Let me introduce you to Jesus of Nazareth and His brother Jonas.
Walk with Jesus of Nazareth throughout His life—from birth to resurrection.
Be at His birth.
Flee with His family to Egypt.
Return to Nazareth and watch a boy grow into a young man.
See Him wed and build a family.
Walk beside Him in His ministry.
Kneel with Him in Gethsemane.
Stand with Him beneath the cross, sharing His suffering and His love.
Rejoice with Him at the Garden Tomb.
Behold the scars in the hands of the Risen Christ—and know what love has overcome.
Through the Eyes of a Shepherd is a four-volume historical novel of the life of Jesus of Nazareth told by Jonas, His adopted older brother, protector, and lifelong companion.
Through Jonas’s eyes, readers see Jesus not as a distant figure of faith, but as Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Friend, Teacher, and Messiah. Told in the first person, the story draws readers into His parables, miracles, family life, opposition, and triumphs, allowing them to walk beside Him as if they were there.
It blends scripture with sacred imagination, allowing readers to walk beside Him and become one of His disciples through every parable, miracle, and trial.
More than a retelling, it’s an invitation to see, feel, and remember the Master’s life anew.
A testament of love, loss, and eternal hope—Through the Eyes of a Shepherd speaks to both heart and mind.
Step into the world of Jesus of Nazareth—told through the eyes of His brother, Jonas.
Through the Eyes of a Shepherd is a four-volume historical novel that brings the life of Jesus of Nazareth into vivid focus through the voice of Jonas—His adopted older brother, protector, and lifelong companion.
Through Jonas’s eyes, readers see Jesus not as a distant figure of history, but as son, brother, husband, father, teacher, and ultimately, Messiah. Told in the first person, the story draws us into His parables, miracles, family life, opposition, and triumphs, allowing us to walk beside Him as if we were there.
The narrative unfolds in two timelines: around 80 AD, with Jonas—now an old man—determined to preserve the Master’s story for future generations; and decades earlier, as the story of Jesus’s birth, ministry, and resurrection comes alive again through his memory.
While not a substitute for the Gospels, this series deepens understanding of them. Written in clear, modern language, it illuminates scripture with sacred imagination, revealing the world where the Master walked and taught.
Each volume follows its own arc—from birth and baptism, to teachings and healings, to His Passion, crucifixion, and resurrection—forming together a testament of love, loss, and eternal hope.
Through the Eyes of a Shepherd is more than a retelling—it’s a journey of faith, family, and the miracle of love made flesh.
Did Jesus Marry?
Why Through the Eyes of a Shepherd
Imagines Jesus as a Husband and Father
Many readers notice early in the series that I have portrayed Jesus of Nazareth as married, with a family. This choice was not made lightly. It grew out of years of study, reflection, and a desire to understand His life not only as Savior, but as a fully human Jewish man who lived among real families, communities, and traditions. This section explains why this portrayal appears in Through the Eyes of a Shepherd, and how it remains reverent, historically informed, and consistent with the Gospels.
Scripture is Silent About Most of Jesus’s Life
Jesus lived for approximately 33 years, yet the Gospels describe:
-
His birth
-
One brief event at age 12
-
A few days of His ministry for three years
-
His final week
That means nearly 90% of His life remains unrecorded in scripture.
The Bible does not describe:
-
His teens
-
His twenties
-
His work, friendships, daily routines
-
His private conversations
-
His family life
-
Whether He ever married.
This silence is not denial. It simply means the Gospels were written with a different purpose—to testify of Him as the Messiah, not to serve as a full biography.
The Bible Never Says Jesus Was Unmarried
This is essential:
Scripture never states that Jesus was single.
The belief that He never married is a tradition formed centuries later, not a biblical statement. Many assume He was unmarried because the Gospels don’t mention a wife—but the Gospels also do not mention:
-
His childhood friendships
-
His appearance
-
His emotions during most of His life
-
His routine family relationships
-
His adolescence and adulthood before ministry
Silence does not equal denial.
Jewish Culture Strongly Expected Marriage
In first-century Jewish society:
-
Marriage was the norm
-
Celibacy was extremely rare outside certain sects
-
A thirty-year-old unmarried man would have been remarkable
-
Religious teachers were generally married
If Jesus had remained unmarried in His early adulthood, the unusual nature of that choice likely would have been noted in the Gospels. Instead, they offer no comment at all.
Culturally, historically, and contextually, marriage would have been expected—not exceptional.
Sacred Imagination Fills the Unwritten Years
Through the Eyes of a Shepherd does not claim a new gospel. It does not attempt to rewrite scripture.
Instead, it uses sacred imagination to explore the parts of Jesus’s life that scripture does not detail.
This tradition is ancient. Jewish and Christian storytellers across centuries have filled in the “white spaces” of scripture to understand:
-
What biblical figures felt
-
What their homes were like
-
How they talked
-
How they learned
-
How they lived when scripture is silent
In this same spirit, I have imagined:
-
How Jesus may have grown from boyhood into manhood
-
What joys and responsibilities shaped His compassion
-
How marriage and family relationships could have deepened His humanity
This portrayal does not diminish His divinity. Rather, it makes His humanity fully visible—giving readers a rich emotional and relational world that supports His teachings, parables, and ministry.
This Is Fiction—Reverent, Thoughtful Fiction
Through the Eyes of a Shepherd is a novel. It respects the Gospels and does not contradict their message.
Its purpose is simple:
To bring readers closer to the Jesus who walked, laughed, cried, learned, worked, loved,
and lived among His people—before the world knew Him as the risen Christ.
What is Sacred Imagination?
How is It Used in Through the Eyes of a Shepherd?
Sacred imagination is the reverent practice of entering into the world of scripture with both heart and mind—filling in the human details the Gospels leave unspoken while honoring the spiritual truths they preserve. It does not replace scripture, nor does it claim new revelation. Instead, it seeks to help readers experience the familiar stories more deeply by giving texture, emotion, and context to the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
For thousands of years, believers have used sacred imagination in sermons, art, poetry, hymns, and teaching. Whenever we picture the stable at Bethlehem, imagine Mary’s feelings at the Annunciation, or visualize Peter stepping out onto the water, we are practicing sacred imagination. It is a way of drawing nearer to the text, not rewriting it.
In Through the Eyes of a Shepherd, sacred imagination serves several important purposes:
Understanding the Missing Years
Sacred imagination helps fill in the thirty unrecorded years of Jesus’s life—His childhood in Nazareth, His family relationships, His devotion to the Torah, and the experiences that shaped His compassion and strength. The Gospels give us only a few verses of these years, yet they made Him the man He became. Sacred imagination respectfully explores what the scriptures do not describe, helping the reader feel the human depth behind the divine mission.
Expanding Gospel Moments with Emotional and Cultural Detail
Many Gospel scenes are brief—some only a sentence or two. Sacred imagination deepens these moments by exploring how they may have unfolded: the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt, daily life in Nazareth, and the rich cultural world of first-century Judea. Historical research and narrative detail help readers see, hear, and feel the world in which Jesus lived.
Illuminating His Teachings Through Story
Sacred imagination allows the Savior’s parables, sermons, and conversations to come alive. In Through the Eyes of a Shepherd, additional dialogue from Jesus and Jonas expands and clarifies Gospel teachings, showing how the Master taught His followers in daily settings—on roads, in homes, and around fires—so modern readers can grasp their meaning more personally and fully.
Enriching the Narrative with New and Reimagined Characters
Characters such as Jonas, the adopted older brother of Jesus, help tell the story with immediacy and emotion. His perfect memory and lifelong companionship make him the ideal narrator. Additional characters—including Mary of Magdala (reimagined as Jesus’s wife) and their three children—allow sacred imagination to explore the Savior’s human relationships, daily life, and the strength of His family.
Drawing Closer to the Savior Through Reverent Storytelling
Sacred imagination does not replace scripture; it illuminates it. It invites readers to walk beside the Savior, seeing His joy, His sorrows, His family life, His humor, and His love through the eyes of those who knew Him. By expanding the world of the Gospels, sacred imagination helps modern disciples encounter Jesus of Nazareth not as a distant figure of history, but as teacher, husband, father, friend, and Messiah.
Why Sacred Imagination Matters
Sacred imagination does not rewrite scripture. It illuminates it.
It helps readers walk beside the Savior—seeing His joy, His family life, and His ministry through the eyes of those who loved Him.
In this novel, sacred imagination becomes a bridge:
- between the biblical text and the modern reader,
- between the divine mission of Christ and His deeply human life,
- between the world we know and the world He once walked.
How to Purchase
Each volume of Through the Eyes of a Shepherd — a four-book Christian historical novel series — is available on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback editions.
Click on any cover below to visit its Amazon page and begin your journey through the life of Jesus of Nazareth, told through the eyes of His brother and lifelong companion, Jonas.
Book One
The Messiah Revealed
Book Two
The Heart of the Kingdom
BookThree
The Road to Jerusalem
Book Four
The Glory
Revealed
Together, the four volumes form one continuous story — from Bethlehem to resurrection — inviting readers to see, feel, and remember the life of Jesus as if they were there.
About the Author
Stephen Glenn McCutchan
Stephen Glenn McCutchan is the author of Through the Eyes of a Shepherd: A Life Remembered – Jesus of Nazareth, a four-volume historical novel that reimagines the life of Jesus through the eyes of His older brother, Jonas.
Blending scripture, sacred imagination, and historical realism, Stephen invites readers to walk beside the Savior as both divine and deeply human.
A lifelong student of the Gospels and a retired land planner, he brings the precision of his craft to stories of faith, love, and redemption.
He and his wife are the parents of six adult children and celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 2025. His work reflects a lifelong desire to help readers see the life of Jesus with new eyes and renewed devotion.
Connect with Us
Contact Information
Have questions about the novel series?
We welcome your thoughts, reflections, and questions about Through the Eyes of a Shepherd.
Every reader’s journey matters to us. Whether you want to share an impression, ask about the series, or learn more about future projects, we’d love to hear from you.
Reach out below and join us in keeping the story of the Master alive—one heart, one conversation at a time.