Cast
Narrator
#1.......................... Muna
Ilogu
Narrator
#2.......................... Kate
Dashiell
Jesus................................ Andrew
Herbach
Joseph
of Arimathea.................
Brandon Tagoe
Mary,
mother of James and Joses... Kayla
Botsch
Nicodemus........................... Chudi Ilogu
Mary
Magdalene.....................
Carly Dashiell
Joanna............................... Alicia
Daley
Salome.............................. Jean
Adelle Tagoe
Additional
Woman at the Tomb...... Michelle
Muthoka
First
Angel...........................
Eric Broner
Second
Angel........................
Chisom Ilogu
Third
Angel..........................
Emma Semper
Man
#1..............................
Manny Ilogu
Man
#2..............................
Ben Lubbers
Peter................................ Michael
Muthoka
John................................. Kodey
Ashie
Cleopas.............................. Richard
Daley
Companion.......................... Brandon
Botsch
Thomas.............................. Kotei
Ashie
Another
Male Apostle................ Chudi
Ilogu
He is Lord!
by
Rev. Francis A.
Hubbard
SCENE 1
House lights are out except for those shining on the Stations of the
Cross. Congregation softly sings the
first verse of “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” Quietly, a group of men and women carry a
man’s body towards the altar.
Narrator #1 (Muna)
“It is the saddest day of their lives.
Jesus of Nazareth, their Lord and Master, who had touched their lives
more profoundly than anyone else, and who they had hoped would lead them to freedom and peace, was dead. He had died the cruel, painful death of
crucifixion at the hands of the Roman Empire.”
The group reaches the altar platform and gently puts the body on the
carpet and wraps it in a sheet. Then
they slide it, head first, under the altar. “
Narrator #2 (Kate)
Only the bravest of Jesus’ followers have the courage to show up to help
bury Jesus. Most of his followers – even
Peter, James and John – are in hiding, afraid that the Romans might grab them
next and execute them as well.”
Spotlight shining on the altar goes on. The men and women stand up.
Joseph of Arimathea “Well,
it’s the least I could do, giving him my tomb.
I had hoped I would need it long before he would.”
Mary, the mother of James and Joses “You’re a good man, Joseph. Thank you for asking Pilate to allow you to
take him from the cross so he could be buried according to the custom of our
people.
Nicodemus “I
brought some spices, but there isn’t any time to anoint his body properly
before burial, It’s almost sundown, and
the Sabbath will start.”
Mary Magdalene
“Don’t worry, Nicodemus. We’ll
be back after the Sabbath, first thing Sunday morning, and do the right
thing. At least I will.”
Mary, mother of James and Joses I will, too.
Joanna: “Me too.”
Salome “John, you really have an important
job. Jesus asked you to take care of
his mother.”
(John stands silently with his arm protectively around Mary, Jesus’
mother; they both nod.)
Joanna “Let’s roll
this big stone across the opening to his tomb.
With all Jesus has had to go through already, the last thing we would
want is to have some of the people who hate him come and steal his body and do more things to it.”
All “Amen!”
They all roll the stone, shaped like a giant manhole cover, across the
opening of the tomb, say a silent prayer, and walk sadly offstage. The spotlight shining on the altar goes out. The lights on the Stations of the cross dim
and then go out.
Scene 2
Narrator #1 (Muna) “On the Sabbath, they all rested according to the
Commandment. After the Sabbath was
over, at sundown on Saturday, it was too dark to come to the garden where the
tomb was. But very early on Sunday
morning…”
THUNDERCLAP (special effect playable on the organ). An angel appears to roll away the stone to
reveal – the empty tomb. The house
lights are still all out.
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses and Salome, walk
slowly towards the tomb. One of them
carries a jar of spices for embalming.
Mary the mother of James and Joses “Who will roll away the stone for us? There were lots more of us here on Friday and it was heavy enough
then.”
Joanna “Dear Mary,
don’t worry, we will find the help we need to do what we must do.”
(Spotlight on the altar goes on.)
Mary Magdalene “Look! The stone is rolled away!” (They all run toward the
tomb. Ignoring the angels, they stick
their heads in and come back out, more upset than ever.)
“This gets worse and worse! Somebody stole his body.”
First Angel “Why do
you seek the living among the dead? He
is not here; he is risen from the dead.”
Third Angel “Remember how he spoke of this when he was with you in Galilee.”
Second Angel “Go,
and tell his other followers that he will meet them in Galilee, just as he said
he would.”
Salome “Yes, I do
remember. He said he would be delivered
into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day arise!.”
Mary, the mother of James and Joses “I, too, remember now.
Can it be true? Is this what has
happened!”
The angels exit.
Mary and Salome move away from Mary Magdalene discussing this between
them. Mary Magdalene stays at the tomb,
forlorn and quietly weeping. Jesus, who
has been behind the altar, stands and walks toward her.
Jesus “Ma’am, why
are you crying? Who are you looking
for?”
Mary Magdalene (Still sobbing, her face in her hands.) “Mr. Gardener, if you’ve moved his body
someplace, please show me where, and I’ll come and take care of him.”
Jesus “Mary.”
Mary Magdalene (Stops crying, slowly lifts her head and open
her mouth wide, then leaps up joyfully.)
“Rabbi! You ARE alive!” (She
falls to her knees before him, grasping his hand.)
Jesus “Now you know
it’s true, Mary, and you’ve touched me, so you know I’m not just a vision or a
ghost, but real. Now the important
thing is for you to go and tell the others!
Mary Magdalene “I
will go and tell them!.” (Jesus disappears behind the altar
again. House lights start to come up
slowly. Mary Magdalene and the others
start to run, and encounters three men.)
Man #1 (To Mary Magdalene) “Why are YOU looking so happy today? I thought you
loved Jesus! We all did! This is the
worst week of our lives!”
Mary Magdalene “He
is alive! Jesus is risen from the
dead! We have seen him ourselves. He
just told us to come tell you!”
Man #2 “Mary, your
grief is too great. I know its hard to
believe that he is gone. But you saw
him crucified with your own eyes.”
Man #1 “It’s difficult for all of us. And we are
all in danger for having been his followers.”
Man #2 “We have
just been discussing what we must do now.”
(Each man take one of the women - gently, but condescendingly - and tries
to lead them to sit down.)
Mary Magdalene (Stamps her foot) “But you do not understand! We have seen him and TOUCHED him!.” (Man
#2 and Man #3 snicker.) “And you
will, too! Go to Galilee! He told us to
tell you he would see you there!”
Man #1 “Now you not
only expect us to believe you, but to travel all the way up there on your
say-so?”
Man #2 “Women! The stories they tell!” (Both
men exit.)
Mary Magdalene To
the other women “They do not believe us!”!!
Oh, wait – there’s Peter and John – maybe they’ll believe I’ll start
slower. Peter, John! Come quick!
The tomb is empty! (Peter and John look up from a distance and
come running.) It’s empty because”
(they run past her) “because, um,
because he is risen from the dead.”
(Mary follows behind)
Peter: “It’s empty?!
John: “Who has taken him?
(Arriving at the tomb)
Peter “Well, it’s true, the tomb is empty.”
John “I wonder what
it means.”
Peter “I don’t
know. And who can possibly tell
us?” (They walk right by Mary Magdalene.)
Mary Magdalene “I
can! I can! Jesus is alive!”
(Peter and John exit, scratching their heads. Mary Magdalene, very frustrated, and the women exit also.)
Scene 3
Narrator #1 “That
same afternoon, two of Jesus’ followers, Cleopas and another man, were walking
slowly and sadly from Jerusalem to Emmaus.”
(Cleopas and his companion walk slowly on stage. Jesus slips in next to them.)
Jesus “What is this that you are speaking of and why are you
so sad?
Companion “Where
have you been for the last three
days?”
Cleopas “Are you a
stranger to Jerusalem that you do not know the things that have some to pass ?”
Jesus “What things?”
Cleopas “About
Jesus, the great prophet from Nazareth.
Our fellow Jews, the high priest and most of the Council, convinced
Pontius Pilate that he was a political revolutionary, so the Romans crucified
him. We had thought he would be The One
to deliver Israel from them!”
Companion “That’s the
sad part; now comes the really strange and confusing part. Some of the women who were really devoted
followers of Jesus say they went to his tomb early this morning and couldn’t
find his body, and they also said they saw two angels there who told them he
was alive!”
Cleopas “Peter and
John went to see for themselves. They found the empty tomb alright, but that’s
all they found.”
Jesus “Why is this
confusing? It says in the Scriptures
that the Messiah would suffer on behalf of the people. ‘He was wounded for our
transgressions.’ You remember that
part?” (They nod.) “And did not
Jesus say he would die and rise again? ”
(The three walk together.)
Narrator #2 (Kate) “So, beginning at the beginning, Jesus
explained all the things in the Hebrew Scriptures which had to do with him.”
Jesus “Well, here’s
the inn where you said you were going to stay tonight. I will leave you to think on all that I have
told you.
Companion “It’s
almost dark. Won’t you at least have
dinner with us?”
(Jesus smiles and nods. They
all sit down on chairs around the altar, Jesus behind it. Then he stands up, picks up a piece of pita
bread, raises his eyes to heaven and his hand in blessing, breaks the bread and
gives them each a piece. The men
receive the bread and then gasp.
Cleopas and his Companion
“JESUS!”
(Jesus disappears. They look at
each other in surprise and with great joy.)
Cleopas “Didn’t we
feel like our hearts were on fire when he was explaining the Bible to us?”
Companion “We must
go and tell the others!”
Cleopas “Amen to
that! I don’t care if it is dark and
it’s uphill all the way back to Jerusalem!”
(They both exit, running.)
Scene 4
(All of Jesus’ male followers except for Cleopas and his companion are
gathered together.)
Peter (Stands.) “I have seen the Lord.”
Another male apostle “Well,
if you say so, I’ll believe it.”
Peter “Let everyone
always remember that the women were the first to see, and the first to
believe. I did not have the courage to
show my face at the foot of the cross – I was afraid the Romans would arrest me
next and put me to death. Besides, I
felt so ashamed after I denied that I even knew him. But Jesus – Jesus has forgiven me for everything! He said that everyone who believes in him
gets a new life.” (All nod
appreciately.)
Cleopas and his Companion
(They run in.) “It’s true!
It’s true! We’ve seen him! We’ve broken bread with him! The women were right! He is risen from the
dead, and he is Lord!” (All the women
enter and are greeted joyfully and respectfully by the men. All except Thomas, who stands apart looking
skeptical, start singing ‘He is Lord.’”)
Thomas “Sorry, I
won’t believe until I see him and get close enough to touch him myself with my
own hands.”
Jesus (He appears suddenly.) “Shalom.
Peace to you.” (All fall silent – awestruck.) “Do not be afraid. I am not a ghost, or a vision.
I am real. Violence and hatred
have no power over me. Even death has
no power over me.” (He looks at Thomas.) “Thomas, come and look at my hands and my
feet – you can still see the marks of the nails, but nothing hurts any
more.” (Thomas walks to him, touches his hand, and then falls on his knees.)
Thomas “My Lord and
my God.”
Jesus (He looks at Thomas.) “Do you believe because you have seen
me?” (He looks at the whole congregation.) “Even more blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (He
addresses all of the disciples, male and female.) “You, all of you are to continue to be my followers, even and
especially when you can’t see me the way you can today. By my power, you can forgive sins and heal
people. You do not need to be afraid of
anything anymore, because through me, you can have abundant life, both now on earth and forever in
heaven. I will be with you, coaching
you and giving you strength, whatever you
have to deal with. So, don’t just sit
there! Spread this Good News and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to believe all that I have
taught you. I will be with you always.”
(All of the cast and congregation stand and sing the first verse of
“Jesus Christ is risen today.”)
---