Perhaps an actor, rather than a theologian, is the best person to give an account of man, of the man Jesus.  An actor, like Bruce Marchiano who wrote THE CHARACTER OF A MAN: Reflecting The Image Of Jesus must come to know, as Marciano came to know when he portrayed Jesus in “The Gospel of Matthew”, the very person he is meant to represent.  It is part of the actor’s job.  If he wants to be successful, it is what he is expected to do.

 

What would other actors who have played the role of Jesus have to say about Him?  It is an intriguing premise for a book.  Not everyone gets the chance to play God, an actual historical figure a billion people today believe is God.  What does that experience do to a man’s character?

 

With Bruce Marchiano, he has clearly become a passionate advocate for the man he portrayed.  He exudes a passionate zeal in his words for Jesus anyone can either warm to and embrace or interpret as just another foolhardy Christian who is all style and no substance. 

 

This was my initial concern as I began.  Is this just another fool who falls in love with Jesus and suddenly can’t think straight?  He is clearly a man who totally and completely loves Jesus – and wants everyone to know – but will the pages of his book show anything more?

 

As the case will often be with books that gradually build into their content, I saw a theme develop that gave more than a religious zealot who knew nothing of what he professed.  I saw a simple, straightforward, easy-to-read and understand chronicling of the character of man, emitting from the Jesus, loved understandably so by Marchiano, who meets perfectly each particular role: excellence, humility, passion, respect for women, fearlessness before man, whatever one thinks a true man is (beyond just being masculine in one’s physical nature) – just to name a few of the integral pieces that make any male of the species into a man – Marciano shows how the essence of each characteristic is found in Jesus.

 

The stories Marchiano tells emphasize these points.  They are stories that touch the heart of even the coldest of souls.  Be it the blind girl who is rundown by a hurried group of uptight businessmen expecting the deal of the century – who chastise her for being in their way – or a brothel of working girls looking for a minister to bury their friend, and only a Bible student responds (Sounds an awful lot like some well-known parables even people outside the ‘church’ environment know.), you will learn what the character of a man is through the man Jesus.