What would Jesus do? Just ask "Biff."
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal (William Morrow & Company), by Christopher Moore, is a novel that rivals the best of the National Lampoon movies. Not only is it a unique idea and incredibly well written, Lamb will have you rolling on the floor, or laughing out loud at the very least.
Lamb is the story of Biff, Jesus’s best friend. Yes, that Jesus, the Son of God. I bet you didn’t know Jesus had a best friend named "Biff." Well, after reading Lamb, you might realize that there is a lot about the Messiah you weren’t aware of.
For all of you who take your religion too seriously, Moore makes clear in his afterword that Lamb is a fiction story. It is not a lesson meant to change beliefs or to fill gaps in the Bible. It is simply an incredibly creative tale encompassing danger, love, compassion, magic and demons.
The novel begins with "Biff’s" resurrection after 2,000 years so he can finally write his gospel. His mission is to fill in the years from childhood and beyond, which Matthew, Mark, Luke and John left out of their gospels. After all, as the reader learns, "Biff" is the only one of the apostles that hung out with Jesus while they traveled to the Middle East into Asia looking for the Wise Men and gained the knowledge that comes with being the Messiah.
The cynical and foul-mouthed "Biff" is forced to sit in a cramped hotel room and write, guarded by an easily annoyed angel who loves. "Biff" recalls the love triangle between his friend Jesus and the woman "Mary Magdala." "Biff" loves "Mary," "Mary" loves Jesus, and Jesus "cannot know a woman." This situation calls for further problems when "Biff" must sacrifice himself at Jesus’s prodding. In the book, the sacrifice includes "Biff" utilizing the services of a prostitute to assuage the confused and curious mind of the young Christ.
In the novel, Jesus is addicted to coffee, and he thinks that refraining from eating pork was unnecessary bacon is so good. Moore’s story is filled with these hilarious nuances and it’s complete with an unpredictable ending. Lamb is best taken at what it is – a light-hearted, but incredibly smart and funny, tale. q