The purpose of this book is to help us see what that loyalty and friendship looks like, how it develops. We’re intended to see the men and women we meet in the Bible as examples, good and bad. We find the loyalty and friendship of those around Jesus are imperfect, full of ups and downs. What we’ll try to do is look through the eyes of some of those who proved to be loyal, who stood by Jesus. There are eleven Jesus speaks to in the upper room that night, but there are more friends than these, and we’ll spend time with some of them too.
What follows falls into the category of historical fiction. The people, the events, and much of the dialog are drawn straight from scripture, but they’re presented as they play out in my imagination. I have paraphrased and added dialog, and because real people use casual, everyday language, that’s how conversations are presented here. I have also imagined some things we have no record of. Before Jesus goes to be baptized, he has to leave home. What was that like?
My conviction of the trustworthiness of the Bible record, my reverence for the Author and His Word, are undiminished. My intention is not to rewrite His work. I pray that my attempts to fill in some details have not strayed away from the foundation of the inspired record. As you read, if you think, “I don’t see it that way. I think of it this other way,” then one of my hopes has been realized. The whole point is that we must truly engage our minds and imaginations as we read scripture, let all the sounds and smells, the setting and the conversation, be real to us. Our connection with scripture can’t be solely academic.