Up from The Dust by Heather Kaufman is historical fiction from the viewpoint of Martha of Bethany. Yes, the Martha, the friend of Jesus who often gets maligned for her scolding of her sister Mary and her whining to Jesus. Did I think that was all there was to Martha? Absolutely not! And this book reinforced that belief. I loved it! More below.
Martha of Bethany is no stranger to adversity. After her mother’s untimely death, Martha shoulders the responsibility of raising her siblings–quiet and studious Lazarus, and wild and rambunctious Mary. She finds solace in friendship and the beginnings of first love, but just as Martha begins to imagine a new future, hardship strikes again and her dreams crumble into dust.
Ten years later, Martha’s friend pleads for the new teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, to come and heal her husband. When Martha discovers that the carpenter-rabbi is connected to her past, she’s not sure she can trust him with her future. But as he continues to perform miracles, the invitation to believe becomes harder to resist, renewing Martha’s hardened heart, even as she faces an unknown future.
Heather Kaufman lives in the Midwest with her husband and three children. She holds a BA from McKendree University and an MA from the University of Missouri—St. Louis. When not reading or writing, she can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee and exploring new parks with her family.
My Impressions:
Up from The Dust by Heather Kaufman is a well-written and researched look at Martha of Bethany. Yes, that Martha from the New Testament. The novel is told in the first person voice of Martha and is divided into two parts — Martha’s fictionalized backstory and the point at which Jesus enters into Martha’s life. I loved the very credible history Kaufman invents for Martha. While it is purely fictional, it allowed me to see just how Martha could have been molded by her family relationships, her experiences, and her doubts and hurts to become the woman that is presented in the Gospel. Martha was in Jesus words “worried and upset about many things”, and Up from The Dust presents just such a character. I have always felt sympathetic towards the biblical Martha, maybe because I too struggle with worry and my desire to have everything just so. I gained insight into just what made Martha tick. Do we really know why she was the way she was? No, but this book helps to make Martha flesh and blood.
Part two of the novel explores Jesus’ ministry from Martha’s lens. Her faith in Him grows as she witnesses Jesus’ love, compassion, power, and sovereignty. One of the sentences that especially spoke to me is as follows — Perhaps he was larger than my history, more powerful than my pain. Perhaps I did not have to understand him completely to trust him. Reading this book was akin to being there for Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the horror of His death. The scenes depicting how the Earth responded are especially moving.
While nothing replaces scripture in understanding God, well-done biblical fiction reminds us of the real people who encountered Him and how they are not so different from ourselves. I found this book illuminating, uplifting, and encouraging. Up from The Dust is a good choice for a book club — you will want to talk about it!
Highly Recommended.
Great for Book Clubs.
Audience: Adults
(I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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