Jesus - A Story of Enlightenment

I found this a fascinating work of spiritual/historical fiction that contemplates the lost years of Jesus between the ages of 12 to 30 and his transformation from common man to an enlightened soul amidst very troubled times.

The endless road east flowed like a dry river filled with humanity. No one on it could figure out who Jesus was. He had no goods or camels, so he wasn't a merchant. He packed no tent like the nomads and didn't stop by the side of the pilgrims. He carried no sacred relics like the pilgrims. Besides, pilgrims had a destination in mind. Jesus fell in with one, a Persian heading west who had to make a diversion away from the trunk road.

"What do you seek, brother?" the Persian asked.

"Myself," said Jesus.

The Persian laughed. "How do you know you didn't leave that at home?"

"I don't...."

The Persian was amused and intrigued; he dismounted from his horse and walked beside Jesus for the rest of that day. His best guess was that this lone traveler must be a Jew, but Jesus didn't say yes or no.

"If you won't tell me that, at least tell me why you left," the Persian insisted.

"It's hard to explain. I am not walking away from anything; I am not walking toward anything. If God is everywhere, he cannot be lost nor can he be found. And yet I must travel."

The Persian, who was far from stupid, said, "Either you have looked into this very deeply or you are a simpleton."

Jesus smiled. "A simpleton would have wanted to play with one of your pretty blue stones. Where I come from, no one can figure me out. I've been worshiped; I've been despised."

Without warning Jesus veered off the road, heading for a particularly brilliant patch of wildflowers...

Excerpt from: Jesus - A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra
Click here to view an interview with Deepak Chopra about the intent of his newest book