The Gospel According to Yeshua’s Cat
I know of one person who would have loved this book—and that is C.S. Lewis . . . A delightful and refreshing combination of simplicity and deep theological insight.
Ben Wilson, Salem, OR
Jesus and the healing of a desert cat
Mari is an Egyptian Mau living by her claws on the fringes of the Judean desert. Yeshua ben Yosef is a man with healing hands, seeking solitude in the wastes beyond Qumran.
Their paths cross when Yeshua drives away a pack of wild dogs and rescues the wounded cat, carrying her in his arms to a wadi where he settles to pray. An unusual friendship grows up between them, deepened by Yeshua’s ability to speak with animals. From their earliest days, Mari’s observations illumine the road he must walk, and when he leaves the wilderness, she rides with him, hidden in a sling beneath his robe. In the way of cats, Mari treasures the hours she spends there, curled against Yeshua’s heart, dreaming with the rise and fall of his breast.
Jesus of Nazareth, Mary Magdalene, and a Cat
Although her forebears are Egyptian Mau, Mari is a stranger to civilization. Yeshua’s understanding of human hearts shapes her own, and her comments often surprise him into laughter. More than any other, she is Yeshua’s companion in the quiet times.
Mari narrates the life of Jesus of Nazareth from a cat’s eye-view, frequently losing the thread of his teaching as she drowses, focusing instead on their times alone, or events she finds intriguing. When crowds press close for healing, she withdraws behind the folds of his robes. On her own, she pursues a friendship with Mary Magdalene, chastens loutish humans, and looks on as Yeshua transforms the very elements of Earth in his miracles.
With Yeshua, Mari learns to love beyond the wont of cats. But in loving him, she discovers loneliness and fear of loss. How can a cat who lives in the eternal Now cope with sudden awareness of the future, with all its uncertainty and pain?
A Gospel for Cats and Children
As Yeshua’s words and miracles take hold of the hearts of the Palestinian people, his enemies’ attacks grow venomous, and tensions between Yeshua and Temple authorities escalate. In the end, all roads lead to the Passover festival in Jerusalem, where Mari experiences depths of wonder unsuspected by those caught up in the tumult around her.
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