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Playing Jesus
He’s afraid his mom and her church will discover his sins. Maybe more afraid of facing the secrets he’s been trying to hide from himself. That’s too much to delve into alone. But what if he’s not alone?
Paul Bailey is a daytime TV actor in Hollywood. His faith has been on hold for a few years as he focuses on his career. And he hasn’t been following all the rules church people generally expect. He’s still reeling from his father leaving when he was a kid, his brother overdosing and his sister succumbing to a mysterious illness. His faith was always too fragile to help him fully recover from any of that.
Paul goes home to comfort his mother after his sister’s death. His mom is all he has left. To please her, he takes the starring role in her church’s annual passion play. Jesus is someone Paul believes in. He can pretend to be him for his mother and for her big church.
Then one Saturday Paul discovers he is not alone in his small apartment. And the entire day is turned upside down by his astonishing visitor. Paul is sure no one will believe what’s happening to him. He’s not fully convinced himself. Until he meets a young woman who seems to recognize what he confesses to her.
The eighth novel in the Seeing Jesus series, Playing Jesus tells the story of an ordinary person having an extraordinary experience, an experience he has to see to believe.
Paul Bailey is a daytime TV actor in Hollywood. His faith has been on hold for a few years as he focuses on his career. And he hasn’t been following all the rules church people generally expect. He’s still reeling from his father leaving when he was a kid, his brother overdosing and his sister succumbing to a mysterious illness. His faith was always too fragile to help him fully recover from any of that.
Paul goes home to comfort his mother after his sister’s death. His mom is all he has left. To please her, he takes the starring role in her church’s annual passion play. Jesus is someone Paul believes in. He can pretend to be him for his mother and for her big church.
Then one Saturday Paul discovers he is not alone in his small apartment. And the entire day is turned upside down by his astonishing visitor. Paul is sure no one will believe what’s happening to him. He’s not fully convinced himself. Until he meets a young woman who seems to recognize what he confesses to her.
The eighth novel in the Seeing Jesus series, Playing Jesus tells the story of an ordinary person having an extraordinary experience, an experience he has to see to believe.
- GenresChristian Fiction
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2022
89 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey McClain Jones
52 books131 followersAs a small boy in Lincoln, Nebraska, I listened enrapt to my grandmother reading me children’s stories, such as The Little Engine That Could. I also recall the elementary school librarian who read us Winnie the Pooh, imitating all the voices. And I remember the first summer I was allowed to ride my bike to the library on my own.
Writing started for me in school. Teachers encouraged me to pursue what they perceived as a gift. For me, my imagination was a challenge as much as a gift. I found the real world so much less enthralling.
In my Christian high school, the English teacher supplied me with unassigned novels. I wrote the senior class play and served as editor of both the yearbook and the school newspaper.
At Houghton College, I majored in writing, including coursework in poetry and fiction. But I also majored in biblical studies and was persuaded to take my writing skills in a more “respectable” direction—academia and nonfiction writing. Remember that less enthralling real world?
When all my academic work led to no great employment breakthrough, I hopped from there onto that rapid conveyor known as the tech industry. Starting in the 1990s, I shaped a new career, eventually starting my own computer consulting firm.
During those years, I focused on raising two boys and cherished the role of doing the bedtime reading, including attempting all the voices in The Chronicles of Narnia series. I also composed a few stories from scratch for my attentive little audience, usually around a campfire.
I started writing again in 2006. Following a friend’s suggestion, I meditated on scripture by imaging myself present on a day when Jesus healed an entire multitude. That meditation turned into my first novel, And He Healed Them All. Closing the gap between the sparse descriptions in the Gospels and what must have been a rich miraculous experience enticed me.
A series of unusual events (ask me someday) prodded me to write my second novel, The Reign: Out of Tribulation. I began self-publishing with those first two books. My third novel, Seeing Jesus, expanded into a series when numerous readers begged me for more. As it turns out, that kind of begging is hard to resist.
In all, I have published fifteen books on Amazon, fourteen of them as installments in one of my series. I am constantly working to improve my skills and to better share my message with the reading public.
Anyone tracking my address could guess that I’ve had some setbacks in my life. But God has stayed the same, even as I evolve and have to start over again.
Now I am married and living in Vernon Hills, Illinois, attending a vibrant church and meeting new people. I work part-time on my computer consulting business, and I devote much of the rest of my time to writing and marketing my books, with my wife as my highly motivated marketing director.
Writing started for me in school. Teachers encouraged me to pursue what they perceived as a gift. For me, my imagination was a challenge as much as a gift. I found the real world so much less enthralling.
In my Christian high school, the English teacher supplied me with unassigned novels. I wrote the senior class play and served as editor of both the yearbook and the school newspaper.
At Houghton College, I majored in writing, including coursework in poetry and fiction. But I also majored in biblical studies and was persuaded to take my writing skills in a more “respectable” direction—academia and nonfiction writing. Remember that less enthralling real world?
When all my academic work led to no great employment breakthrough, I hopped from there onto that rapid conveyor known as the tech industry. Starting in the 1990s, I shaped a new career, eventually starting my own computer consulting firm.
During those years, I focused on raising two boys and cherished the role of doing the bedtime reading, including attempting all the voices in The Chronicles of Narnia series. I also composed a few stories from scratch for my attentive little audience, usually around a campfire.
I started writing again in 2006. Following a friend’s suggestion, I meditated on scripture by imaging myself present on a day when Jesus healed an entire multitude. That meditation turned into my first novel, And He Healed Them All. Closing the gap between the sparse descriptions in the Gospels and what must have been a rich miraculous experience enticed me.
A series of unusual events (ask me someday) prodded me to write my second novel, The Reign: Out of Tribulation. I began self-publishing with those first two books. My third novel, Seeing Jesus, expanded into a series when numerous readers begged me for more. As it turns out, that kind of begging is hard to resist.
In all, I have published fifteen books on Amazon, fourteen of them as installments in one of my series. I am constantly working to improve my skills and to better share my message with the reading public.
Anyone tracking my address could guess that I’ve had some setbacks in my life. But God has stayed the same, even as I evolve and have to start over again.
Now I am married and living in Vernon Hills, Illinois, attending a vibrant church and meeting new people. I work part-time on my computer consulting business, and I devote much of the rest of my time to writing and marketing my books, with my wife as my highly motivated marketing director.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 31, 2022
An inspiring, engaging, and wonderfully humorous book!
First, let me say that I’m a fan, of both the author and the series. The series is a refreshing reminder that Christian faith is not about following rules to lead us to Jesus, but rather that he is with us always, always loving and enjoying us, wanting a relationship with us, each of us, his unique creations. It is explicitly a reminder, with dialogue such as this: “It’s just you and me and a whole Saturday to enjoy it.”
“Enjoy it?”
“You’re not used to associating me with enjoyment, I know.”
Or perhaps this is the purpose of this book “Being ignored is something that leaves me longing for a connection.” Because how often does anyone of us take to heart that Jesus and God the Father enjoy us and long for that connection?
A few of the other things that struck me as important:
An implicit critique of both common societal misunderstandings of who Jesus is and simplifications of Christianity. “’You know … everything.’ Paul had learned this in Sunday school as a teen, of course. But the plastic packaging in which it had been sold to him was off now, peeled away and discarded in the recycle bin.” (Ellipsis in original)
A legitimate blast at the very negative idea that an “act of God” equals disaster: “Your culture assumes every disaster is an act of God. The god they speak of is the god of this world. The deceiver. The destroyer. That’s not my Father.” With the fascinating conversation that follows this statement, including this reminder: “Stealing, killing, and destroying. Those are the devil’s signature moves. Blaming God for those things is what Satan has done from the beginning of human history.”
“’What you need is trust that my Father is always on your side. Fighting for you. If you find yourself in a storm, look for shelter. God is your refuge.’”
More social critique: “Your culture lacks both sympathy and empathy in many ways.”
“’I still come knocking at doors now and again, checking whether you’ll let me into another part of your house, your life.’”
And a couple of the many, many humorous lines—humor, often with real significance to it:
“’I know all of them—the movies and the actors. Including Kevin Bacon. Zero degrees of separation,’ delivered with a winky smile.”
“’You want to … help me with my laundry?’
‘Did you think I only washed feet?’ Some part of Paul’s brain was rolling on the floor laughing….” (Ellipsis in original)
Or calling the protagonist’s relationship with his mother “scratched and dented.”
I found this book, while contemporary and including conversational topics not necessarily or explicitly found in the Bible, to be quite Scripturally sound.
I received and Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the author in the hope that I would provide a review, but with no expectation that it would be positive.
And now that I’ve read Playing Jesus I think I’ll go back and re-read the entire series.
First, let me say that I’m a fan, of both the author and the series. The series is a refreshing reminder that Christian faith is not about following rules to lead us to Jesus, but rather that he is with us always, always loving and enjoying us, wanting a relationship with us, each of us, his unique creations. It is explicitly a reminder, with dialogue such as this: “It’s just you and me and a whole Saturday to enjoy it.”
“Enjoy it?”
“You’re not used to associating me with enjoyment, I know.”
Or perhaps this is the purpose of this book “Being ignored is something that leaves me longing for a connection.” Because how often does anyone of us take to heart that Jesus and God the Father enjoy us and long for that connection?
A few of the other things that struck me as important:
An implicit critique of both common societal misunderstandings of who Jesus is and simplifications of Christianity. “’You know … everything.’ Paul had learned this in Sunday school as a teen, of course. But the plastic packaging in which it had been sold to him was off now, peeled away and discarded in the recycle bin.” (Ellipsis in original)
A legitimate blast at the very negative idea that an “act of God” equals disaster: “Your culture assumes every disaster is an act of God. The god they speak of is the god of this world. The deceiver. The destroyer. That’s not my Father.” With the fascinating conversation that follows this statement, including this reminder: “Stealing, killing, and destroying. Those are the devil’s signature moves. Blaming God for those things is what Satan has done from the beginning of human history.”
“’What you need is trust that my Father is always on your side. Fighting for you. If you find yourself in a storm, look for shelter. God is your refuge.’”
More social critique: “Your culture lacks both sympathy and empathy in many ways.”
“’I still come knocking at doors now and again, checking whether you’ll let me into another part of your house, your life.’”
And a couple of the many, many humorous lines—humor, often with real significance to it:
“’I know all of them—the movies and the actors. Including Kevin Bacon. Zero degrees of separation,’ delivered with a winky smile.”
“’You want to … help me with my laundry?’
‘Did you think I only washed feet?’ Some part of Paul’s brain was rolling on the floor laughing….” (Ellipsis in original)
Or calling the protagonist’s relationship with his mother “scratched and dented.”
I found this book, while contemporary and including conversational topics not necessarily or explicitly found in the Bible, to be quite Scripturally sound.
I received and Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the author in the hope that I would provide a review, but with no expectation that it would be positive.
And now that I’ve read Playing Jesus I think I’ll go back and re-read the entire series.
August 17, 2022
Paul Bailey woke up one morning expecting to have a Saturday like every other Saturday. Instead, he encounters a living, breathing, talking Jesus in his house.
Paul keeps thinking it is a hallucination or that his mind is playing tricks on him. However, this man who calls himself Jesus knows what he is thinking and knows everything about him.
Jesus says he made himself visible for 24 hours in order to do an intervention on Paul. Paul fights the process but Jesus convinces him he is there for his healing and freedom and that he will never leave him.
The story is believable and enviable. Who wouldn’t want a living Jesus to chat, direct, guide, heal and love on them? The thing that struck me right away was the deep love Jesus has for us and his amazing sense of humor. This is the Jesus I know and the one I am inspired to get to know better. “All I ask is that you let me be a participant and not just an observer.”
This is book 8 in the Seeing Jesus series and every single one takes you a little bit further down the road with Jesus and certainly deeper. I received an Advanced Reader copy of this book from the author.
Paul keeps thinking it is a hallucination or that his mind is playing tricks on him. However, this man who calls himself Jesus knows what he is thinking and knows everything about him.
Jesus says he made himself visible for 24 hours in order to do an intervention on Paul. Paul fights the process but Jesus convinces him he is there for his healing and freedom and that he will never leave him.
The story is believable and enviable. Who wouldn’t want a living Jesus to chat, direct, guide, heal and love on them? The thing that struck me right away was the deep love Jesus has for us and his amazing sense of humor. This is the Jesus I know and the one I am inspired to get to know better. “All I ask is that you let me be a participant and not just an observer.”
This is book 8 in the Seeing Jesus series and every single one takes you a little bit further down the road with Jesus and certainly deeper. I received an Advanced Reader copy of this book from the author.
August 16, 2022
He is an actor — and the church asked him to be Jesus in a play
He grows a beard, has dark hair and really looks like what we think Jesus looked like. And then one day he looks in the mirror and sees Jesus!! Right beside him. He thinks he’s lost it . . . but Jesus talks to him!!! Honestly, don’t we all wish this would happen to us! This is an amazing book — every book in this series is great and they just keep getting better and better. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and comments are my own.
He grows a beard, has dark hair and really looks like what we think Jesus looked like. And then one day he looks in the mirror and sees Jesus!! Right beside him. He thinks he’s lost it . . . but Jesus talks to him!!! Honestly, don’t we all wish this would happen to us! This is an amazing book — every book in this series is great and they just keep getting better and better. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and comments are my own.
September 14, 2023
Best one so far!
I really connected with the main character of this story, and his internal struggles, and the freedom that Jesus brought him to be himself. Also, excellent pacing to the story. Note: would love to see another book in the series that tackles the conflict of a self-reproaching church-goer. Someone who needs the real Jesus and struggles with how they are perceived by others, and, up to this point# tries to live up to God's supposed expectations of them. That would be awesome. Great read! Thanks to the author. :D
I really connected with the main character of this story, and his internal struggles, and the freedom that Jesus brought him to be himself. Also, excellent pacing to the story. Note: would love to see another book in the series that tackles the conflict of a self-reproaching church-goer. Someone who needs the real Jesus and struggles with how they are perceived by others, and, up to this point# tries to live up to God's supposed expectations of them. That would be awesome. Great read! Thanks to the author. :D
August 17, 2022
Reading Jeff’s books about Jesus’ interaction with every day people helps me to see ways in which I can know Him more personally in my own life. So many times I will read and then re-read a page because my eyes are opened to a deeper understanding of Jesus’ intimate knowledge of me and love for me. “Playing Jesus” shows another aspect of the Lord’s daily involvement. Uplifting and eye-opening. I really enjoyed everything about this story.
December 3, 2022
This series of books is life changing!
Seeing Jesus and the following seven books are the closest thing to seeing and hearing Jesus I have ever encountered. They have propelled me to reconnect with my Friend again after a long dry and painful period.
I know you have written from and with personal experience and have captured the very same Jesus I used to know.
Thank you, Jeffrey, for writing these books!
Seeing Jesus and the following seven books are the closest thing to seeing and hearing Jesus I have ever encountered. They have propelled me to reconnect with my Friend again after a long dry and painful period.
I know you have written from and with personal experience and have captured the very same Jesus I used to know.
Thank you, Jeffrey, for writing these books!
December 31, 2025
I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as others in the series because it was sometimes hard to follow the main character’s (Paul) thought patterns. They seemed a little disjointed to me. But I would still recommend this book because Jesus was again a very real person in the story. I plan to read another one in this series because they are uplifting stories of love and redemption.
August 17, 2022
Loved it! You'll want to know Jesus better after reading any of this series! Each story is great on its own, but I recommend starting with book one! The little connections to the rest of the series make this one really fun! I received an advanced reader copy from the author.
August 18, 2022
This series is amazing and #8 is just soo Jesus.Jeffery opened my eyes to Jesus feelings ,patience and just love .In this book Jesus lovingly heals .Of course we know he does ,but we see how gently he does.Read this book.
I received this book to review.
I received this book to review.
June 21, 2023
This is an awesome book about Paul who is an actor playing Jesus in a passion play at church. Jesus appears to him in the flesh for a whole day. The book goes through that day of what he experiences getting to see Jesus face to face. A beautiful story!
August 24, 2024
Another reason to keep reading!
There is always something to learn about Jesus just by reading these books. Mr.Jones has done a great job of keeping us interested . On to book 9 .
There is always something to learn about Jesus just by reading these books. Mr.Jones has done a great job of keeping us interested . On to book 9 .
August 17, 2022
I loved this book! Jeff is so good about really getting behind the feelings and attitudes of both Jesus and the character. I think this is one of his best!
October 2, 2022
another great book
It really shows the human side of Jesus and His desire to be in relationship with us. (Very similar to the Chosen)
It really shows the human side of Jesus and His desire to be in relationship with us. (Very similar to the Chosen)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews