Community Corner

Dearborn Resident Pens New Book About Jesus Christ in Time for Easter

"Three Days: The Search for the Boy Messiah," debuts as eNovel by award-winning Detroit writer Chris Stepien.

Dearborn resident Chris Stepien has spent his career asking tough questions and telling intriguing stories.

After a lifetime in broadcast television, the award-winning journalist embarked on a spiritual journey, and recently published a Biblically-based novel about the life of Jesus Christ as a child.

Stepien's eBook, “Three Days: The Search for the Boy Messiah,” is a fictional account of the Holy Family's visit to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover.

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The story is inspired by 12 verses from the Gospel of Luke capturing the only recorded event from Jesus’ childhood.

According to the Bible, the 12-year-old and his parents travel from Nazareth to the Hebrew temple in Jerusalem. When it’s time to head back home, Jesus inexplicably remains behind. His absence goes unnoticed in the Nazarene caravan for a full day. Upon noticing his absence, Mary and Joseph begin a panicked search that culminates after two more days — when they discover Jesus among the elders at the temple.

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“As a husband and father of two sons, this Bible story has always challenged  me,” Stepien said. “After praying about it for years, I considered writing a short screenplay. But first, I needed to get my arms around the history, culture, and lifestyle of the times. Finally, I couldn’t resist the urge to write it down.”

Stepien’s research efforts evolved into his first novel, where he answers his own questions about the Gospel event: "Why did the preteen Jesus stay behind in one of the world’s busiest centers of trade and political turmoil?" "Who did he meet?" "Where did he sleep?" "Was he ever in jeopardy?"

While he is the first to admit that creating a fictional account of Christ's visit to Jerusalem was not easy, Stepien said he tried to keep the story as accurate as possible, relying on online research and guidance from scholars in the Catholic Church.

"One of the biggest challenges was coming up with dialogue because no one really knows what Jesus said other than what's written in the Bible," Stepien said.

To overcome that hurdle, Stepien tactfully supplemented 300 Bible verses from different books of the Bible for Christ's dialogue in his story.

"I didn’t presume to put words in his mouth. Virtually everything he says is from the Bible, but it’s organically woven into the dialogue," he said. "You can find a Bible verse that pertains to virtually any circumstance."

Stepien said his goal for the book was to depict Jesus as an ordinary teenager that families could relate to.

"My primary purpose is to engage readers in a spiritual adventure,” Stepien said. We know almost nothing about Jesus as a kid, but there’s a lot of information available about the times and the historic temple, so it’s very fertile ground for anyone to explore."

“I painted him as a genuine, three-dimensional Hebrew boy who happens to be the Son of God,” he explained. “He sleeps-in on occasion; goes to school; has chores and a hobby; and gets excited about things he loves, like his friends and favorite foods. But there’s also crime and punishment, romance and addiction in his world, just like ours.”

As a filmmaker, Stepien said the possibility of developing the book into a teleplay is something he may consider in the future. For now, he said he is happy sharing the story with fellow Christians.

"I think my story will appeal to Christians, but it will also appeal to historians and people who like to read a good adventure tale," he said. "Maybe there’s a screenplay in this work, too. But ultimately, I hope it helps people contemplate the scriptures, and grow a little closer to God. For me, it was a humbling spiritual experience.”

The eBook is available for download on Amazon.com for $4.99. For more information, email clstepien@aol.com.


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