The Blind Shepherd

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Mattan, the young son of a nomadic shepherd, sees the baby Jesus when he and his father follow the angel's directions to find the baby who is wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Little Mattan is fascinated. His father is as well, as they wonder if this can really be the long-expected Jewish messiah. Mattan grows up protecting his father's flocks until he becomes blind after a ferocious battle with a wolf. He can no longer be a shepherd, and pulls out of depression through a new occupation that leads him to hear of Jesus again after many years. The climax occurs when Mattan's eyes are healed by the touch of Jesus, and the first eyes Mattan sees are the same captivating eyes that he first saw in Bethlehem's manger. Compelled by his love for his healer, Mattan becomes an outspoken follower of Jesus in a hostile environment. Historical and Biblical details are interwoven in this moving story, filled with real-life challenges of life and death, love and sadness, danger and mystery, and clashes between religion, culture, and political power.