The Meeting at the Golden Gate

"In the records of the twelve tribes of Israel was Joachim, a man rich exceedingly; and he brought his offerings double, saying: There shall be of my superabundance to all the people, and there shall be the offering for my forgiveness to the Lord for a propitiation for me." (Gospel of James 1)

View of the Golden Gate from the Mount of Olives

According to an ancient legend a beautiful love story takes place between Joachim, a shepherd who tended flocks near Nazareth, and Anne, the daughter of Matthan the priest at the Golden Gate. The tale about the couple relates that they had been married a long time, and loved each other deeply. They were happy and their lives seemed perfect in every way, except that the they were childless. The Joachim and Anne had hoped and prayed for a child, but over the years had become satisfied, because of their love for God and for each other. The accepted as fact that it was not the God’s will for them to have children.

The Vision of Joachim

The Golden Legend, a book of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine completed in about 1260 AD, tells the story of Joachim and Ann. It relates how one day when Joachim went to the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles in order to offer a gift to God, a priest told him his offering was not acceptable because of his wife’s barrenness. The shepherd, who was very dedicated to God was highly distraught, for his relationship with God was pure. He wondered why the Lord would not accept an offering given in love.

The Golden Gate entrance to Temple Mount

Joachim went to pray, and read the stories of Abraham, Elkanah, and Manoah, Each of these men’s wives, although barren for many years, bore sons in old age. Upon understanding the Biblical record of these couples, Joachim realized his offering was acceptable, and immediately returned home. He selected ten of his best lambs and went to make an offering at the Temple.

View of Jerusalem from Mount Scopus

At the same time Joachim’s wife Anne became depressed, went out to the garden and sat down under a laurel tree to pray. While she was in prayer, an angel of the Lord came to her and said, “Anna, Anna, the Lord God has heard your prayer. You will conceive and give birth to a child who will become famous in the world.”

Map of Jerusalem in Temple times

Immediately Anne arose and went to the Temple to pray. As she approached the Golden Gate and was about to enter, she saw Joachim arriving at the same gate with ten lambs from the flock. The two embraced, and Anne asked her husband why he was bringing the offering. He said he had seen an angel who told him, “Joachim, the Lord God has heard your prayer.” The pair entered the Temple in order to give thanks to God.

Joachim meets Anne at the Golden Gate

Nine months later Anne gave birth to a daughter and gave her the name Mary because the years of bitterness and waiting had come to an end. The elderly couple cared for their daughter and brought her up in the Lord. When she became a young woman she was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph, and from this holy couple was born the Child named Jesus.

Over 250 great stories about Israel

More about this anecdote, and other stories related to the Holy Land can be found in the new book, Israel: Stories for Your Journey, available on Kindle for $1.99.

The Missing Body of Jesus

Drama is a unique format which can be used to bring stories of the Bible to life and to perk the imagination of all people from children to Senior Adults. The Case of the Missing Body is a play which envelops the audience into the set. Rather than sitting on the sidelines, the spectators become cast members and therefore, part of the action.

In this mystery thriller  an audience of total strangers
goes in search of a body which is missing from a tomb
The Body of Jesus must be found!!

My first experience with such a drama was at Second Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, where my family and I had the opportunity to attend a walk-through drama entitled “Journey to Bethlehem.’ I enjoyed the play so much, I enlisted the youth of my church to produce the play at Salem Baptist Church in Apex, NC. The people of Apex caught the vision for this experiential drama, and have produced it annually for twenty years. This type of drama has spread across the country, because it helps people experience Bible stories personally.

The setting opens with a marketplace
Merchants are selling wares and animals

Many years ago, I shared the drama with my current church in Mooresville, NC. We shared the Journey to Bethlehem for several years, until our choir developed such a large musical that it strained our personnel and he asked me to do the play at Easter rather than Christmas.

Pontius Pilate has called in his soldiers
He has called in the High Priest
The body of Jesus is missing
It must be found!!

I tried to adapt the “Journey to Bethlehem” for Easter, but it would not work. Something new needed to be created, and I was not sure how to write a play. That was until I make a trip to Denver, and on the airplane the thought came to me of how to create a walk-through drama for Easter. By the end of the trip I had written The Case of the Missing Body: A Walk-Thru Drama for Easter, .a walk-through drama for Easter that follows the same style as the program for Christmas.

The Donkey farmer asks:
How did the cross appear on my animals back?

Instead of finding the baby laying in a manger we find the crucified Lord who is risen from the dead. Along the way travelers (the audience) meets Pontius Pilate, centurions, the High Priest, tax collectors such as Matthew and Zacchaeus, the women who are preparing spices in the Upper Room, dancers, a donkey farmer, Nicodemus and angels. We produced this play for several years at Peninsula Baptist Church.

The grave is empty except for the angels who announce:
"He is not here! He has risen!"

I have now published the play in kindle format where it is available for less than a dollar because I want to share the idea. Please help me spread the word! This book contains the drama, and much more. I have included directions for the director, scene settings, and stories to help the cast get into character.

Jesus is risen indeed and speaks to the audience in the Garden

The skit itself is short, and would make a great read for Easter. IIt can be read through Amazon Prime for free. The book contains much more than just the play. The scene instructions for actors include details about the real people we read about in the Bible.

The Donkey Jesus Rode

A story is told of a donkey born long ago in the province of Galilee. He was born on a farm with much rocky soil. One night a neighbor who had been ordered to travel several days distance in order to pay his taxes came to this farm. He wished to take his wife, who was near delivery of her child and would find it hard to walk, with him on this journey. The poor farmer lent the donkey to Joseph and his wife Mary for their well-known journey to Bethlehem.

The Donkey Farmer from our production of
The Case of the Missing Body

Soon after this journey to Bethlehem, the donkey carried the baby and his mother on another journey to a foreign land to escape the anger of Judea’s cruel king. This child, more than any other, was special to the donkey, who following this time would live a hard life.

The Donkey watched as Jesus was born

The donkey was sold to a caravan, and for years carried loads on journeys to far away places. When her feet gave out and she could not travel as far, she was sold to a farmer near a town she remembered as the birthplace of that special child. The donkey worked for the farmer plowing his fields and carrying his loads to the market … even to the market in the populous city of Jerusalem.

A Donkey Caravan in the Desert

One day in the market with a foal of her own, the donkey heard a voice, and remembered the baby she had met so long ago. She was led to this person, now a man who stooped and petted her mane. He said, “Never fear, little donkey, you have helped me once and you will help me again as we travel this road like a king.”

The Jerusalem Marketplace from our Drama

The road they traveled led to the city gates, where a crowd had gathered to sing praise to God. Palm branches and cloth cushioned the feet of the donkey, who thought her heart would burst with joy.

An old photo of the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem

A week went by, and the farmer’s work was done. He packed his boxes and a remaining load on the back of this donkey that had been so loyal and true. As they left the town, a sinister crowd formed and grew in number. They were jeering and hissing at three criminals, all bearing their own crosses on which they would be crucified for their crimes against God and man, so the world would be a better place to live.

Roman Soldiers at the Cross

But one of the three did not fit the scene. His face was serene and pure. The donkey knew the man because of His purity. This was the baby she had carried into Egypt. And this was the man whom but a week before had ridden this donkey into Jerusalem amid a joyful crowd. But this day was so dark. The donkey knew she couldn’t help him on this day, for his load was to be borne alone. But a shadow fell on the back of the donkey that day; the shadow of the cross which this man carried. And the shadow stuck and will be seen today on all donkeys you see (and those you don’t) – to remember the life of this well-known man who carried the greatest load of all time.

The Audience meets Jesus in
The Case of the Missing body

The man with the cross is Jesus Christ, who came to forgive all our sins. He bore the load for all who accept and receive Him as Savior and Lord.

The Case of the Missing Body is a great read for Easter

This story is an excerpt from the book The Case of the Missing Body: A Walk-Thru Drama for Easter. The book contains an Easter drama, and much more. There is Biblical information about each person in the scenes of this play (including the Donkey) and there are stories to help the cast get into character (like the one in this blog). Well worth the one dollar cost on Amazon.com

These books are available at Amazon.com

I have produced several other books with stories from Bible times including Israel: Stories for Your Journey (more than 250 stories written to help tourists understand Israel, but interesting reading for anyone); Spring: Connecting With God (a book about how Passover has been celebrated through the years. The chapter on Jesus contains stories from four of the Passovers he observed as written about in the Gospels); A Christian Passover in the Jewish Tradition (a home Passover observance with a full explanation of each part and leader instructions); Advent Journeys (What Joseph, Zacharias, the Shepherds, the Magi and the Maccabees would have blogged during their journeys to Bethlehem and beyond). If you enjoy stories you can read these books on Amazon Prime for free or purchase them on Kindle or in print.

The Gate into Jerusalem

The Lord said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.” (Ezekiel 44:1-3)

The Golden Gate into Jerusalem

Originally the gate was built during the reign of King Solomon. It was placed to the east of the new Temple because the sole entrance for the Tabernacle was placed on the east, in the direction of the rising sun. The priests used the gate to send the scapegoat away from the Temple and to take the Red Heifer to the Mount of Olives. After the first Temple was destroyed, Ezekiel said the Messiah would eventually enter through this gate.

The Golden Gate and the Dome of the Rock

In about the year 30 AD, Mark tells us, “Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven’ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts.” (11:8-11)

The road from Mount of Olives to Jerusalem

The Messiah entered the gate on a donkey according to the prophecies of Genesis 49:11, Psalm 118:22-29; Ezekiel 46:12; and Zechariah 9:9. He spent the week teaching in the Temple, and then he gave the gift of life, according to the prophecies, on the cross. Jesus was buried in the tomb for three days. Then he arose from the dead, walked among his disciples for forty days, and ascended to heaven east of the Temple and its Golden Gate, on the Mount of Olives.

A bird's eye view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives

It is believed that Jesus will enter Jerusalem through the Golden Gate when He returns in what is called the second coming. This is because when the Spirit left the Temple in Jerusalem after Nebuchadnezzar deported Israel, the Spirit flew above the Golden Gate and over the Mount of Olives.

An inside view of the Golden Gate

“Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. The glory of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it. The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God.” (Ezekiel 11:22-24)

Looking from Temple Mount past the Golden Gate to Olivet

I have written much more about the Golden Gate and its stories in a kindle book - Israel: Stories for Your Journey. This $2 book is an excellent resource for anyone traveling to Israel. It goes beyond the normal guide books to tell over 250 stories about the sites most tourists visit.

An excellent guide book for travelers to Israel

I learned a lot about the land of the Bible through three visits and by writing Israel: Stories for Your Journey (1.99 on Kindle), Many questions and ideas I formed about stories in the Bible were answered through seeing and studying the geography of the land. I invite you to visit Israel or read my book to learn more.

St. Marks Church, the place of the Upper Room

Peter “went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.” Acts 12:12

The entrance to Saint Mark's Syrian Orthodox Monistary

The woman in black said that the church was old and said the church held records that proved the congregation existed in the first century, AD. From what she told us, this is the oldest church in all of Christianity. It is called Saint Mark's Syrian Orthodox Church and was built on the site where Jesus held his last supper, where the disciples met when they were in hiding, and where the early church met from its formation. If what the woman told us is true, this is the place where the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost and the successor was chosen for Judas Iscariot.

Where Ararat Street meets St. Mark's Street

The building is on a hidden, out of the way street called Ararat. It is not particularly noticeable but historically, it is in the right location for the early church in old Jerusalem. It is not too far from the Temple Mount, near the route that the priests would have passed as they walked across the bridge from the upper class Upper Jerusalem residences to the Temple Mount. But the building is not on the Upper Bridge it's in the Tyropoeon Valley which is between the Temple Mount and the upper city.

The ancient inscription, discovered in 1940

As the woman took us on a tour of the sanctuary, we were told about an inscription which reads, “This is the house of Mary, mother of John, called Mark. Proclaimed a church by the holy apostles under the name of the Virgin Mary, mother of God, after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven. Renewed after the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in the year A.D. 73.” Some doubt its authenticity for several reasons. She also showed us a portrait of Mary the mother of Jesus painted by Saint Luke on a ancient piece of leather.

The painting by St. Luke on leather

The ancient church itself is not visible by the general public, for it would be buried under rubble from the destruction which took place in the days of Titus, when Temple Mount was pushed over and all of Jerusalem was destroyed. The lady in black said that the upper room still existed there but it was 30 to 60 feet below the level of the ground and no one could go there. The closest people can get is the basement of the church that exists today.

A travel brochure, more at www.KosherCopy.com

In about two months we will visit Jerusalem and walk by the ancient church. If you would like to travel with us, view more information on this website (link). If you would like to read the story behind ancient sites in Israel and Jerusalem, read the book, Israel: Stories for Your Journey. Much more information about the upper room can be found in this new book - The Case of the Missing Body: A Walk-Thru Drama for Easter

Two Fish and Five Loaves

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. (John 6:1-2)

View of the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum

The second year of Jesus’ ministry is called “the year of popularity.” People were responding to His miracles and desired to hear His teachings. During Passover, people received word that Jesus was in the area and gathered to hear him near Tagba, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Tagba is a very fertile area where the fish are especially thick in the sea because seven warm springs release mineral rich water the area. (Read more about the area in Israel: Stories for Your Journey)

View of the north shore of the Sea of Galilee near Tagba

People gathered into a natural amphitheater near the warm springs in especially large numbers in order to listen to Jesus. The conservative count of the people who attended this teaching session was 5000 men, plus women and children. The crowd came from Capernaum, Bethsaida, Magdala, and other villages along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. There were also people from Gadara, Hippos and the eastern side of the sea.

A pond in the chapel at Taagba

The multitude of people listened attentively as Jesus taught. He taught with richness of content, clarity of words, and great authority. He shared beatitudes to be followed in life along with teachings on prayer, humility and charity. The people listened to every word. Jesus spoke for many hours, and the attentiveness of the people never wavered.

Gardens of the Heptagon at Tagba

As evening fell the disciples came to their teacher and suggested he allow the multitude to go find food for supper. Jesus knew they must be hungry and asked his disciples to find them food so they would not overwhelm the villages in the area. The disciples looked at the crowd and said this would be quite expensive and was not affordable. But Jesus insisted, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

A statue of a disciple at the Heptagon at Tagba

While most of the disciples were wondering how to do this, Andrew went out into the crowd. He found a boy who brought a lunch with two fish and five pieces of bread. The boy had listened to Jesus so intently that he had not eaten his lunch. Andrew asked if the boy would offer his lunch to Jesus and the boy immediately said yes.

The altar where Jesus blessed the fish and the loaves

Jesus received the two fish from the boy, which had been caught in the waters of Tagba, blessed them along with the bread, and distributed the boy’s lunch to the disciples in order to be shared among the multitude of people. As the disciples broke tiny pieces off the loaves of bread and filet of fish, so they would not run out, both the minuscule serving and the source of the serving grew and replenished itself so the small meal brought by a young boy was enough to feed everyone. A miracle occurred which reminded the disciples of Elijah’s multiplication of flour and oil in 1 Kings 17. Jesus compared it to the provision of manna and quail during Israel’s forty years of living in the desert. [Mt 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6]

Guidebook for Visitors to Israel

You can learn more about the place where the miracle took place in the book Israel: Stories for Your Journey, available on Kindle Reader for $2. Over 250 stories are contained in this new travel guide which covers most Christian tourist sites in Israel. This easy read will be of benefit to every person who plans on traveling to israel.

This book relates how the feeding of the 5,000 relates to Passover

The book Spring; Connecting with God contains many more details about the feeding of the 5,000, including how this seaside meal connects to the Passover of the Jews and Jesus’ Last Supper.

Life along the Sea of Galilee

I have often wondered what life was like along the shore of the Sea of Galilee during the first century. As I read the Bible I see hand picked events which were written to make a point for readers. On guided tours I travel along the shore in a large passenger bus, flying by the places of the Bible far too rapidly to absorb the scene. When I sail on a boat, I get the feel of the water, but realize the shoreline has changed. The Sea of Tiberias contains far more windsurfers than fishing boats.

Windsurfers along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee

In the first century a major industry on the Sea of Galilee was fishing. Today it is tourism. In various places motels nestle against the shoreline in order to give tourists the opportunity to experience the Lake of Gennesaret as it was in the days of Jesus. The places the Savior was known to frequent in the region have been altered from their original setting to a church site. Lake Kinneret is there, the mountains which have always surrounded the water are there, but the landscape of the first century has totally changed.

Painting from the Sea of Galilee

Two thousand years have passed since the man named Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee with his twelve disciples. Across the years so much has changed that archaeologists at times are not sure if the remains they find belong to a village listed in the Bible, or if it is some other place.

The northern quadrant of the Sea of Galilee from Mount Arbel

Recently, the Sea of Galilee experienced a drought. Because of water usage and limited rainfall the level of the water dropped to a “new” low which has not been seen in years. Although the lack of water is not a good thing, there was one benefit that came from the drought. Old portages, long since forgotten about, came to be seen. The stone foundations of fishing piers appeared to be researched and photographed.

Harbors along the Sea of Galilee

Because of this, there is an idea of where fishing villages existed and where the men of Jesus’ day docked their boats. In 1986, during a previous drought, a boat was found that had been preserved in the mud since the first century. Today it is on display at the Kibbutz where it was found, and also a copy can be found in a museum at Haifa. This year it is believed the city of Bethsaida has been unearthed in a place which was formerly submerged.

The perfect companion for visitors to Israel

In my visits to Israel, in my Bible Study, and when I teach, I try to imagine what life was like along the shore of the Sea of Galilee during the time Jesus walked along its shore. I have collected some stories of my research in a new book Israel: Stories for Your Journey. This $2 Kindle book shares how Capernaum and Tiberias were started alongside other stories from the past in order to give an idea of what it was like to live and work in the first century. This book should be read by anyone going on a trip to the Holy Land.

Passover in the lives of People during Bible times and after.

I have also written about life along the Sea of Galilee in my book Spring: Connecting with God. This book looks at how Passover was celebrated in the time of Jesus. The section on the feeding of the 5,000 relates details of Jewish tradition that bring John’s story of the event to life. One of my passions is to help the Bible come to life so people will understand the stories of this book really happened to real people.