Rendesvous on Mt. Gilboa

Part Three - THE PASSION PLAY

The Feast of Tabernacles was coming up and Jesus said that he would not be attending, for he had heard people in Judea wanted to kill him as a blasphemer. But his brothers said to him, “If you do good works, should you not do your good works so as to be seen by all that all give you the glory?” Therefore Jesus did go but in a secret way. The crowds were divided. Some said “He is a good man” while others said, “No, he deceives the people”. Jesus spoke mainly about light verses darkness and the children of God verses the children of the devil, and life verses death, saying that he who came to him would have everlasting life. At one point the people picked up stones to throw at him, but as they were throwing the stones- - the scene changes to color and you know what that means. People were being hit by other people’s rocks and blood was pouring out but when all is said and done, Jesus had managed to slip the net again. Also during this trip is the woman caught in the act of adultery. Here is a case that when they posed this question to Jesus, he began writing names on the ground with a stick, as if he weren’t listening to them. Others said “What is that he is writing” and others said “He’s writing it in Greek. It appears to be names- - does anybody here know Greek?” Of course you know how Jesus said to the woman, “Go thow, and sin no more”.

In this next scene people tell Jesus, “Leave this place, for King Herod wants to Kill You” and Jesus responds, “Go tell the esteemed gentleman that I go my way this way and the next but he will not see me again in Jerusalem until the people say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. So Jesus crossed the Jordan.

Now Jesus is in Jericho. This is where blind Bartameus was healed saying “Have mercy on me son of David”. This is also the town where Zacheus climbs a sycamore tree to get a better look at Jesus, and Jesus tells Zacheus that today he shall dine in his house and Zacheus says “If I have defrauded anybody I will pay them back four-fold. We place the raising of Lazerus here, too, as does the secret book of Mark. In this version Jesus lays on top of the corpse and places his hands on Lazeruses hands, etcetra and presses his face on Lazerus’ face, laying on top of him, and Lazarus is brought back from the dead. While ascending the mountain tword Jerusalem- - Judas says, “When you come into your Kingdom we will indeed have great glory, won’t we?”

Jesus dines at the home of “Simon the Lepper”, who apparently isn’t there. This is where Mary, his wife, pours the expensive ointment all over him. This ointment was expensive and could have been sold for three thousand dollars. Judas objects saying that Mary is not even Jesus’ wife referring to her as “this woman”. Jesus gets on Judas’ case for disrespecting his wife. And Judas says, “I swear on my honor as a disciple, if you knew all this woman has done and been through, surely you would have had the marriage annulled within days”. Later on Judas speaks with Matthew, and again goes on this tyrade about how it’s pointless to live this nickel and dime existence, trying to save five cents on a box of paper clips, when there is a three thousand dollar charge on the ledger. And he says, “I know Jesus has money he hasn’t used. He’s just doing this poor boy act for whatever reason but if he gets into his father’s trust fund- - -“ and Matthew stops Judas right there saying “The master’s financial situation is none of your concern”.

On Palm Sunday Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a horse and not a donkey. But it soon becomes apparent that the crouds aren’t for him but Barrabus can be seen riding into town and the people’s shouts become louder. And a riot ensues and a man is killed by Barrabus and other Roman troops are injured and several of Barrabus’ men are killed. And Jesus sees it and says “Behold I came to bring not peace but a sword” and the other disciples hear this and ask one another what Jesus might mean by this.

The last supper is done in the normal manner only a little more religiously than in most movies with the enphasis on the four herbs and the four ceremonial glasses of wine and the ritual Hebrew prayers and such. Then after that stuff Jesus gets to the Ucherist and does the thing with the bread and wine and says “As oft as ye do this act ye shall remember me, until I come”. Meanwhile Judas has already left to betray him as Jesus had fortold, “He who dips his bread in the dish with me is the one”. While Judas was with the pharicees they said to him, “Do not consider this money a bribe. Do not consider it blood money. It is simply- - a gratuity, that’s all”.

The arrest occurs in the usual manner- - more along the lines of John where Jesus says, “I am He” and then he says “If it is me you seek then let the others go”. The other disciples make plans to leave town, and many say they need to get back to their wives and families and that they’ve had enough excitement in their lives. But Judas hangs around and watches all of the trials of Jesus when he is before Chaiaphus and later when he is before Pilate. Only before Herod, Judas did not attend. King Herod Antipas (?) had been wanting to see some miracle from Jesus “I have been wanting to meet you for some time, Jesus”. Then Herod- - still eying Jesus suspiciously says, “Here is a small clay cup. Not a very large cup. Turn it to gold”. Jesus asks for a white sheet and covers the cup with it- - and then produces a gold cup with the same carvings on it that appears to be the same cup only gold. . Herod says, “Make it thunder”. First it thunders off in the distance and Jesus stares intently out the window at the storm, and someone in Herod’s palace says “A voice spoke to him”. Then it flashes lightning really bright so as to light up the entire palace, and a really loud clap of thunder occurs almost instantaneously. And Herod stands there as if frozen with awe and says “I shall do everything I can to expidite your acquittal. You are free to go”. And the guards escort Jesus out the door. Jesus returns to Pilate and he talks about his Kingdom and all of that stuff you can read about in the Bible from the Gospell of John about.

Then Jesus and Barrabus are both before the crouds and the people shout for Barrabus to be released and for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate says “I shall have him flogged and set him free” and the croud shouts louder to crucify him. But Judas is watching the beating of Jesus, the 39 lashes, and then upon seeing how bloody he is he runs to the Pharicees and throws down the thirty pieces of silver and says “I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood”. And they say “What affair of that is ours?”

Judas was riddled with guilt now. He just went out and walked around, staring up at the tall Temple buildings. He heard voices tauntingly calling “Judas!” and “Well done, Judas” and “You’ll Be Remembered Forever for This”. And Judas answers the voices, “I don’t want to be remembered for this”. Judas has to do some fast thinking. He now thinks he's come up with a way to deflect his own sense of guilt. He knew that Jesus’ inner three disciples may not have left town, but he knew of a secret hiding place they sometimes used. Judas went there and indeed found Peter, James and John, none of which was at all happy to see him, believing that he “probably was the traitor”. Judas says, “I have something to say to you. A few nights ago Jesus confided in me privately and he said that he knew I would be the one to betray him, and he said he understood and said that the saying is true “Some acts are not necessary evils, they are just necessary”. And Jesus said that after three days he would rise up again from the grave and that in doing this he would draw all men to himself”. The others had doubtful fords for him. But Judas insisted “Go and ask around. All week it has been rumored that if something untword befell the Master during this holy week, that Jesus’ death would not be in vain”. And Judas left them and they talked among themselves, “Do you suppose that any word of that could be true?” And they sought to round up the other disciples to “talk this matter over with them” and decide what if anything would be their response.

Jesus was taken out and crucified carrying his own cross. He fell three times during his trek up the hill and each time there were those mocking him for not having the strength to bear the burden. Now emissaries from Joseph of Arithmea, who was staying at the house of Nicodemus in Jerusalem were present at the crusifiction. And three times during the crusifiction Jesus said “I am thirsty” and each time he was given gall on a sponge as kind of a numbing narcotic. Before the third time they administered the drug, one from the crowd and said “Wait, les us see if Elijah will cone down and save him” for Jesus appeared to have been calling for Elijah from the cross. Jesus took the drug the third time and said, “It is finished” and then as his last words while alive, he said “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”. He said this and died.

The scene now comes in color again and stays in color for the rest of the movie. Other emissaries of Joseph of Armethia bear the body of Jesus down from the cross, for Joseph had petitioned Pilate for the body of Jesus before the High Sabbath, and Pilate gave his concent. But they took Jesus to the wrong tomb. One of the tombs was already open and they laid Jesus there. But when they told Joseph where the body was so he could bring the spices and anoint the body for burial, Joseph said it was the wrong tomb and they moved the body of Jesus out of the other tomb leaving the rock still opened, to the new tomb, wherein no body had yet been buried and they anointed the body there.

Judas had a very restless night tossing and turning. At one point the full moon was shining in the window and into his eyes and Judas got up and closed the drapes. When the rooster crowed at dawn, Judas began to bawl, dreading the idea of facing a day without his Lord. Joseph and Nicodemus came to the residence of Pilate and knocked on the door and the doorman agreed to escort them inside but they said they were not allowed to enter because it would ceremonially breech the Sabbath, so Pilate came out to them. They said to Pilate, “We have but one more request of you. That you place a guard on the tomb because there are roomers that Jesus’ other disciples will come and steal the body away. And if they did it would profane the grave and the body as a gross violation of Jesus’ body to disturb it after it had been interred into the ground. They told Pilate there was a belief in some crazy resurrection. Pilate said, “Do you believe this?” “What I believe is of no account. The point is the disciples believe it.” Pilate said, “have you got any money” and they paid him some cash, and Pilate said this would buy them three days of protection, through to 9:00 AM Tuesday. “That will suffice”.

They had returned to Nicodemus’ home to prepare for morning temple when a knock was heard on the door. Judas wanted to know if it would be OK for him to visit the grave today and say good-bye to Jesus, and they told him, “Absolutely not”. Judas walked through the city. It was a fairly quiet day except for the sounds of prayers and songs in Hebrew being lifted up to the LORD. Judas came to the tomb and there was indeed a guard out front. He asked to see the inside of the tomb, and the guard told him that no unauthorized personnel were permitted to see the body” and Judas left. He now went to a hardware store that was open, for it was run by Romans and he bought a sturdy help rope, and he went out to the east side of town and found a tree that was virtually dead and climbed out on a branch and tied the rope and hung himself. And the camera pans away for a moment to see the outline of the body dangling over a cliff.

Barrabus was another man feeling very guilty and his wife wishes that he would just shut up on the manner because the things and self loathing he were saying was making her feel uncomfortable. Barrabus felt strangely guilty, as if he needed to do some great, worthy now, in order to feel “right” about himself once more.

Mathaius was a man who was hired by Joseph of Arithmetha and Nicodemus to spy on the disciples of Jesus to keep tabs on them. Now Joseph and Nicodemus told him that they needed his services once again to do something to get the disciples out of Jerusalem as quickly as possible, lest they attempt to profane the grave.

The three women came tword the tombs as it began to dawn on Sunday morning saying to themselves, “Who will roll the stone away”. They were startled by the presence of the open tomb and looked inside and found other bodies but not Jesus. Then Methaius came to them dressed in a white robe and said to them “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Jesus is not here. He is risen. Go now and tell his disciples that he will see them on Mount Gilboah in Samaria. Mary had strayed from the other woman being overcome with grief and she nad gone a stone’s throw away to weep privately. Methaius came to her. And Mary said “If you are the gardener, tell me where you laid him”. Methaius said “Mary get a hold of yourself”. And said to her “You need to control your emotions because the baby can sense your emotions”. “Baby?” she said. “Yes, you are with child and it will be a girl and you shall call her name Sarah, after the mother of all believers.” Methaius followed the disciples so closely he even knew that Mary had not had her period in over two months. She ran away from him with tears still in her eyes and back to the other two women saying “our business is through here”.

On Saturday, Barrabus rested as the Sabbath commanded. But on Sunday he spied two secret disciples walking and he followed them as a great distance to see where they might be headed. They were headed west to a town named Emeus. He joined himself to them and began to feel them out in conversation to see how they felt about Jesus. He mentioned all about the pardon of Barrabus and the crusifiection of Jesus and then proceeded to quote Isaiah 52 and 53 about the suffering servant. He was trying to make himself better about the whole substitution thing and he found solice, somehow quoting this scripture. He was intending to dine with them that night but dinner was two hours away still. But having learned enough he made an excuse about his mule not being tied up securely outside. Before the two disciples could even think a minute and realize he didn’t have a mule but had walked up, he had fled. He found indeed a mule and as he was untying it to take off for Jerusalem as quickly as possible, the man who owned the mule came up and he told the man “The Lord has need of it” as he rode off.

Barrabus came to the home of Mary and opened the wrought iron gate and crossed the courtyard and knocked on the door. The housekeeper Rhoda answered. She asked Barrabus to state his business wanting to be careful for fear of the Pharisees. Barrabus entered the house of Mary, mother of John Mark at about dinner time. He was hoping to see the twelve disciples gathered together as he had heard through the grapevine they had planned such a meeting. But Mary told him the disciples had fled Jerusalem and would not be returning, and he thinks it’s because they had heard some kind of news, but she didn’t know what it was. The housekeeper, Rhoda, escorted him out. He looked at the house one last time, “So this is where the betrayal happened!”

A number of days later and after much prayer, the disciples came to Samaria. All eleven of Jesus disciples made it to Mt. Gilboa and climbed nearly to the top of it and waited all day for Jesus to arrive on the day that they one and all had “had a feeling that Jesus would come”. But as the sun began to sink in the sky they came down from the mountain, not wishing to spend a cold night there. Peter said, “I am going fishing” and six other disciples joined him. Once again Barrabus showed up on the shore and he too was wearing a white robe like Jesus used to wear. “Have you caught anything?” and they said “We have fished all night and caught nothing”. It now was beginning to dawn and the sun was almost over the horizon. But Barrabus had seen a large school of fish in the unusually calm waters they had missed from their preoccupation and he said to them, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat” and when they did and caught all the fish, Peter said “It is the Lord”. None of them dared ask him “who are you”. Barrabus thought of milking the Jesus role by asking Peter repeatedly “Do you love me more than these fish”. And finally they called him out. Thomas said “Untill I see the nail marks in his hands and the wound in his side I will not believe that it is our Lord”. Philip chimed in too saying, “We know you talked to those two disciples, and yesterday a currier came to us with a letter from Mary saying that a man was inquiring after you and did you know him”. I ask you. “Are you that man”. Barrabus could keep the ruse no longer and said plainly to them, “I am Barrabus. The man who was freed in Jesus’ stead by Pontious Pilate.” Peter said unto him “When you were young you girded yourself and did as you pleased. But when you are old others will control you and stretch out your hands and lead you where you do not wish to go”. By this Peter indicated the sort of death Barrabus would die. Barrabus said, “Then I ask your Jesus for forgiveness. Perhaps if your lord is truly great he can do this. If he truly has the power to grant forgiveness to those who seek it, his life will not have been in vain”.

And with this remark, our movie comes to an anti-climatic end.