Evaluating the Portrayal of Jesus in Children’s Book
Different books portray Jesus in different ways. These different ways depending on what the author wants the audience to learn about Jesus and the message conveyed. For example, some authors depict Jesus as a carpenter, a teacher, or even the savior of the world. The three depictions illustrate the activities Jesus engaged in while in the world and his final mission for the people. The authors must also consider their audience’s category that varies from the old, the youth, and the young children. This paper focuses on Jesus’ portrayal in children’s books, which applies animations of different characters, including Jesus himself. Children’s book mainly portrays Jesus as a cherished gift from God who came to save the world from sins. In addition, Jesus gets portrayed as the beloved child of God, who also went into the world to spread the virtue of love and one who does not discriminate against people regardless of their shortcomings or differences. Children’s book plays an integral role in introducing the concept of Christianity in their lives.
The study book needs to depict Jesus as a more energetic being. The use of strong modern visuals stresses the responsibility that God gave Jesus – that of saving the world. The portrayal of Jesus has changed as time goes by from ancient years. The society portrayed Jesus as a weak being who only looked like a lonely civilian rather than a savior. Giving Jesus a more robust appearance gives him a more human nature, which gets softer as time goes on. Furthermore, giving Jesus a stronger portrayal, through art, depicts a more formed figure that leaders would possess and a leader that Christians want. In addition, the people who played essential roles in the development of Jesus should receive the same treatment. The book has little scribal embellishment. Further, the art may create a minimal form of embellishment as the artists rely on imaginations from reading the scripture.
Various stories from the New Testament portray the strong leadership qualities possessed by Jesus. The stories include calming the storm, Jesus and the Little Children, and The Cross(B&H Kids Editorial Staff & Conger, 2015, p. 31, 33, 36). The calming of the storm portrays Jesus’s power over nature, which God had created. No human being could control nature as Jesus had done that depicted the power of Jesus and his status of the highest. Besides, calming the storm illustrates that Jesus could complete his mission of saving the world from sins. The story of Jesus and the Little Children demonstrates the virtue of love, which human beings should each other. In addition, human beings should show love to their creator. Despite the beating and thirst, carrying the cross depicts Jesus as a strong leader who perseveres overall challenges to deliver on his mission. The three stories give a comprehensive but precise illustration of Jesus with three traits of a strong leader.
A leader show command authority over the people or the things he or she leads and the environment. Jesus portrays power by calming the storm without fear. As seen from the story of Jesus and the little children, leaders should show love to the people they lead or look after. The action of carrying the cross challenges the Christians to show perseverance during trials and even accept their fate as desired by God.
References
B&H Kids Editorial Staff, & Conger, H. (2015). Little words matter Bible Storybook. B&H Publishing Group. https://ezproxy.acu.edu:2134/lib/abilene-ebooks/reader.action?docID=4412652