EPISODE FOUR: "He Was Always the Christ"

broke, something happened that would change the course of all humanity.

“And it happened from inside the seal and guarded burial site that had belonged to Joseph”

of Aramathia, where Jesus had been entuned. What is happening? Oh, no! Where are you going? Away from here!

Now, when the Sabbath was passed, after morning had broken, the women, Mary of

Magdana, Martha, Selamay and Mary of the Mother of James went to the site, bringing spices,

so they might bless and anoint the body of Jesus. But when they arrived, the garden had been vacated, and the massive stone that had been

“used to seal the tomb had been rolled back.”

Two strangers then appeared. Why are you looking for the living among the dead? We know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, he is not here. The women then went inside, go quickly and tell us disciples that he has a risen and to remember what he had said to them.

The tomb is empty! What do you mean? It's empty! I mean, he is not the hairpader! What a more must have taken him!

No, James!

“The stone was rolled away, and there were two strangers there!”

Guard calm down! I am calm, James! What did the strangers say? They said that he has a risen! What?

James! Wait for me! Jesus had foretold his death and resurrection before.

He was famously to the Pharisees, at the second temple early in his ministry.

The temple building was the very centre of the religious activity for the Jews, including teaching, the giving of sacrifices, and meetings of the Supreme Council of Israel. And it was considered the most sacred of places. And when Jesus would enter into it with his disciples during their first Passover together, what he saw wasn't sacred at all.

No reverence, merchants praying upon travellers, charging surplus for sacrificial animals. This corrupt use of the temple grounds deeply offended him. It is written that my father's house will be a house of prayer for all nations. And you have defiled it! Come out of here!

This is not a market! Do you know where you stand? Do you? I do! Because I, and we have dedicated our lives to this temple and world to you Pharisees who have

turned it into a den for thieves! I have turned it into what God asks of us, a symbol of obedience and sacrifice. Is that not good enough for you?

I seek not sacrifice. I seek mercy. What is he saying?

“You, your trickery with loaves and fishes and other wonders, do not stand among us, or in this holy”

place we built this temple from the ruins of Solomon's, for the years did it take what had been destroyed. For the years to replace what God had designed for us, we lived alone. What authority have you destroyed this temple? And I shall raise it up in three days.

I told you, he is a madman, worse than a buddhist. The Pharisee had been mistaken, it had taken forty-six years to rebuild the great temple. Nor did he, or even his disciples, understand that Jesus had been referring to the temple

of his own body, a body that had gone missing on the morning of the third day after his

death in Daniel. And you touched nothing, Martha? No. And there was no indication that anyone else may have been here. No, it was empty.

This is exactly as we found it. Yet his shroud had been folded. Yes.

“Why would thieves who stole his body by the default, his burial garment?”

They would not. Where is he? He is gone.

Do you know what this means, Peter?

No. I do not know what this means. John? Mary, tell me exactly what this stranger said. There were two of them.

Then two of them. One of them asked why we were looking for the living among the dead. And then the other one said, "We know it is Jesus of Nazareth, you are looking for it." And then we checked the tomb, and I saw that it was empty. And we heard one of them say go quickly and tell his disciples to remember what he spoke to them.

Remember what he spoke to them. Remember what? Peter. Lower your tone. He spoke to us a thousand times, I clearly make sense of what he said when he was alive.

Now he's speaking through strangers? No. This isn't happening. I have to leave. Go speak to him, John.

Peter. I am sorry, Mary. What is happening? I do not know, but I need to tell the others. Your mother and Martha did, and they did not believe them, either.

Well, as you know what to leave yet, stay here in case any return. I'll go find the others. Jesus had also spoken about his death and resurrection the last time they were together.

When he had gathered them, for the first day of the feast the night he was arrested.

There are things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But the time has now come that I must go away to him who sent me. But I will be gone for only a little while. Lord, where are you going? Take us with you, Lord.

Where I am going, you cannot go, Peter. But you shall follow me afterwards. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. And he is among you. No.

Not Lord. Lord, who is he? The Son of Man will go as it is written of him. As for his betrayer, it would have been better had he not been born. Lord, I am ready to go with you.

Be it prison or death? Wherever. I tell you, Peter. The rooster shall not crow this day before you deny me three times. However, I have prayed for you all that your faith should not fail.

“Remember the things I have spoken to you on this night that in me you may have peace and strengthen”

your brethren. The world will give you tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. After he had spoken these words, Jesus then went out with His disciples to a place called Geth Semini, where there was a God.

And he withdrew from them to a nearby place, felt his knees and began to pray.

“See why the crucible, why the terrible suffering and the sacrifice for the peace for”

him? Plus the liar! For them, he is despised, check to fit his soul well, because he will scoundrel for me. I promise you that.

And Jesus prayed so hard that His sweat became like a great drop so black. It's all right, you're not alone. He's not coming. You know that he cannot, but he loves you so, so much, and he is so proud of your strength and courage and sacrifice.

And he joyfully waits for you to take your rightful seat at his side.

“But you know this, and always have, for you are not just the key in his grand plan.”

You are the very center of what his plan has always been.

You are the Alpha and Omega, and now, for him, for all of his children, for all his creation, for your precious mother. Rush his head. Father, thy will be done. Rise children, the time is at hand.

“At this time history, prophecy and his own divine destiny had finally come to pass, and”

the hour had come for him to be handed over to wicked men. He would be condemned to death under Pontius Pilate. He would suffer, die, and be bettered. Woman, why are you weeping? Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.

Mary. Yes, it is Mary, do not be afraid, go, and tell your brothers to go to Galilee, and I will find them there. As Jesus' followers tried to make sense of what had happened, those in power had already begun to deny anything happened at all.

The elders have assembled and reviewed your testimony, that early on the third day of

your dispatch, the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, you had fallen asleep, and while you slept, a small group of followers of the Nazarene came and stole his body. But we did not fall asleep, such an offense would be polished by our silver foyer. You fell asleep, and as you slept, his followers took his body. This is what you testified to, do you understand?

And if this comes to the governors' ears, we will appease him, and make you secure.

And not take it, you go. Peter! I know your heart is emptied as his hours, and perhaps a little lost, but something is happening. And whatever it is, we need you, Peter, he needs you. No, John, he needed me, and I wasn't there.

“Mary Magdalene said to remember what he said.”

I remember what he said to me that night that I would betray him three times, and I dismissed it as impossible, and that was half asleep when he woke us right before it all happened. Rise children, the time is at hand, and then Judas appeared. There you are, Rabbi. I've been looking for you.

What is it, Rabbi?

You betray me with the case.

Are you Jesus of Nazareth? I am he. Take him. I love you, sir. It happens so fast.

Take it now! There were soldiers on the ground, and I picked up one of their swords, and I swung it at the nearest time.

“So I went, with caution, I thought they may have been looking for me, or else still I went”

there. The crowd was ugly. Back, back. What is to be done to the Nazarene? The Sanhedrin will decide.

And one of them saw me. You, sir. You are a follower of the Nazarene. I do not know what you are talking about. But his suspicion had aroused another who surely recognized me.

Indeed, he is. I have seen you with the Nazarene. I assure you that I am not deep. You are mistaken.

“And then I bowed my head and moved my way through the crowd to be lost.”

It seemed to work. And after some time, as I moved, I slowly pushed my way forward all the way to the courtyard, and I could see him as the question them. And my heart broke, watching as they struck him. And as I stood there, once again I was seen.

Fisherman, yes, I know of that man. He is one of the twelfth. I am not. You are. You are the son of Jonas, and a follower of that so-called Christ.

Leave me alone. And then I heard it. And then I remembered what he said. And I just started to run. Are you right?

You will be found. I ran until I no longer could. And found somewhere to just... Wait. It was not just Jonas who was the betrayer.

It was I too John. If he has a reason, I would be too ashamed to see him. You are not a lone Peter. You, Judas, myself, we all have denied him. And we still do.

Every day with our disbelief, with our choosing of the world over his teachings. And no matter as we try, we will continue to betray him over and over and over again. And guess what?

He will always forgive us.

And not just seven times or seventy times seven, but always. Because his mercy is boundless. He would have even forgiven Judas, had he asked. He was one of us, and Jesus loved him too. He's easy for you to give comfort.

For you are his favorite one. This is true. But so too are my words. The tomb is empty.

I do not, John.

“It means that we are no longer the sum of all our actions and mistakes, Peter.”

Our entire lives are the result of one decision that we choose to believe.

He is the Christ. So, up Simon Peter, where are we going? We are going to Galilee. Despite the gods' orders from the high priests, rumors persisted about the missing body of Jesus of NASA.

While somebody that had been stolen, others believed that he had risen. And this was fueled by rumors that he had been seen by witnesses. Not just by Mary Magdalene and the women, but he had appeared to others as well. He had even spoken to a pair of followers while walking on the road to a mess. But the 11 disciples still had not seen.

Nor did they believe. They did however listen to Mary Magdalene. And went away into Galilee to the Sea of Tiberius and waited. So, Mary, Mary, Martha, Salome. Salome?

“And he must certainly have been seen by his own mother class.”

It's probably there right now. But don't forget, please. And his friend on the road to a mess.

So, basically, everyone in Galilee, but us, his closest followers.

You don't believe Thomas? No, I do not, John. And I will not believe until I can see with my own eyes and touch the wounds of his crucifixion. Good fishermen. Have you called anything?

No. We have not. Because we are not really fishing. We are hiding. Perhaps he is in the rabbi.

Why not? Everyone else in Judea is. Try casting your net on the other side. Is that he? Come with me.

And I will make you fishers of men. Hello, Thomas. Do you need to see something Thomas? No, Robert. Well, bless it or those who have not seen yet still believe.

Come. Let us break bread together. Shall we? Lord. Were you at this time?

Restore the kingdom to Israel? James, it is not for you nor anyone to know the times or seasons which the father has put in his own authority. But all of you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria. And to the end of the earth. Amen.

As the father has loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. You are my friends. No longer do I call you servants for a servant as not know what his master is doing. But you did not choose me.

I chose you.

“And appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain.”

That whatever you ask the father in my name, he may give to you. And nobody comes to the father except through me. How long can you stay with us? Lord, in this world not much longer. But I will not leave you as orphans.

Not many days from now, you shall receive a helper in the Holy Spirit. And he shall abide with you forever. And where he dwells, I too will dwell. He will guide you in all matters of this world. So fear not, because when the world hates you.

No, that it hated me first.

These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you. And that your joy may be full. But this is my commandment that you love one another. As I have loved you, for there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.

While they ate and listened to Jesus, Peter had been silent.

“And when they were finished, he withdrew to a quiet place as Jesus usually had to think and pray.”

Simon Peter, I am the one who usually withdraws for prayer. Well, I learned it from you, Lord. Peter, do you love me? Yes, Lord, I am committed to you, and feed my lambs. Peter, do you really love me?

Yes, Lord, I told you, you know that I would do anything to my sheep.

Peter, son of Jonah, do you love me?

“I don't understand. You know all things, Lord.”

You know that I love you. Then feed my sheep. Peter, when you were a younger man, you girded yourself and walked where you wish, did what you willed. But now, you are older. And now, when you stretch out your hands, another will gird you.

Another will carry you where you fear to go. Follow me. I will follow you, Lord. To the end of the ages, and we will bear witness and share your gospel to all the peoples and places on this earth. And I will build your church upon you for you are the Christ.

He was always the Christ.

For in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh. And he dwelt among us for the grace and truth and light. A true light, which lighteth every man and woman who come into the world. And so now, it has been made known, brothers and sisters.

The gospel which to you has been shared and for you. For you have been saved. For it is appointed that all men shall die once before judgment. But for the sake of his sorrowful passion, the Christ, more the sins of all mankind on the cross. So that we may have everlasting life, according to the Scriptures.

His last words to the disciple who would help build his church were follow me. It was spoken not as command or even question. But as an invitation. Follow me.

“If you want to learn more about what it means to follow Jesus, visit theChristpodcast.com.”

Adapted from the books of Matthew, Mark Luke, and John, this is the Christ episode 4. Starring Tom Pellfrey, Paul Walter Hauser, David A. Yellowow, Patricia Heaton, Courtney Hope, and John Rhys Davies as the narrator. Created in written by P.G. Kishari, directed by P.G. Kishari and Mark Ramsey, Produced by Mark Ramsey and Jim Young, Executive Produced by Jason Sharp and Karissa Rogers for the Faith Podcast Network, a Division of Northwestern Media, Casting by Jillian O'Neill.

Script supervisors Macy Larson and John Black, music selection by Vicky Lucas, additional audio production by Jordan Fair,

“Production Manager Tatiana Kelly, Production Assistant Joshua David, Principal Recording at 48 Windows and Santa Monica,”

Engineer Eric Garcia, Coordinator Shelin Vuntour, featured cast includes Mike Falco, Renee Faya,

Johnny DeGeorgio, Jesse Villinsky, elf Bjurlin, James Babson, Tarek Bashara, Gary Hudson, Eric Etabari, Isabella Hoffman, Boyd Kessner,

“Razz DePollo, Jay Scott Shanka, Andre Solucso, Leah Morgan, Tajina Turner, Jessica Bryden, Joshua David, Daryante Kinder, J. Kelsworth, Jessica Gardner, Casey Wailand, and Hope Valentina Bernal.”

Special thanks to Carmen LaBurge, David Guffy, Marcus Peters, Michael Drunwald, Ziv Fisher, Company 3, Brian Anderson, David Armstrong, in site studios, Terry Watson, Carl Bliss, and Fred Bolado.

The Christ is an Isaiah 4310 and Mark Ramsey Media Production.