I’m a fan of manga, but only a few of them.

 I never got into it like a lot of other anime

fans do.  To be honest, I watched anime for several years and had no idea that manga
even existed.  Remember, I live in the USA, where you never see manga anywhere,
especially 10 years ago!  One day I found out about this wonderful book called Manga
Messiah which I had never heard of.  Picking it up from Barnes & Nobles, I was shocked
that the art was so well done.  The reason I say that is because Christians often try to do
something for God’s glory, yet the final product isn’t professional.  Fortunately, that’s not
the case here! The story is based on the book of Matthew from the Bible.  It begins with
the birth of Christ and ends with His resurrection.  It’s a lot of ground to cover in a manga,
but the artist and writer do a really good job!  It’s not rushed, and covers the most
important parts.  Again, the art shines when you see the face of Christ and His disciples.
You’ve never seen a cooler Jesus drawn than this one. His first miracle is when Jesus
turned water into wine.  I love the reactions of the people and the emphasis put on the
miracle when it happens.  The words of Christ are detailed and exact, keeping the
original text intact.  Your favorite miracles come to life in Manga Messiah! There is some
artistic license taken, but you can see the direct parallel to the Bible verses.  If you’ve
never read the book of Matthew before, or maybe your Bible’s collected dust, then you
need to pick this manga up.  As you read, page by page, the Bible will come to life in
ways you’ve never imagined! Here, you can see all twelve of Christ’s disciples.  I don’t
honestly like that they are all pretty young, because I’m sure they were older. Of course,
I’m no theologian but that’s just my opinion.  Isn’t it nice how they made Judas look a little
shady, like he’s up to something?  If you’ve never been able to remember all their names,
this manga is a great way to memorize them. In this scene, Jesus tells His disciples that
He’s going to be crucified.  His disciples refuse to believe it, and one even tells Him not to
go, which makes Jesus turn around and tell Peter, “Satan, get behind me!”  Jesus isn’t
talking to Peter in this scene, of course, but to the demon trying to convince Him (through
Peter) to stop fulfilling His purpose. Christ is laying on the wooden cross, looking up to
Heaven, screaming to God because He has abandoned Him.  He’s taken the sins of the
world, which made God the Father turn away from Jesus so that He would take our
punishment instead of us.  We will suffer in this world, but because of Christ’s crucifixion,
we don’t have to suffer for all eternity.  Eternal life is forever, and, without accepting His
forgiveness of your sins, you won’t enter that forever called Heaven. The final words to
His disciples are a command and a mission: to make disciples of all nations.  Now that
they themselves are disciples, they are to bring His Kingdom to every corner of the
Earth–to every tribe, people and tongue.  This mission is still in effect to this day, and
that’s one of the missions of Geeks Under Grace.  We are here to challenge believers
towards a deeper place in God. To those who don’t know Christ as their savior, I want
you to know that He paid the ultimate price for your sin.  Trust in His forgiveness before
it’s too late.  Nobody is promised tomorrow, so I want you, my reader, to ask Christ into
your heart right now.  Tell Him that you need Him in your life, that you need a savior, and
that you want to have eternal life–a life with purpose here on Earth.
Let me know what you thought of my article.  Have you ever read this manga, or another
one like it?  Are you a fan of manga, and, if so, which ones?  I would like to know, so
looking forward to your comments!  I reply to every single one.