THE SONS OF THUNDER REMEMBER
A Play for Easter by
Jewell Ellen Smith
--Copyright © 1987 Jewell
Ellen Smith
Churches may perform this play without payment; we
request that if you do plan to perform it that you e-mail Jewell’s older son
David at
DSmith1204@aol.com,
particularly if you have questions or comments. All Scripture quotations are
from the King James Version.
Return to The Jewell Ellen Smith Home Page
"Now when Jesus was
risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene
...and she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and
wept.... It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and
other women that were with them which told these things unto the apostles. And
their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not."
--Mark 16:9,10; Luke 24:10,11.
THE SCENE
The action of the play takes
place in Jerusalem the weekend of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, and in
memory, the three years of the Christ's public ministry--about 30 AD to 33 AD.
THE
STORY TOLD
When Jesus the Christ was
crucified, dead, and buried, his eleven disciples were so fearful for their own
lives that they hid from the Jewish authorities in the home of a Jerusalem
friend.
Late on Friday afternoon as
the disciples mourned and wept, the women who had accompanied them from Galilee
to Jerusalem asked James and John to hurry to the market place to buy burial
spices so that they could anoint the body of their crucified Lord as soon as
the Sabbath day had passed.
Simon Peter volunteered to
go for the spices, hoping thus to blot out of his mind how the night before he
had denied--three times--that he even knew Jesus of Nazareth. Some of the other
disciples also slipped away from the hiding place to buy enough food to last
the group for several days.
Left alone, James and John,
the brothers whom Jesus had often affectionately called "The Sons of
Thunder," talked sadly to each other. They recalled the miracle of Jesus'
raising a little girl from the dead, the miracle of the woman with the plague
who was healed when she touched the hem of Christ's garment, the parable of the
Good Samaritan, and Peter's great confession that Jesus is "The Christ,
the Son of the living God."
Next, the brothers recalled
having heard a Roman Centurion tell his soldiers (who were rolling dice to see
who would get Jesus' robe) that surely the man from Nazareth whom they had put
to death on the cross was "the Son of God."
Before daybreak on the day
after the Sabbath, Salome, the mother of James and John, Mary Magdalene and the
other women who had prepared the burial spices, rushed into the room where the
disciples were sleeping, woke them up, and cried out how only minutes before
they had seen the risen Lord. Most of the disciples refused to believe the
women, even though Salome described the event in great detail.
That same evening, friends
of the eleven, Cleopas and his wife of the village Emmaus, rushed to the hiding
place, saying that they had seen the Christ and that he walked and talked with
them. The disciples could not believe even this report.
Not until Christ himself
stood before them and showed them his wounded hands and feet, and his pierced
side, did the disciples realize that their Lord was indeed risen from the
grave.
The disciples listened with
great joy as the Christ commissioned them to be his witnesses to all nations.
He cautioned them not to let doubt or fear arise in their Hearts. To them the
Lord promised: "Behold, I will be with you always, even unto the end of
the world."
The Characters (in the order of their appearance):
Nine of the Disciples of
Jesus of Nazareth:
Simon; Peter; Philip; Andrew, Simon Peter's brother;
Matthew; Nathanael; Thomas; James the Lesser; Judas (not Iscariot)
Simon
the Canaanite
Two Other Disciples: "The Sons of
Thunder:" James the son of Zebedee and Salome, and John, the younger
brother of James
Women from Galilee:
Salome, the mother of James and John
Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus had cast seven
devils
Joanna, Herod's steward's wife
The Other Mary, mother of James the Less
Susanna, a follower of Jesus
Residents of Capernaum, in
Galilee:
CHRIST FIGURE
Crowd of People
Jairus, ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum
Woman with the Plague
Servant of Jairus
Six Women who are professional mourners
Madam Moriah, director of the troupe of mourners
Young Daughter of Jairus
Wife of Jairus
Two Friends of Jairus' Family
A Certain Lawyer
Persons Going to Jericho:
Man from Jericho, The Levite, First Thief, The Samaritan, Second Thief, The
Innkeeper
The Priest
Centurion, a Roman Army
Officer
Three Soldiers
Two Angels
Servant Girl
Cleopas, a resident of
Emmaus.
Wife of Cleopas
(Note: Obviously, the play
is so constructed that a number of players can do two or three roles.)
SCRIPT
ACT
I, Scene 1
Scene 1. It is late
afternoon in Jerusalem, on the day of the Crucifixion. Nine of the disciples of
Jesus of Nazareth are together in the home of a friend, hiding from the
authorities. They are sad, mournful. Most weep openly. Andrew and Simon Peter
are in the forefront, seated at a low table. Andrew holds his head in his
hands. Peter keeps capping his hands over his ears, as if to shut out all
sound. Now and then he takes down his hands-only to put them back over his
ears. The other disciples are clustered together in two or three groups,
speaking to each other in muted tones. James and John approach, talking slowly
and seriously as they walk through the audience toward their grieving
companions.
JAMES: In mournful tone.
John, I tell you, truly, this is a BLACK day. All is lost! All is lost!
JOHN: Yes, a very black
day. All is lost! The Master is crucified! Dead! Buried! There is no
hope now, James. No hope. No nothing!
JAMES: And we thought Jesus
was the Son of God! The Messiah! We thought the Kingdom of God was at hand. I
still halfway believe he was the Son of God.
JOHN: I believe it. But it doesn't matter now what
we believe. Our Lord is dead. Dead. Dead. Wipes his eyes.
JAMES: I wonder what Simon Peter and the others will
say.
JOHN: I don't know, but now that we're here at the
hiding place we--
The two stop as they are
about to enter the room where Peter and the others are gathered.
Look at Simon Peter! He
keeps pounding his ears!
JAMES: I wonder what he's doing that for?
JOHN: He is so stricken with grief he probably
doesn't even know what he is doing.
James and John join Peter
and Andrew. Peter continues pounding his ears. Andrew gets up, offers a seat to
James and John.
ANDREW: Here, James, sit by Peter. You, too, John.
Maybe you can comfort him.
JOHN: In undertone to Andrew Why does your
brother keep covering his ears?
ANDREW: I think he is--
PETER: I'll tell you why. It's to stop that cock
from crowing!
JOHN: Stop that cock from crowing? What're you
talking about?
PETER: Can't you hear him?
Takes hands down from ears.
Offstage there is the sound of a rooster crowing, once. Peter slaps hands back
on ears.
Did you hear that?
Andrew shakes his head. Taps
his forehead, to infer that Peter's mind is not right.
JOHN: Putting his hand on
Peter's shoulder No, Simon Peter. We didn't hear a cock crowing. Your grief
has made you imagine things. You must get hold of yourself.
PETER: Pounding his ears
Listen! Listen! Hear him? Cock crows, off stage, for the third time. Every
time I take my hands off my ears he crows! Andrew, you tell James and John why
the cock crows! Buries his head in his hands, covers head with his cloak.
JOHN: What is poor Simon Peter thinking?
Andrew draws James and John
aside.
ANDREW: It happened last
night. You remember as we were having the Passover Supper with the Master, He
told us He was going away and that we could not follow Him now, but that
afterwards we would follow him?
JOHN: Yes, we heard the Master say that.
ANDREW: Well, you know how
my brother, old bragging Peter, is. He said to Jesus, Changes tone in
imitation of Peter: "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay
down my life for your sake!"
The Master answered:
"Will you lay down your life for my sake? Peter, Peter, I say to you, the
cock shall not crow, until you have denied me three times!"
And it happened! Outside the
high priest's house! In the courtyard. After the Master was arrested, my
brother denied three times that he even knew Jesus of Nazareth.
And just then the high priest's cock began to crow. Since that hour, Simon
Peter keeps hearing the cock crow over and over and over!
James and John murmur their
regret, sympathy.
JOHN: That's too bad.
JAMES: Perhaps if he could get some sleep, he would--
James is interrupted by the
entrance of Salome, Joanna, and Mary Magdalene, who with other women from
Galilee are staying downstairs.
JOHN: Hurrying to Salome
Ah, mother, I'm glad you and the others got here safely. We didn't see you
after we talked to Joseph of Arimathea and the Honorable Nicodemus.
SALOME: We followed them to the garden, to see where
they would bury our Lord.
MARY MAGDALENE: So we know where His tomb is.
SALOME: John, what I want
you and James to do is run to the marketplace for us and buy burial spices.
JAMES: Sure, mother.
SALOME: Do hurry! For, as
you know, in less than half an hour the Sabbath will be here and the markets
will close.
JOHN: In reassuring tone. Of course, Mother.
We'll hurry. Starts to leave.
JOANNA: Handing John a
purse of coins. Here, John. Use this, and buy plenty of myrrh and other
ointments. As soon as the Sabbath is over, we're going to His tomb and anoint
His body.
JOHN: I'm surprised that
Joseph of Arimathea and the Honorable Nicodemus didn't have any spices.
JOANNA: Oh, they did! We
watched them wrap our Lord's body in fine linen-with at least a hundredweight
of spices; but all the women downstairs--you know, the ones who came from
Galilee--want to take more spices.
PETER: Getting up.
I'll go buy the burial ointments. That's the least I can do. Maybe at the
marketplace the cock won't crow. John holds out Joanna's purse to Peter.
Never mind that. Exits, his hands again over his ears.
John gives purse back to
Joanna as the women also leave.
ANDREW: To eight
disciples in back section of room. Come, friends let's several of us go and
buy bread and other provisions for the Sabbath.
NATHANIEL: We had better lay
in enough food for several days. There is no telling when we dare leave
for Galilee.
JAMES THE LESSER: You're
right, Nathaniel. The chief priests have guards at every gate leading in and
out of Jerusalem.
PHILLIP: Matthew and I heard
that the priests and elders are going to ask Pontius Pilate to post guards at
our Lord's tomb!
MATTHEW: I just hope Judas
Iscariot doesn't know where we're all hiding. He could betray us to the priests
and elders, and they would send their guards to get us!
THOMAS: If I knew where that Judas was, I would go
and--
ANDREW: With considerable surprise. Thomas,
didn't you know about Judas?
THOMAS: Know what? We
haven't seen him, or heard a thing. Where is that devil?
ANDREW: Judas Iscariot hanged himself!
Men gasp, in disbelief.
ALL DISCIPLES Except Andrew, James, and John:
Hanged himself?
ANDREW: I thought you had
all heard. Right after Pontius Pilate condemned our Lord to the cross, Judas
went running back to the temple with his bribe money--his precious thirty
pieces of silver--but the chief priests and elders wouldn't touch it. Said it
was "blood money." So, Judas threw it down on the temple floor, and
went out and hanged himself!
As eight disciples leave--still
talking among themselves--James and John settle back down at the table. They
are sad, discouraged, disheartened.
JOHN: James, what are you
and I going to do, now that the Master is dead? Go back and be fishermen in
Capernaum?
JAMES: I don't know, John. I
still can't believe all this has happened. Our Father Zebedee would be glad if
we did come back. And, fish again.
JOHN: Do you remember the
day we were down by the seaside--at father's boats--helping him mend the nets,
and Jesus passed by and said: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of
men!"
JAMES: Sadly Yes, I
remember. And I remember the day Jesus started calling you and me "The
Sons of Thunder." It was when we said we should call down fire from heaven
on that village that wouldn't receive the Master.
JOHN: When He called us
"Sons of Thunder," I knew He loved us. Oh, James, how...Voice
breaks in grief. How He loved us all!
JAMES: Wiping his own eyes. And how we loved
Him.
JOHN: I'll never forget when
I first began to believe He was the Son of God. It was when we saw Him raise
that little girl from the dead.
JAMES: Yes, in Capernaum. As
I remember, her father was the ruler of the synagogue, the Honorable Jairus.
JOHN: You remember, Jairus
came to Jesus when we were all some distance from Capernaum and begged the
Master to come to his house because his only daughter was very ill. There was a
large crowd of people there...And...
As John's voice trails off,
spotlight picks up Scene 2. John
and James leave their table and ease their way into the crowd of Scene 2.
Scene 2
Scene 2. Along a road
leading into Capernaum. Jesus is being followed, and enveloped, by a large
crowd of people and several of his disciples, including Peter, James, and John.
Jairus meets the crowd, runs to Jesus and kneels at his feet.
Players would do well to
see: Mark 5:22-42; Luke 8:41-56.
JAIRUS: Oh, Jesus of
Nazareth, have mercy on me and mine! Come with me to my house! My little girl
is dying!
CHRIST FIGURE: You are from
Capernaum, for I have seen you in the synagogue there. Your name is Jairus, is
it not?
JAIRUS: Yes, Master. Please
come with me! My only daughter is at the point of death. I know you can heal
her! Just lay your hand on her and she will be well!
CHRIST FIGURE: Yes. I will go with you.
Throng of people surges
around Christ Figure. A woman who has been ill for twelve years comes up behind
the Christ and reaches down and touches the hem of his garment, and then slips
back into the crowd. Jesus turns around to see who had touched him.
CHRIST FIGURE To Simon Peter: Simon Peter,
who touched my clothes?
PETER: Why, Master, in this
crowd several people could have bumped against you.
CHRIST FIGURE: No, someone
reached out and touched me. I felt great strength go out from me.
The woman who touched
Christ's robe comes to him, trembling and fearful. She kneels at his feet.
WOMAN WITH PLAGUE: Master, I--
I-- I was the one who touched your robe just now. I have been ill for 12 years,
and no physician could heal me. I've spent all my money seeking a cure for my
plague. But it did no good. Then I heard of you. I knew if I could but touch
the hem of your garment, I would be made well. And I was! Please forgive me!
CHRIST FIGURE: Daughter,
your faith has made you whole. Go in peace and be healed of your plague. Helps
woman to her feet.
As Woman backs away, a
servant of Jairus comes running to Jairus.
SERVANT OF JAIRUS: Panting
for breath. Oh, Honorable Jairus! She's dead! Your little girl just died!
And we've sent for the mourners! The best mourners in Capernaum, Sir.
JAIRUS: Much shocked and grieved. Oh, no! No!
No! Don't tell me my baby girl is dead! Turns to Christ Figure. Master,
I-- You-- You heard what my servant just said! There's no need for you to come
now.
CHRIST FIGURE: Placing
His hand on Jairus' shoulder. Jairus, be not dismayed. Nor, afraid. Only
believe.
Christ Figure turns to
crowd.
I
ask all of you to return to your homes now. Simon Peter, you and James and John
come with me. We will go to the home of Jairus, where even now there is already
great weeping and lamentation.
Crowd disperses, some individuals going one way,
some another. Christ Figure exits with Jairus, the three disciples, and the
servant.
Scene 3
Scene 3: Less than an hour
later. At the home of Jairus, in Capernaum. A large group of professional
mourners (at least six women) clad in sackcloth, with black veils draped over
their heads, weep and wail loudly just at the entrance to the house. Madam
Moriah, the director, carries a large pan of ashes and a see-through sack of
big yellow onions. One mourner holds a primitive stringed instrument.
The couch on which the
little girl lies is visible through the entranceway. The grieving mother weeps
beside the corpse. Two friends seek to comfort her.
MADAM MORIAH: In loud, authoritative tone.
All right, girls, you can rest a minute.
Group becomes quiet. All
sigh, in relief.
And while you're resting, listen to me! We
are the best mourners in all Capernaum. And we want to keep it that way!
I've brought the usual onions--starts passing out same--so you can shed
real tears.
Mourners frown, make faces.
People who hire us deserve to get their money's
worth. Now, I brought more ashes than usual. Holds up pan. And I
want the air to be thick with ashes and soot the minute we see the
Honorable Jairus coming home. He is an important man in this town. Rich,
too!
1ST MOURNER: Madam Moriah, I hate ashes!
They make me cough and sneeze!
Does some exaggerated
coughing
2ND MOURNER: Ashes are so gritty, too!
MADAM MORIAH: If you girls
don't like ashes, you should never have become professional mourners. You can't
mourn properly without wearing sack cloth and pouring ashes on your head!
That's our tradition-as old as the Sea of Galilee. Sack cloth and ashes!
MUSICIAN MOURNER: Coming
to M. with her instrument. Madam Moriah, what tune do you want me to play
next?
MADAM MORIAH: Play the
saddest, most plaintive thing you can think of. Try to imagine that little girl
lying dead in there is your child. Think how sad you would be.
3RD MOURNER: As
she holds up her onion, with much disgust. Madam Moriah, my husband says I
come home every night smelling like an onion patch! Could I please--
MADAM MORIAH: I am not the
least bit concerned about what your husband says! We are being paid to shed
tears, and we will shed tears!
Jairus, Christ Figure and
companions approach.
MADAM MORIAH: Here he is!
Here comes the Honorable Jairus! And strangers! Get with it, girls! Weep and
wail!
M. Moriah leads troupe as
they set up a loud wailing. They wave their arms. They pass the pan of ashes.
Each tosses ashes into the air above her head. The musician strums slowly on
her strings. There is no letup in their carrying on.
JAIRUS: Ignoring mourners as he speaks to the
Christ. Come this way, Master.
Christ Figure, disciples
follow Jairus. Servant steps aside. The Christ Figure stops in front of
mourners, lifts his hand. The mourners get quiet.
CHRIST FIGURE: Why are you
mourners making such a to do? You don't need to be weeping and wailing. The
little girl in the house is not dead, only asleep.
Mourners burst out laughing,
some bending double so great is this joke to them.
MADAM MORIAH: Still
laughing, speaks to mourners. Girls, this stranger thinks the child is just
asleep! Suppresses amusement and turns to Christ Figure. Sir, I don't
know who you are, but you've made a big mistake. You must not know anything
about death! Or, mourners. We, the best mourners in Capernaum, do
not weep and wail for sleeping children! That twelve-year-old girl in there is dead!
CHRIST FIGURE: With
kindness. Please take your mourners away. You are not needed today in the
house of Jairus.
Astonished troupe moves
back.
Christ Figure, Jairus and disciples enter room where the
little girl lies.
MADAM MORIAH: Still stunned. Well, I declare!
This beats all I ever heard of!
MUSICIAN MOURNER: Are we going to leave, Madam
Moriah?
MADAM MORIAH: Yes. I suppose
so. But not right now. I want to see what happens. That man! He speaks as one
who has authority, but with such kindness. I wonder about him.
Where he came from. Who he is.
Spotlight shifts to room
where the little girl lies. Friends of mother quietly withdraw as Christ Figure
enters. Parents and three disciples stand aside as Christ Figure goes to couch
and looks down at the child.
CHRIST FIGURE: Looking
upward, to pray. Father, glorify your name through this child. Takes the
child's hand in his own. Little girl, I say to you, "Arise!"
Little Girl sits up. Amazed
parents rush to the child.
Disciples show great
amazement. Christ Figure joins disciples.
MOTHER: Crying out with
joy. She's alive! Alive! Look, Jairus! Mother hugs child to herself.
My precious baby! My little one! God has given you back to us!
JAIRUS: My child! She lives!
She lives again! Jehovah be praised! Turns quickly to the Christ. Oh,
Master! Master! What can we do! What can we say! You have wrought a miracle! I
will tell all the world! I will shout it from the housetop!
CHRIST FIGURE: No, no, Jairus. At this time, it is
best not to tell anyone.
JAIRUS: Then, what can we do?
CHRIST FIGURE: The thing to
do is to bring this little girl something to eat. Some meat. So that she will
regain her strength.
Jairus, highly elated,
rushes out, calling his servants-with great joy.
JAIRUS: Servants! Servants!
Come, come! Where are you? Bring meat to my child! She is alive again! Alive, I
tell you! Bring food!
Servant, mourners, Mother's
friends rush in to see the child, who is now sitting on the side of the couch
beside her mother. Curtain closes on this set.
Christ Figure, three
disciples start to leave. Peter, James, and John are excited, and, perplexed.
They talk fast.
JOHN: Master! What a glorious miracle! You have
power over death!
JAMES: You amaze us, Master!
PETER: We didn't know you could raise people from
the dead!
JOHN: You told Jairus not to tell any one what you
did! Why, Lord?
CHRIST FIGURE: Placing
one hand on the shoulder of James, the other on John's shoulder, as they move
along. Ah, dear "Sons of Thunder," my hour has not yet come. The
time will come when I shall be revealed. Then you will know that those
who have seen me have seen the Father.
Turns to Simon Peter
Simon Peter, go and tell the other disciples to meet
us in the next village. There I must preach the kingdom of God and heal all
manner of diseases.
All leave stage. James and
John ease their way back to the set of ACT I, Scene 1.
They resume their talk,
their remembering, and ACT II unfolds.
ACT
II
JOHN: Our Lord is gone, forever. But I know I will
never forget what he taught us.
JAMES: It was the parables he told that I will
always remember.
JOHN: Ah, the parables.
Remember the one he told about the Good Samaritan? He was teaching about the
Commandments of God, when a certain lawyer in the crowd began asking questions.
And the Master told him a story... Voice trails off. Scene 1 opens.
Scene 1
Scene 1. Christ Figure,
seated in an outdoor area and surrounded by a crowd of people and his
disciples, is teaching. A lawyer stands up out of the crowd to ask a question.
When Jesus begins telling the lawyer the parable of the man who fell among
thieves as he was en route from Jerusalem to Jericho, seven actors will do the
parable in pantomime on another part of the stage. The pantomime characters are:
The Man from Jericho, A Levite, Two, or more, Thieves, A Samaritan, A Priest,
An Innkeeper
These players act out their
little drama as the Christ Figure speaks.
LAWYER: Standing up.
Great Teacher, I want to ask you a question. What shall I do to inherit eternal
life?
CHRIST FIGURE: You are a
lawyer. You know the law, the commandments. What do the commandments say?
LAWYER: Why, the
commandments say "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy
neighbor as thyself."
CHRIST FIGURE: You have answered right. This do, and
you shall live.
LAWYER: But, Great Teacher, just who is my
neighbor?
CHRIST FIGURE: Once there
was a certain man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among
thieves. They stripped him of his raiment. And wounded him. And departed,
leaving him half-dead.
Thieves seize Jericho Man,
jerk off his cloak, beat him over the head, knock him down, grab his purse and
make off with it, laughing as they go. Jericho Man remains sprawled on the
ground, looking half dead.
CHRIST FIGURE: And by chance
there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on
the other side.
Priest sees wounded man.
Stops momentarily, then goes out of his way not to pass near the bloody victim.
CHRIST FIGURE: And likewise
a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked at him, and passed by on
the other side.
Levite stops, stoops over
the man to look at him carefully, then shakes his head and hurries on his way.
CHRIST FIGURE: But a certain
Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he had
compassion on him.
Samaritan kneels beside
wounded man, feels his brow, hurriedly takes off the pack on his back and grabs
out bandages, oil and wine. He wraps a bandage on the man's head, one on each
hand, one on his foot. Samaritan helps wounded fellow to his feet, supports him
as they go to the Innkeeper. Samaritan gives money to the Innkeeper, and the
two take the wounded man off stage.
CHRIST FIGURE: And he went
to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine And brought him to an
inn and took out two pence and gave them to the innkeeper and said unto him,
"Take care of him; and whatever you have to spend, when I come again, I
will repay you."
Christ Figure turns to
Lawyer.
Now which of these three--the Priest, the Levite, or
the Samaritan--was neighbor to him that fell among the thieves?
LAWYER: The one who showed mercy on the poor wounded
man!
CHRIST FIGURE: Go, then, and do likewise.
Lawyer exits. Christ Figure
stands up.
CHRIST FIGURE. The time has
come to leave this place and go to the City of Caesarea Philippi to tell men
there that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. As I have said to you before,
"the Spirit of the Lord is upon me." He has anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor. He sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance
to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind. To set at liberty them
that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Cf. Luke 4:18,19
Crowd leaves stage.
Disciples, except James and John, gather around the Christ. They all start
moving on, but Jesus stops to speak again. Simon Peter, Thomas and Philip are
in the forefront. Players would do well to read: Matthew 16:14-17; Mark
8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21; John 6:68,69.
CHRIST FIGURE: You, my
chosen ones, have been with me a long time. Now tell me, whom do the people say
that I the Son of Man am?
THOMAS: Master, some say that you are John the
Baptist come back to life.
PHILIP: Others say that you are Elijah, or Jeremiah,
or one of the other old prophets, come back.
CHRIST FIGURE: But whom say you that I am?
PETER: Lord, you have the words of eternal life! You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God!
CHRIST FIGURE: Blessed are
you, Simon, the son of Jonah. No man of flesh and blood has revealed this to
you. It was my Father, who is in heaven.
Group leaves stage slowly.
Spotlight shifts back to James and John, who continue their conversation on
what they remember about the Christ.
JOHN: We disciples were not
the only ones who believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Many
people said he was God's son, sent down to earth to save all men.
JAMES: That's true. Even some
Roman soldiers thought he was the Son of God--like that Centurion we overheard
this afternoon, when he was talking to his soldiers. Those soldiers didn't care
who had been crucified. All they were interested in was the Master's robe. I
can almost hear them rolling their dice... Voice trails off, Scene 2 opens.
Scene 2
Scene 2. The hillside where
Christ and the two thieves were crucified earlier in the day. All three bodies
have been removed. Three crosses stand side by side. The middle cross has a
sign: "INRI" fastened on it. Three Roman soldiers who have been
detailed to take down the crosses are huddled on the ground, casting dice to
see who will get the seamless robe which had belonged to Jesus of Nazareth. The
Centurion who commands the soldiers strides in.
CENTURION: Just what are you
soldiers doing? You're supposed to be taking down these crosses! And here you
are rolling the dice!
Soldiers jump to their feet,
snap to attention. The robe, which First Soldier was holding, falls to the
ground.
1ST SOLDIER: Sir,
we were just casting lots-to see who will get the nice robe that belonged to
the poor man from Nazareth.
2ND SOLDIER: After
he has looked down at the robe. You see, Sir, it is no ordinary cloak. It
doesn't have any seams in it.
3RD SOLDIER:
We've been told that Nazareth is the only place in Galilee where they make such
robes. If I win it, I'm going to send it back to Rome, to my father.
Centurion picks up seamless
robe.
CENTURION: In serious,
softened tone. Ah, Soldiers, I truly believe the man who wore this robe was
the Son of God!
Changes tone to one of
command.
Come now, take down the crosses. I'll carry the robe
to the orderly room, and you three can finish casting lots there. When you're not
on duty!
ALL SOI.DIERS: In unison. Yes, Sir!
Centurion strides off stage,
the robe on his arm. Soldiers drag three crosses away.
CURTAIN
END OF ACT II
ACT
III Scene 1
Scene 1: In Jerusalem, early
in the morning on the first day of the week. The eleven disciples--still hiding
from the Jewish authorities--are asleep in the house where they have been
staying since the Crucifixion on Friday.
James, John, and Peter are in the forefront, resting their heads on a
table. Salome, Mary Magdalene,
Joanna, the other Mary, and Susanna rush in to tell the disciples that Christ
is risen. Salome leads the way and
begins shaking her sons James and John, to awaken them. Other women bend over the other
disciples, rouse them by shaking their shoulders. The excited women all talk at once--Salome in a tone the
audience can understand--as follows:
Salome: Wake up! Wake up!
James and John, wake up! He is alive! We saw him! The Christ is alive!
Get up! Get up!
Mary Magdalene: Shaking
Thomas and then Philip. We saw the Christ! He is alive! The Master is risen
from the grave! He told us to come tell you! Wake up! I was the first one to
see him!
Joanna: Simon Peter! Wake
up! Jesus the Christ lives! We saw him! And we saw angels! He said to come tell
you, Peter, and all the others!
Other Mary: Christ is risen!
We saw him! He is not in the tomb! Angels are at his tomb!
Susanna: Christ is alive!
Wake up! We saw him in the garden! And there were angels there!
The sleepy, bewildered
disciples jump to their feet. There is much confusion. The disciples do not
believe the women.
JOHN: To Salome. Mother, what are you
talking about?
Noise in room subsides.
SALOME: Just what I told you! Christ our Lord is
risen from the grave!
JOHN: That is hard to believe!
MARY MAGDALENE: It's true!
We went to the tomb to take spices, to anoint his body. But the tomb was empty!
And then we saw him! At first I thought he was the gardener.
SIMON PETER: Mary Magdalene, I'm sorry but I cannot
believe what you women are saying. It sounds like an idle tale. Something a
child might imagine.
ALL WOMEN: In unison. It's true!
JOHN: Mother, I know you are
a woman with a sound mind. So, please tell us--in detail--exactly what has
happened. I believe you and the other women from Galilee had planned to take
spices to the Lord's tomb this morning.
As Salome recounts what has occurred at the tomb,
the other women, two angels, and the Christ Figure enact Scene 2. The disciples
listen with wonder as Salome speaks.
Scene 2
Scene 2: Early in the
morning, at the tomb in the garden where the Christ was buried. Two angels sit
beside the open tomb. The stone which had sealed the door of the tomb has been
rolled aside. The women of Galilee approach cautiously. One carries a lantern;
the other three, the burial ointments.
MARY MAGDALENE: As the
group enters Rolling the stone away is going to be a problem. It is a big,
heavy stone.
SUSANNA: Surely, if we all push at the same time, we
can move it.
JOANNA: Look! Angels!
OTHER MARY: The stone has been moved! The tomb is
empty!
JOANNA: I don't think we should stay here!
Let's go!
Frightened women turn to
leave.
1ST ANGEL: Do not
be afraid. I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. But He is
not here.
MARY MAGDALENE: Wh-- Where-- Where have you lain
Him?
SUSANNA: We brought sweet spices for His body.
2ND ANGEL: He is risen!
Women are stunned.
1ST ANGEL: Go your way, and tell his
disciples, and Peter, that their Lord lives!
Women start running away.
They stop abruptly when the Christ appears.
SALOME: Continuing the
story. We were so frightened! We started running, and when we were almost
out of the garden, we saw the Master!
Four women kneel at the feet
of the risen Christ
CHRIST FIGURE: To women of Galilee All hail!
ALL WOMEN: In unison. Master!
CHRIST FIGURE: Be not
afraid. Go tell my brethren that they shall see me. I have not yet ascended
unto my Father and to their Father.
Women hurry away. Christ
Figure disappears. Spotlight shifts back to Salome, who continues her story.
SALOME: We ran as fast as we
could-back here-to tell you! Our Lord is alive! We saw him with our own
eyes! He spoke to us!
JOHN: I'm going to the tomb!
PETER: So am I! Come on, John!
John and Peter literally run
out.
SALOME: To remaining
disciples. I know it is hard for you to believe that our Lord is alive. But
he told us, while we were still in Galilee, that this would happen. Don't you
remember that?
JAMES: Speaking slowly.
Yes! Now I remember! And now that I think about it, his very words come
back to me.
The Master said: "The
Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified,
and the third day rise again."
THOMAS: Yes, the Master said
that. But I didn't understand it then and I don't understand it now. I won't
believe our Lord is really alive until I see him-with the nail prints
in his hands and in his feet. And that wound in his side; too!
JAMES: Ah, Thomas, you've always been one to doubt
everything.
THOMAS: Your mother and the others saw a Spirit.
That's all.
John and Peter rush back into
the room, Peter holding the Christ's shroud, John the linen cloth that was
bound about his head.
PETER: Look, everybody! His grave clothes! What the
women said could be true!
JOHN: We didn't see the
Master. And we didn't see any angels. But the tomb was empty. And we found the
linens. This headband was folded separately from the other part of the shroud!
As disciples gather around
Peter and John to look at the grave clothes, a servant girl enters.
SERVANT GIRL: My mistress
says that all of you will please come downstairs now. She has breakfast ready
for you.
All follow Servant Girl off
stage.
End of Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 3. That same evening,
in the hiding room. The eleven disciples are seated at a long table, having
their supper. This includes fruit, bread, fish, and honey still in the comb.
Servant girl enters, goes to John.
SERVANT GIRL: Sir, there is
a man at the door who says his name is Cleopas. Shall I tell him and his wife
to go away?
JOHN: No, no! He is one of us. Let him in!
Gets up to greet Cleopas and
his wife. Servant Girl exits. Cleopas and his wife burst into the room, so
breathless and excited they can scarcely talk.
CLEOPAS: We saw him! I tell you, John, we saw
him!
WIFE: He talked to us!
CLEOPAS: He walked with us all the way from
Jerusalem to Emmaus!
James and Thomas come to
Cleopas and his wife.
JOHN: Cleopas, catch your breath. Are you talking
about the Master?
CLEOPAS: Still panting. Yes! Jesus our Lord!
We saw Him. He is alive!
THOMAS: I can't believe it!
JOHN: This is the truth? You're sure you didn't see
a vision?
WIFE: No, John, He ate supper with us! Less than an
hour ago!
CLEOPAS: At first we didn't
recognize Him. I don't know what was wrong with our eyes. We thought we had
just invited a stranger to eat with us. But when He took the bread and
blessed it and broke it, then we knew who He was!
WIFE: A minute after that, He just disappeared!
Vanished!
THOMAS: You must have seen his Spirit! Not
our Lord!
JOHN: Oh, we hope
it's true! My mother, Salome, and some of the other women went to his tomb this
morning. And they say they saw him. Then, Peter and I went to the tomb
and found his grave clothes. Still, it seems impossible that our Lord is
alive. We all saw him die on the cross! Just three days ago!
THOMAS: Well, like I've said
all along, I will not believe our Master is alive-unless I see him
myself, and touch the wounds in his hands and his feet! And, that gash
where the soldiers pierced his side!
Christ Figure enters,
slowly. A gasp of amazement sweeps through the room. This is followed by cries
of joy.
CHRIST FIGURE: Spreading
out his arms and coming closer to group. Peace be unto you. Do not doubt
that I have risen from the grave. Come, Thomas, touch me. See where the nails
pierced my hands, and my feet. Thrust your hand into my side. Pulls cloak
aside, reveals blood stains.
THOMAS: Crying out.
My Lord! And my God! Falls down at the feet of the Christ.
At the next instant, the
other disciples speak to each other in rapid succession, so much so that much
of their talk overlaps. James and John embrace with joy. All are literally
overwhelmed.
John: It's true! It's true!
All is not lost!
James: No, no! There is no
loss! All is gain! This is the beginning, not the end!
Peter: Running to kneel at the Christ's feet.
Lord it is you! You must forgive me, Master!
Philip: This is a glorious
day! Jesus our Lord lives!
Andrew: Jehovah be praised! I never dreamed
we would see the Master again!
James the Less: Our Lord has
conquered death!
Judas (not Iscariot): What a
blessed thing has come to pass!
Nathaniel: Oh, our Lord is
with us! We can see Him!
Matthew: God in heaven be
praised! Our Lord has overcome death!
Simon the Canaanite: He is here!
He is alive! He is our Lord!
John leaves James, comes to
Christ Figure.
JOHN: Master, forgive us. We thought at first you
were a Spirit!
CHRIST FIGURE: Spirits do
not have flesh and bones, as you see me have. Do you have anything here to eat?
JOHN: Yes, Lord. There's
plenty to eat. Hurries to table. Here is fish and honeycomb. And lots of
bread. Fruits.
CHRIST FIGURE: The fish and honeycomb will be
enough.
JOHN: Sit here, Master.
Christ Figure sits down and
eats, as other disciples again take their places at the table.
CHRIST FIGURE: Leaning
back at the table. Ah, my beloved ones, how could you doubt that I would
rise again on the third day? Remember, I told you. It was necessary that I
should suffer and die. Moses and the Prophets--and the Psalms--foretold it. All
of you still look troubled. Do not let doubt or fear arise in your hearts.
After I ascend unto the Father, my Father will send the Comforter to you. You
are to go into all lands, and take the gospel to every creature. Baptize men
who believe. Baptize in my name, in my Father's name, and in the name of the
Father's Holy Spirit.
As the Father sent me, even
so send I you. You are my witnesses. And, behold, I will be with you always,
even unto the end of the world.
CURTAIN
The End