The “undiscovered or lost” years of Jesus Christ — the only son of God for Christians (and other gnostics) — have always been a hot and fascinating topic of discussion among scholars and writers. The years between Jesus’ childhood (after the age of 12 in the temple) till he arrives in Jordan for his baptism (when he was 30) have even been captured by movies like Jesus: The Lost Years.
Indeed, unlike other prophets or avataars (incarnations), not much is known of what Jesus did during those years. Some writings hint he travelled to Tibet and even India (in 1894 Nicolas Notovitch published a book called The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ). Others say the story of his pilgrimage from Jerusalem to Benares was recorded by Brahmanist historians. There are even accounts of Jesus having visited Kashmir. The scope of this discussion is beyond the review of this book. However, given this context, it’s but natural that these years of Jesus’ life should hold an air of mystique around them.
Honestly, though, I wonder how may Christians have ever bothered to inquire about these “lost” years, or even realised their importance.
It’s probably here that a book like Deepak Chopra’s Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment tries to fit the bill. The author, with his fertile imagination (the book is not a historical treatise), attempts to paint the “more than one Jesus (who) has been left out of the Bible.”
His book has been divided into three major segments — Jesus the ‘Seeker’, ‘Miracle Worker’, and ‘Messiah’. “A huge abyss separates Jesus’ holiness from our ordinariness,” argues Chopra, adding: “What if Jesus wanted his followers—and us—to reach the same unity with God that he had reached?” The author’s story is based on the premise that Jesus did. Chopra admits he did not feel comfortable at first tackling a novel about the lost years since “you run the risk of denying his [Jesus’] sacred role...I wanted to give believing Christians—and all seekers—even more reason to be inspired.” In other words, a young man’s transformational journey from carpenter’s son to revolutionary leader to spiritual saviour.
He starts out in a promising fashion, and I for one can’t fault him on his literary skills since I’m no litterateur. Chopra has earlier too (in his book, The Third Jesus) delved into the aspects of the ‘human’ and suggested in some way that the God-consciousness embodied in the human Jesus is present in all of us individually and collectively.
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In this book, Jesus interacts with Judas, a Zealot (Jewish rebels who fought against the Roman empire) and falls in love with Mary (a prostitute), has a brother called James, has pangs of doubt, and even learns to brew tea. Besides, he makes very prophet-like statements: “All you have to fear from me is that I come in peace.”
Similar attempts have earlier been made by authors like Christopher Moore who wrote Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, a fictional story of Jesus’ adolescence told from the point of view of Jesus’ best friend.
In it, he travels to India, China and the Middle East to visit the three wise men, where they in turn teach Jesus a different facet of his later teachings.
Of course, like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (though it does not deal with this subject), such works of fiction (and other attempts to unravel what the scrolls and parchment papers say) get a not-so-studied dressing down from the Vatican. Though liberal church authorities over the years have realised that they have somehow missed out on portraying the human or fallible Jesus.
Chopra, on his part, has worked towards combining spirituality with inspiring and interesting narratives in his earlier works, too, like Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment. However, most Christians may find it hard to dissociate themselves from what they have been taught about Jesus by the clergy. But, then, this book is not meant only for Christians.
Personally, being an atheist, I believe that there are scores of other ways of inspiring people without resorting to spiritual topics — again, outside the scope of this article. But yes, I’ve one suggestion for Chopra. Since his book is titled Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment, the cover picture could have been that of a smiling Jesus (another human trait) instead of the traditional one with a crown of thorns.
JESUS
A STORY OF ENLIGHTENMENT
Deepak Chopra
HarperCollins India
Rs 395; 288 pages
