The shared interest of both Christians and Muslims in Jesus of Nazareth and his message goes much further than a belief in his miracles, Michael Wolfe, a filmmaker and an author of books of poetry, fiction, travel, and history, writes.

“In the Muslim view, Jesus' essential work was not to replicate magic bread or to test our credulity, but to complement the legalism of the Torah with a leavening compassion rarely expressed in the older testament. His actions and words introduce something new to monotheism: They develop the merciful spirit of God's nature.”