Day 262 The Jesus Project

 

9/19/2026

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

Matthew 11:28

 

As I have previously mentioned in my posts I have been reading the biography of Katharine Barnwell, one of the greatest Bible translators and missionaries in the history of the church. She initially began her translation work in Nigeria which remained her home, as she dearly came to love the people of the area she served, and she would spend Christmas with her Nigerian team, her family, each year as long as she was able. Her story is unending, as she revolutionized Bible translation, and she was even instrumental in assisting the Seed Company in getting The Jesus Film to the nations. The story of this endeavor is in itself an incredible story of a new company going out on a limb to see this wonderful account of the ministry of Jesus, based on the Gospel of Luke, presented to the world. 

The Jesus Film and the Gospel of Luke were used for evangelism, preaching, and teaching by the local believers who led the Bible translation team, trained by Katy and her team of translators whom she trained, for this new project. At first there had been skepticism and uncertainty about the film and of the newly formed Seed Company.  When there had been discussion about the film, this company was the only one willing to accept the challenge, and Katy was the only one suited for the task with translation using the local tribes and her methods of translation. 

The story sticks to the scriptures, and although it may be considered a low budget film by some, the actors portraying the lives of the apostles and Jesus were very credible to the disciples in the Bible. There weren't any flashy cinematography or special music that I could determine, just a simple showing of the life of our Lord, his death, burial, and resurrection. It was met with much success all over the world, and many requests for further translations requested. The Seed Company had private donors for production of the film, and they were so successful that they didn't know what to do with the money. The response was to share with other struggling translation ministries, working together for the benefit of the people. That's the way it should always be, I think. More gets accomplished when we work together for the common good, as no one man or woman gets the glory, only God alone. Sometimes that a difficult lesson to learn for some, but Katy seemed to bring a new light to the idea of working together, as did the men associated with this film.

I wholeheartedly recommend The Jesus Film, and Katy's biography entitled Katharine Barnwell by Jordan K. Monson. Your life will be challenged and transformed!