Benjamin and Feeding the 5,000 (#03 in The Witness Series)

Nine-year-old Benjamin aspires to be a fisherman just like his father Jacob. Since he's too young to fish, he helps the fishing crews by building cooking fires on shore and by negotiating with vendors to sell his father's catch.

One day the scene on the Capernaum shore is different. Four well-known fishermen have abandoned their boats! Zebedee explains that they're following a new teacher named Jesus.

Could this be the promised Messiah? This is the central question of Benjamin and the Feeding of the 5,000, the third book in The Witness Series.

The story follows Benjamin on his quest to understand who this Jesus is and see exactly how he's turning their community upside down.

* Benjamin gathers firsthand accounts from townsfolk, recounting what they have seen Jesus do.
* In the synagogue, Benjamin hears Jesus read the Scripture and teach with startling authority.
* He watches in shock as Jesus commands a demon-possessed man to be quiet, and the demon obeys.
* A paralyzed man, lowered from a rooftop, is healed after Jesus forgives his sins.

Throughout, Benjamin receives loving support from his grandmother Ruth who uses prophetic Scripture as the litmus test of Jesus's divinity.

In the climactic scene, Benjamin has a chance to make a decision. Will he use his skills of salesmanship to hawk his precious fish and loaves to a hungry crowd? Or will he follow Jesus's example of compassion and generosity?

What he sees that day will change him forever.

Even readers who know these miracles by heart will see them differently here. Through Benjamin's eyes, the evidence builds until the answer feels undeniable: Jesus truly is the Messiah.Read less