“There are so many people that are confused and searching for the meaning of life (I was one), and perhaps they will find this book to discover the Truth.”
Those are the words of John Burkhalter, who has authored Jesus’ Every Word and Deed, the complete life of Jesus using only the exact words from the Bible, woven to seamlessly read like a book. This extraordinary work combines the four unique eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life into a single, unified and harmonious narrative.
In this interview, the author explains how and why he put this project together.
Q: What inspired you to take on the monumental task of weaving the four Gospels into a single unified narrative, and how did you envision this work being used by readers?
A: The four books about Jesus’ life (the gospels), were written from different perspectives and thus each contains unique details and often different events. Trying to read and remember four books was hard for me in trying to put all the pieces together to get the complete picture of Jesus’ life and all His teachings. So, it seemed a single version without all the duplication but with all the details was needed. I thought readers would like a concise, easy-to-read book that was only scripture but arranged so the parts fit together to give the whole story. Beyond that, it’s also useful as a daily devotional and to find all Jesus’ teachings, locatable (mostly) by topic using the subheadings.
Q: Combining four distinct eyewitness accounts into one harmonious narrative must have been challenging. What methodology did you use to ensure accuracy while preserving the unique voice of each Gospel?
A: The starting base was having all four gospels in parallel columns, which fortunately had already been done by others. The larger task was to identify where they aligned and where they didn’t, and to highlight from each book all the unique descriptions and events so nothing would be lost. Then came the assembly of the common and the unique phrases (and often single words) from each and weaving them together so everything was captured in a complete but seamless read. In a few instances, harmonization was a challenge. So, charts were created that placed the words into who, where, when, what, why and associated context categories into diagrams that greatly helped to visually reveal how they all fit together.
Q: How did you decide which Old Testament prophecies to include, and what impact do you hope their inclusion will have on readers’ understanding of Jesus’ life and mission?
A: My son David and daughter-in-law Erin took the lead on this. They found several books that listed the Old Testament Messianic prophecies, some containing as many as 375! They reviewed all the prophecies and made a judgment as to which were most clear and impactful. We had to limit the number so as not to obscure the gospel message and ended up with 59 which we felt were the most on point. Each was then inserted at the point fulfilled in Jesus’ life (or where most applicable), to allow readers to see the connection between the Old and New Testaments and to understand that Jesus was, beyond any doubt, the long-prophesied Messiah and Savior of the world.
Q: You recently completed an audiobook version of the book. Tell us why you produced that format and how would you say the experience is different?
A: One of my original goals was to create a screenplay, which was why the separate Readers Theatre Version was created. A group of our church volunteers began a reading of the roles, and a recording was initiated. But then halfway through, COVID hit, so I was able to finish the book version two years later. Then in 2024 I had the audiobook professionally produced because of the blossoming popularity of that format as people increasingly listen to books while driving or working on other tasks. We used two excellent voices — one for the narrator and one for Jesus. The experience is particularly unique as the life of Jesus comes alive in a special way through hearing.
Q: Tell us about the Reference Section — how and why it was compiled.
A: The Scripture Reference section in the back of the book and ebook was compiled to allow the reader to see exactly where every word is taken from in the Bible and how it’s woven together. It’s particularly convenient with the ebook as clicking on the closest subheading links directly to the corresponding section in the Scripture Reference section. Then, a click on the subheading again takes the reader back to the same place in the book section for seamless continued reading.
Q: How did you balance your faith perspective with the scholarly rigor required to compile such a comprehensive and seamless account of Jesus’ life?
A: I approached this project with the understanding and belief that Scripture is inerrant. After finishing the book, I read several opinions about supposed “discrepancies” between the four gospels. But discrepancies, in my view, are not simply differences in details and descriptions. In fact, each perspective adds richness to the scenes. As previously mentioned, there are a few seeming “discrepancies” that are harder to reconcile to harmony, though most scholars admit they are “few and of little to no consequence.” After diagramming those, I found that having a faith perspective was essential and that some things must first be believed to be seen.
Q: What do you hope readers — believers and skeptics alike — will take away from this work, and how do you see it contributing to personal faith journeys or theological study?
A: There are so many people that are confused and searching for the meaning of life (I was one), and perhaps they will find this book to discover the Truth. Many skeptics and even believers think of God’s nature as being a harsh taskmaster. But that’s not what His Word says. While there are consequences to our actions, God says His True nature is one of gentleness, patience, forgiveness and loving kindness. He demonstrated this by coming to earth in the form of a man to be tortured to death for us as a way for those who believe in Him (Jesus) to be reconciled to Him. I hope people will see that when they read about Jesus’ Every Word and Deed.
Jesus’ Every Word and Deed is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.
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About John C. Burkhalter:
John C. Burkhalter was active in leadership and governance roles of multiple churches for 30 years while employed in the insurance industry. He retired as President of THI Holding Company, a subsidiary of Nationwide Insurance Company, and for a period he evaluated the effectiveness and finances of Christian ministries worldwide for prospective donors. He spent the last 13 years assembling the scriptural weaving and associated parts of the book, Jesus Every Word and Deed: Woven from the Scriptures, as well as a companion book of the same name but subtitled Readers Theatre Version for potential role-play or screenplay use. Learn more at www.jesuseverywordanddeed.org.