The Passion Play

First of all, it was a lovely day. Just a little warm but with cool, gentle breezes in mid-July, which was just great with me. I thanked the Lord all day for that blessing. We arrived in Eureka Springs earlier than we'd planned, around 11:30, and were worried about what we were going to do because the play didn't start until 8:30 p.m. The worry soon vanished because we learned there was plenty to do. We first boarded a trolley to see the New Holy Land Tour. What a phenomenal teaching ministry! The trolley enters in through the "Gates of Jerusalem" and takes the passengers to five different stops. On our first stop we met Isaiah the Prophet at the Wilderness Tabernacle. He taught us about the sacrifices of the Old Testament, the roles of the priest and the people, and the spiritual significance of it all. He was amazingly deep with his explanations and brought out many spiritual analogies that were just incredible. He ended with a plea to his audience to spend time alone with God--to unplug the phone, turn the TV and the computer off, go in a quiet place where you can't even hear if someone were to knock at the door and spend time "in" Him. I think you could've heard a pin drop even on the soft dirt we were standing on. He definitely touched several people there.

Next, we arrived at Bethlehem where we met Mary. She took us through the town and showed us the job of a carpenter and the duties of the women. We saw what the well would have been and she explained the importance and the use of the well. She showed us what the inn would've looked like and why it was God's loving decision not to allow them to stay there. We ended up in the stable and learned what a manger really was as she described the shepherds and the star overhead that night and the flood of angels in the sky the shepherds described to her. We ended up singing "Amazing Grace" together, and, again, many were touched.

Our third stop was at the Sea of Galilee where we met Simon Peter. He was a perfect depiction of the beloved disciple because, just like Peter, he was full of fire and a little crazy, but you could also discern a good heart. He talked about some of his experiences with Jesus and described when Jesus was arrested and the healing of the ear he'd cut off. Then he began to tell of the time when Jesus came to him on the sea walking on the water and as he did, a man dressed as Jesus came out on the "sea" there with the illusion that he really was walking on the water. He spoke to us in Aramaic and translated it to be a blessing to the people. Wow! This time, it wasn't so quiet among our group, but more of a rejoicing spirit.

After that, we traveled to Golgotha and the site of the Tomb where Mary Magdelene awaited our arrival. She explained the events after the resurrection and showed us the tomb. She talked about how she knew Him the moment He spoke to her and believed He had risen as He said He would. She left us exuberant to hear once more the story of His resurrection and ascension and the promise of His soon return.

On our last stop, we met John. He took us to the Upper Room where there was laid out a replica of what the Last Supper must have looked like. He told of Jesus humbling Himself as He washed all of their feet and the impression that left on them. He became somewhat distressed as he described Judas denying that it was he who would betray the Lord and then leaving to do that very thing. I think this was the last stop for that very reason. The ministry there wanted to emphasize that it's not a difficult thing to betray the Lord and easily disregard the guilt in our hearts, and this time, you could see a few tears on the faces of some of the people as they honestly examined their hearts.

I'll tell of some of the other presentations we experienced on another post. God bless.