Jesus the Son of Man · Chapter
Uriah, an Old Man of Nazareth explained
Uriah, an old man of Nazareth, delivers a bitter monologue against Jesus, recalling His childhood defiance, His aloofness as a youth, and His later teachings that Uriah perceives as insults and attacks on the people.
What happens
Uriah, an old man of Nazareth, delivers a bitter monologue against Jesus, recalling His childhood defiance, His aloofness as a youth, and His later teachings that Uriah perceives as insults and attacks on the people. Uriah expresses a wish that Jesus had been sent to war to be killed, and reflects on the shame such a son would bring.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
Claudius’s sudden, involuntary loss of composure—a hardened veteran who has faced death without fear now rende…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Misunderstanding and Betrayal
Uriah's monologue exemplifies the misunderstanding of Jesus' mission and the hostility He faced from His own townspeople.
- Humanity and Divinity of Jesus
Uriah's perspective highlights the human Jesus, who was seen as an ordinary boy and youth, yet whose actions were perceived as arrogant and divisive.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“His childhood revolted, and rejected the sweet milk of our nature. His youth was inflamed like dry grass that burns in the night.”
As a child, He was rebellious and rejected our nurturing ways. As a youth, He was passionate and destructive.
Uriah uses vivid imagery to condemn Jesus' early life.
“If He had been my son, I would have committed Him with the Roman legions to Arabia, and I would have begged the captain to place Him in the forefront of the battle, so that the archer of the foe might mark Him, and free me of His insolence.”
If Jesus were my son, I would have sent Him to fight with the Roman army in Arabia, hoping the enemy would kill Him and rid me of His arrogance.
Uriah expresses a violent wish for Jesus' death.
