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.