. Working as an artisan on an immense basilica, Jeshua struggles not only with the wicked governor and his cabal of conspirators but with his fellow workers, who are threatening to strike over unpaid wages. And when King Herod Antipas himself rides into Sepphoris with his army on a stormy Sabbath evening, Jeshua is faced with his greatest challenge yet -- to hold true to his radical, peaceful Gospel and still protect his friends and family. Into this volatile mix are stirred two of Jesus' most thought-provoking stories, the parable of the unjust judge, which reveals the principle of faithful persistence, and the parable of the unmerciful servant, which illuminates the power of forgiveness. For those who wonder about the time, place, and people behind the parables, City on a Hill provides a fascinating encounter with the most remarkable, unforgettable, and divinely human Jesus ever.