A Man Born to be King

A Book Review

Introduction

The Man Born to Be King is a series of plays on the life of Jesus. The author, Dorothy Sayers, attempts to write as accurately as possible, while bringing her audience into the life of Jesus. She is witty— which is apparent from her notes— and has a clear vision of the direction of the play and the performance of the characters.

It must be said that historical fiction cannot be replace the true historical documents, I.e. the Bible. I would recommend to all to read the Gospels first and then read this. That being said, The Man Born to be King is a wonderful book and very accurate. Sayers takes some artistic liberties, but everything important is true, and she quotes the Bible regularly.

Characters

Jesus and Mary

Jesus and Mary are the most difficult characters to both write and cast. It is impossible for a fallen race to do them justice, but Sayers tries and does a pretty good job.

At first, it was weird to read Jesus’ name being spoken so casually. To the rest of the characters, he is just an acquaintance, but I associate the name with so much more, and only hear it said with the deepest reverence. Sayers is not disrespectful though. She writes Jesus as a character, but as the most important character.

Sayers stresses the range of Jesus’ character. When he is first introduced as an adult in The King’s Herald, she contrasts him with John the Baptist, who, for all his virtues, has only two volumes, his preaching-to-the-crowds volume and his slightly-quieter-everyday-speech. Jesus has a whole range of emotions, illustrating his humanity. He has the gentleness of a lamb but the conviction of a soldier. He exudes love and kindness, and when you talk to him, it seems as though he is peering into your soul. He can also be angry, as seen in A Certain Nobleman, but it is a just anger. There is a line from Heirs to the Kingdom that helps to visualize Jesus’ character. Matthew is telling the other disciples of when Jesus’ call, “And he smiled—you know the way he smiles sometimes all of a sudden.”[1]

Most of Jesus’ lines are from Bible. This is not laziness on Sayer’s part, but wisdom. How better to write about God than to take from the Word of God itself?

Mary is only seen at the beginning and the end of the book, as is proper. The first play is about Jesus’ infancy and the visit from the Magi, and the second is the Wedding at Cana, when Jesus is an adult. Sayers respects Jesus’ childhood as Mary’s private time with her son before he must begin his public ministry. While we do not see much of her, Sayers uses the time she has to paint a beautiful description of her. She is just what you would expect, a woman of the highest virtues, yet with “perfect simplicity”.[2] She knows her son’s fate, even if she does not know the details, and loves him completely.

When asked if it feels strange to know his divinity and of his future, Mary replies, “Sometimes—very strange. I feel as though I were holding the whole world in my arms—the sky and the sea and the green earth, and all the seraphim. And then, again, everything becomes quite simple and familiar, and I know that he is just my own dear son. If he grew up to be wiser than Moses, holier than Aaron, or more splendid than Solomon, that would still be true. He will always be my baby, my sweet Jesus, whom I love—nothing can ever change that.”[3]

Judas

Judas is the most interesting character by far. When he first appears, the reader is already prepared to abhor him, but the Sayers warns against that. “Let the actor get out of his head any notion that Judas is insincere.”[4]

It is hard to imagine why anyone would do such an unspeakable act, especially one of Jesus’ own disciples. But the author attempts to explain why. By analyzing his actions, the author tries to learn his thoughts.

It would be easy to assume that Judas was bad from the start. Knowing his fate, makes for easy prejudice. But Sayers writes his character carefully, so her audience gets to know him first and learn what he might have been like. She argues that Judas was close to Jesus, and sincere in his role as disciple. But if he was such a good disciple, why would he hand over his own master? The answer Sayers poses is simple, pride. “[H]e will fall, like Adam, by the sin of spiritual pride.”[5] It is this sin that Judas falls into, like so many others. Sayers speculates that Judas was the most intelligent of the disciples. He understood Jesus’ parables better than the rest, but he got hung up on the Kingdom of Heaven. Judas, nor any of the other disciples, could fully understand what the Kingdom will be like. The difference, though, was that the other disciples trusted Jesus. Many Jews envisioned the Kingdom to be physical riches and grandeur, but Judas knew the prophecies well enough to know it was a spiritual kingdom. He became concerned that Jesus was preaching a physical kingdom and would attempt to overthrow the government. Judas lost his confidence in Jesus, eventually distrusting him completely.

Sayers also says something about Judas that really surprised me. Because Judas was so intelligent and was so close to Jesus, he had the opportunity to be the greatest sinner, or the greatest saint.

“He is infinitely the most intelligent of all the disciples… he will fall into a deeper corruption that any of the others are capable of. He has the greatest possibilities of them all for good, and therefore for evil.”[6]

“He means to be faithful—and he will be faithful—to the light which he sees so brilliantly. What he sees is the true light—only he does not see it directly, but only its reflection in the mirror of his own brain; and in the end that mirror will twist and distort the reflection and send it dancing away over the bog like a will o’ the wisp… He could have been the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, but he will be the worst—the worst that is the corruption of the best.”[7]

This revelation is both startling and saddening. Judas need not have sinned, and the world lost a great sin because of it. Thus is the consequence of free will.

The possibility of Judas’ not handing over Jesus must be explored. Jesus still would have died. The high priests were looking for an opportunity to arrest him, Judas just made it easy for them.

Plot

Overview

In all, The Man Born to be King is composed of twelve plays. They are all based on events in Jesus’ life and are related to each other chronologically. Sayers connects them to each other even more by referencing the plays to each other. She does this subtly, after the fashion in the Bible, but it is enough to unite them as a single work of art.

For example, In Kings in Judea, when the magi are about to enter the home the Holy Family are staying in, Mary asks for the baby Jesus, “Give me my son into my arms.”[8] She echoes this in King of Sorrows. When they are taking Jesus’ body down from the cross, Mary says again, “Give me my son into my arms.”[9] This is Mary’s moment to grieve. She had been standing strong for Jesus all throughout his crucifixion, but now he is dead, and she could hold him in her arms once again.

Then, she sees one of the magi who visited her when Jesus was a baby. He was standing there at the foot of the cross, beholding the man he once saw as a baby, and to whom he gave the gift of myrrh, which is used to embalm the dead. Mary then mentions the gift of frankincense, perhaps speaking prophetically, for frankincense is symbolic for Jesus’ priestly role, and the sacrifice for which he died.

Each play, while it has its own plot line and focuses on different events, it is also peppered with subplots and parables. For example, in A Certain Nobleman, the story is about the wedding feast at Cana, but Mary also recounts the story of when Jesus was lost in the temple. In this way, Sayers discreetly covers a lot more of Jesus’ life than she would have just written one plot for each play.

Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven a lot throughout the plays, much more than I expected. Perhaps this is because when reading the Bible, Jesus’ teachings on the Kingdom are all mixed up with the rest of his preaching and parables, but in the play, Sayers must include only a few of Jesus’ lessons. The Kingdom would be a natural choice because it was a big controversy and part of the reason Jesus was arrested.

Kings in Judea

The first play, Kings in Judea, is different from the others. It is about Jesus’ infancy and the visit from the magi. Sayers makes them three kings from different lands (which is traditional but not doctrine). Following the star, they come to Herod’s castle, as they would expect to find a new king in a castle, but of course, the king they seek is not there. The next scene is, in contrast, set in a shepherd’s cottage. Sayer’s imagines that after Jesus’ birth, a family took pity on them and welcomed them into their home. So when the magi visit them, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are living with a shepherd family instead of the stable, which is usually depicted. Mary receives them with all the grace and dignity as she would if she were already crowned Queen of heaven and receiving new souls. This is Jesus’ first appearance, and Sayers must write about him only from the other character’s perspectives, as he is still only an infant, but she does so excellently. Mary speaks of him tenderly, and the magi speak of him with awe. The tone of this play is happy, despite Herod’s massacre.

The King’s Herald

The next play skips to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry with his baptism in the Jordan. It starts with a family of peasants coming to hear John the Baptist preach. They meet Hannah, a woman who was neighbors with John the Baptist. She tells them the story of Elizabeth’s visit from the angel, and speaks of John growing up. She mentions off-handedly that he was close to a cousin of his, Jesus bar-Joseph. After John finishes preaching, Jesus himself comes to be baptized. From the peasants’ perspectives, it seems there was a clap of thunder, which Jesus later explains was the voice of his Father. I had always imagined that God’s voice was heard by everyone, but Sayers elects for only a few to have heard it. When studied, it seems only the most innocent could hear Gods voice—Jesus, John, the disciples and children—while the rest only heard thunder.

A Certain Nobleman

The events of the next play, which is about the wedding at Cana require a little more interpretation. Mary is helping the mother of the bridegroom prepare for the guests, who arrive quickly. Jesus is expected, but brings his disciples, who were not invited, thus causing the shortage in wine. Sayers makes Mary a somewhat influential person there, as the hostess’ servants listen to her when she instructs them, “Whatever he tells you to do—do it.”[10] News of this first miracle spread quickly, and soon Benjamin, a nobleman, seeks Jesus out to heal his son, thus beginning Jesus’ public ministry.

There is a conversation Mary has with Susannah, the mother of the groom about Jesus, that provides a beautiful insight into their relationship.

Mary: Your son is coming home with his bride. Mine has left me, for an end that no one can foresee… Ten weeks ago he came to me and said, “Mother, I must be about my Father’s business.” He spoke gently—but my mind went back to that day in the Temple, and I knew… He left the house next day.

Susannah: Oh, Mary, that was hard.

Mary:  I am his mother and I know him. Under all his gentleness there is a purpose harder than steel… Don’t look so troubled. I am very happy. And tonight I shall see my son.[11]

The Heirs to the Kingdom

Jesus has been gathering his disciples, and in The Heirs to the Kingdom, they take a larger role. For most of the rest of the plays, they are the main characters. Judas, who Sayers made a disciple of John the Baptist, comes from his prison and joins Jesus. When Jesus asks him if he will be faithful, he replies, “[I]f I set my hand to the plough, I will never look back, though the furrow should run with tears and blood.”[12] This seems like an admirable response, but Sayers analyzes it a bit more. “[H]e could be faithful to any undertaking of his own… But this is no faith in Jesus, which means childlike trust in a person”[13] Judas did not say that he would be faithful to Jesus, but to himself. Jesus recognizes this and warns him, “That, I am sure, is true. Take care lest it turn out truer than you think.”[14]

The Bread of Heaven

In The Bread of Heaven, Judas’ character starts to show through. He experiences mistrust for the first time, and unfortunately this doubt will only grow. Judas has a conversation with Baruch, a zealot. Up until now, Jesus had been healing and preaching. His fame was starting to grow, but nothing controversial has happened, until now. Crowds follow Jesus everywhere he goes, and they do not all understand his message. Baruch, like others, believes the Kingdom that has been prophesied, and of which Jesus speaks, is a physical one. He believes that Jesus will lead an army of Jews to overthrow the Roman empire, which has been oppressive to the Jews. He is sorely mistaken, and Judas defends Jesus, but a seed of doubt has been planted.

Later, after Jesus distributes the five loaves and two fishes to the crowd of five-thousand, the people start clamoring for Jesus to be their king. Jesus instructs his disciples to take a boat and cross the lake while he slips away. The disciples obey, but Judas is starting to doubt Jesus. He tells the others his fears, but they brush him off. Sure enough, Jesus comes walking across the water toward them.

One of my favorite scenes in this play, while not essential to the plot shows Jesus’ character. The disciples are starting to perform miracles themselves and help Jesus heal the sick. But there are many people clamoring to be healed, and in this scene, the disciples are gathered in a room, exhausted. Jesus finds them, and is very kind.

Jesus: Fishers of men—you have toiled hard to-day. The nets have been full—to breaking-point, perhaps?... My poor children! John, you look ready to drop. Give me your hand. I see I must finish up by healing my own disciples. Andrew has a headache, I fancy; Philip seems to have given up altogether and James doesn’t seem too happy, either. Simon!

Simon: Yes, Master?

Jesus: Something about you tells me that you have been grumbling. And has nobody had any dinner?

John: M-m-master, there were such a lot of people, and we were very tired. I expect if we had more f-f-faith it would come easier. But you weren’t here, and we rather let it g-get on top of us. But we’re quite ready to go on as long as you want us to.

Jesus: No, you shall not go on. We will go right away by ourselves into a quiet place up in the hills and rest. I don’t want to drive you too hard, Simon.

Simon: Master, I did grumble, and I’m very sorry.

Jesus: Did you? Well now, listen… Put something to eat in your baskets, and somebody wake up Philip. We’ll take a boat and go across the Lake to Bethsaida and spend the night in the mountains. And the Lord God of Israel shall give rest unto His People[15]

The Feast of Tabernacles

The next play starts to get more serious, and the reader can feel the discontent which will eventually lead to Jesus’ arrest. Jesus and his disciples go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of tabernacles. There in the city, there is starting to be some unrest. The people are divided on their views of who Jesus is. There are those who are loyal and believe he is the messiah, but there are also those who think he is merely a prophet who is disrupting their way of life and trying to overthrow the Romans, this party includes the Sanhedrim. Caiaphas, the high priest, orders his guard to arrest Jesus if they see him coming. Jesus does go to Jerusalem, (against Judas’ wishes) but after the festivities have started, so the guards do not expect him. In Jerusalem, Jesus does something that sends his dissenters into an uproar. He calls himself “I AM”[16] Jesus uses the name God called himself to Moses. This is a name that even the Jews never speak. The crowd believes this is the highest degree of blasphemy.

The Light and the Life

Judas is called before Caiaphas, and questioned about Jesus’ political activities. Judas assures them that Jesus is not involved in any such thing, but he also swears that if he were, “I should be the first to denounce him.”[17] Caiaphas sees Judas’ weakened faith, and will use him to his advantage.

Royal Progress

In the next play, Jesus does another thing that angers the Sanhedrim. He heals a blind beggar on the Sabbath. The tension is building, and everyone can feel something is about to happen.

Against his disciples wishes, especially Judas’, Jesus rides into Jerusalem, where Caiaphas, the Sanhedrim, and many of the people hate him. Before he leaves, Baruch, who had been in hiding with his followers, sends Jesus a message with an offer. There will be two of Baruch’s animals hitched up for Jesus, a warhorse and an ass. If Jesus intends to ride into Jerusalem with an army and take the kingdom, he is to ride the horse. If not, he is to take the ass. Jesus takes the ass, of course. Judas does not know this, as he did not see the message. He only knows that his master has taken the zealot, Baruch’s own animals, and believes Jesus is going to start a rebellion. He seeks out Caiaphas and tells him he was wrong about Jesus. Caiaphas gets him to agree to help them find a time that would be easiest to arrest Jesus. One of the main things Caiaphas is concerned about is starting a riot. He knows how many followers Jesus has, and if he tries to arrest him at the wrong time, they will overpower him.

The King’s Supper

Many things happen in The King’s Supper, and Sayers presents it all artistically. This play has two settings, and Sayers switches back and forth between them. The juxtaposition between the scenes with Jesus and his disciples, and Caiaphas and his men is masterful. And then, at the end, they are brought together by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The disciples are preparing for the Passover. There is an air of excitement to them. They know something is about to happen, but they do not know what. When Jesus arrives, he instructs Judas to sit next to him, which surprises Judas very much. The feast commences, and there is the usual chatter among the disciples. Then Jesus gets up and does something they find strange. He takes off his outer garment and fetches a pitcher of water. They are all watching him intently. Jesus goes to John and begins to wash his feet. This is something servants normally do, and Jesus, their master, is washing their feet! But it is another act of Jesus with a deeper lesson. This must have been a very intimate moment for the disciples. Jesus treats each of them with gentleness and kindness, washing the dust and tiredness away, even Judas. But once he is finished, he surprises them again. He tells them that one of them will betray them. This is met with shock and disbelief. And while they are arguing amongst themselves, Jesus quietly tells Judas it is him. Judas immediately gets up and leaves. While Judas goes out to alert Caiaphas and the Sanhedrim, Jesus changes the Passover tradition. He takes bread, and instead of the traditional prayer, he says, “Take and eat. This is my body which is broken for you… do this in remembrance of me.”[18] Then he takes the second cup and says, Drink, all of you, of this. For this is my blood of the new Covenant, which is poured out for you and for many, to release them from sin.”[19] The disciples do not understand what this means yet, even though Jesus has been alluding to it throughout his ministry. Then Jesus leaves, and takes his disciples with him to pray before the Passover is finished. There in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas leads Caiaphas’ soldiers to arrest him. Jesus surrenders without a fight.

The Princes of This World

The disciples fled when Jesus was arrested, and now John and Peter are following behind, berating themselves for their fearfulness the whole way. Jesus is taken inside Caiaphas’ house for trial, and John may enter, being in the priestly line, but Peter must wait outside alone.

There is an interesting clause in the Roman law. They allow the Jews to have their own system of law under the Roman one, but sentences must be ratified by a Roman official and the sentence carried out by Romans. So throughout the night, Jesus is going back and forth between Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate and even Herod (the late King Herod’s son). Caiaphas is in a hurry to get this trail over with, because he knows that when morning comes, and everyone wakes up and learns what has become of Jesus, there will be a riot. He wants to get rid of Jesus as quickly as possible. But Jesus has done nothing wrong under Roman law, and so Pilate is hesitant to condemn him, but when his loyalty is called into question, he famously washes his hands of the situation.

All while Jesus is going through this, there is a great contrast between Peter and Judas. Judas has a conversation with Baruch, in which he learns Baruch’s proposition with the horse and the ass. He realizes that Jesus is innocent, and with that the gravity of what he has done. Judas is overcome with guilt and runs away. He is crushed by the weight of his sin, and believes that he cannot ever be forgiven for what he has done. Judas despairs, and hangs himself.

While Judas is going through this, Peter has been waiting outside Caiaphas’ house alone. He is asked several times if he is one of Jesus’ disciples. Peter is afraid, and denies it. The third time he does so, the cock crows, and Peter realizes what he has done. Like Judas, he is immediately flooded with guilt. He also leaves and weeps, realizing what he has done. But unlike Judas, he does not despair. It takes him awhile (his is still depressed in the beginning of the next play), but he asks for forgiveness. In the final scene of the book, Jesus asks him three times if he loves him, and Peter replies yes every time.

King of Sorrows

Jesus has been scourged and is carrying his heavy, wooden cross through the crowds to the place where he will be crucified. The two robbers are ahead of him, and the crowd boos and taunts them. The robbers yell and curse back, bitter and angry and scared of death. Standing among the crowd and watching for Jesus is John with Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Mary Cleophas. The executions are a sensation to the crowd, merely a form of entertainment for them. But when Jesus comes through it is different. While some are sympathetic, the crowd still taunts him, but he says nothing back, “like a lamb led to the slaughter.”[20] John, Mary, and Mary Magdalene do not recognize him at first, he is so disfigured and covered in blood. John tries to support the women and be strong for them. While Mary Magdalene needs this and cries uncontrollably, Mary is held up by an inner strength only she possesses. She is still pierced with her own sword, as was prophesied.

My child. When he was small, I washed and fed him; I dressed him in his little garments and combed the rings of his hair. When he cried, I comforted him; when he was hurt, I kissed away the pain; and when the darkness fell, I sang him to sleep. Now he goes faith and fasting in the dust, and his hair is tangled with thorns. They will strip him naked to the sun and hammer the nails into his living flesh, and the great darkness will cover him. And there is nothing I can do. Nothing at all. This is the worst thing; to conceive beauty in your heart and bring it forth into the world, and then to stand by helpless and watch it suffer…[21]

The soldiers nail Jesus to the cross, and hoist it up. There, John and the three Marys stand at his feet.

Mary Virgin: Jesus, my son, I am here—Mary, the Mother who loves you. The pain is sore, my darling, but it will pass.

Mary Magdalen: Jesus, Rabboni, I am here—Mary the sinner who loves you. Kneeling at the feet that I once washed with my tears. I will kiss them very lightly, for fear the touch should hurt you.

John: Jesus, my lord, I am here—John bar-Zebedee, the friend who loves you. We ran away from you, Master. We refused the cup and the baptism, not knowing what we asked, and the places on your right hand and on your left have been given to these two thieves.[22]

Jesus is silent throughout most of the crucifixion, and has only seven lines, all of which are quoted directly from the Bible and have great significance.

As Jesus hangs on the cross, the sky grows dark. Finally, he says “’It is accomplished! Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirt.’… And he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”[23]

The King Comes to His Own

In the final play, Jesus had been sealed in the tomb for the Sabbath day, which was a very difficult day for the disciples and the other followers of Jesus. They are trying to make sense of the events that took place, while dealing with their own grief. Now, on the third day, the women are going to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. But when they arrive, the stone has been rolled away.

The soldiers guarding the tomb saw how it happened. Sayers writes that Jesus left the tomb first, and then the angel rolled away the stone to call the guards attention to the tomb. She does this to show that Jesus did not need the angel to free him, but rose from the dead by his own power.

There is much confusion about the empty tomb, and Peter and John come to see for themselves. Jesus appears to a few of them, but it is not until that night, when Jesus enters the room where the disciples are gathered and shows himself to them that they all believe. He invites them to inspect his wounds, and then sits down to eat with them, and all is well. The book ends with Jesus giving his disciples the great commission.

Conclusion

The style of writing reminds me of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. This is the highest praise I could give to a work of writing. Perhaps Jesus reminds me of Aslan or the dialogue is similar. Either way, it is written very well. This book is an excellent rendition of the life of Jesus. It brings the reader closer to Jesus, while still retaining its accuracy.

Bibliography

Sayers, Dorothy L., The Man Born to be King. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1943.

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[1] Dorothy L. Sayers, The Man Born to Be King (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1943), 113.

[2] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 37.

[3] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 47-48.

[4] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 106.

[5] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 107.

[6] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 62.

[7] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 106- 107.

[8] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 48.

[9] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 307

[10] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 94.

[11] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 89.

[12] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 112.

[13] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 201.

[14] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 112.

[15] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 139.

[16] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 171.

[17] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 169.

[18] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 242.

[19] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 242.

[20] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 294.

[21] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 289.

[22] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 300.

[23] Sayers, The Man Born to be King, 305.