Narratives of Personal Encounters: Meeting Jesus by Ric Keaster

Scripture tells us what these people did. It rarely tells us what was going on inside them.

Narratives of Personal Encounters: Meeting Jesus by Ric Keaster steps into the sandals of fourteen people who crossed paths with the Son of God and lets each tell their own story.

How This Book Helps

We can read the Gospels a hundred times and still treat the people in them as names. It's easy to forget they felt fear, pride, and slow-dawning faith just as we do.

Ric Keaster imagines, carefully and prayerfully, the inner lives that the Gospel writers leave unspoken. The result draws readers deeper into Scripture and helps them meet familiar people as flesh and blood, much like ourselves.

What's Inside

• Joseph, husband of Mary
• Zacharias, struck silent at the altar
• Nicodemus, the nighttime visitor
• Simon the Pharisee
• Zaccheus
• The rich young ruler
• The Samaritan woman at the well
• Jairus
• Pontius Pilate
• Barabbas
• Simon of Cyrene
• Mary Magdalene
• Gamaliel
• Matthias

Format & Features

A 6 x 9 paperback in sixteen chapters, including an introduction and summary. It's also available as a PDF eBook for individual or class use. The companion volume is Narratives of Apostles' Companions.

Who It's For

Personal devotional reading, small groups, Bible classes, and anyone who loves the New Testament and wants to draw closer to its people.

Common Questions

Does it add to the Bible?
No. It invents no new characters, events, or dialogue. Every story is anchored in the biblical text; it imagines only the inner thoughts the writers leave unspoken.

Can a class use it?
Yes. It works for small groups and Bible classes as well as personal reading. The class-use PDF lets a teacher share copies.

About the Author

Dr. Ric Keaster was raised by a gospel-preaching father and baptized at 13. A former schoolteacher and administrator, he earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership and became a professor, department head, associate dean, and Professor Emeritus. He teaches and preaches at the Rome Church of Christ in Proctorville, Ohio, and is also the author of In Our Own Language and Types in the Bible.

Product Details

• Author: Ric Keaster
• Publisher: Spiritbuilding Publishers
• Chapters: 16
• Format: 6 x 9 paperback; PDF eBook (individual or class use)
• ISBN: 9781964805825