. all rights belong to Tanis Harms –
. refer to www.church-skits.com
THE EASTER STORY – written by Tanis Harms
TOPIC: Jesus death and resurrection
SCRIPTURE: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
STYLE: drama/conversation: a mother tells her child
. the story of Easter, which contains
. vignettes of the various aspects of events.
SET CAST PROPS
Side: MOM, CHILD chair, Bible
Center V1: JOHN THE BAPTIST, CROWD,
. MAN 1-2, WOMAN 1, PHARISEES 1-2
Center V2: WOMAN 1-4
Center V3: SAMARITAN WOMAN, HUSBAND, WIFE
Center V4: NICODEMUS, WIFE
Center V5: MAN 1-4
Center V6: CROWD, MAN 1-3, WOMAN 1-2 palm branches
Center V7: MAN 1-3
Center V8: MAN 1-4
Center V9: MAN 1-4, WOMAN 1-3
SCRIPT: STAGE RIGHT
(MOM sits and reads the Bible. CHILD walks enters.)
CHILD What are you reading?
MOM (teasing a little) The Bible.
CHILD (rolls eyes as this is very obvious)
. Mooommmm! Which PART are you reading?
MOM (looking up) The part where Jesus dies -
CHILD Oh, the Easter Story! Can you tell it to me?
(CHILD sits down beside MOM.)
MOM Of course I can.
CHILD Like, so I want to know the whole story.
MOM Ahhhh-
CHILD (quickly) I already know how Jesus was born.
. That was the Christmas story. I just want
. to know what comes after that.
. 2
(MOM looks a little stunned, not knowing where to start.)
CHILD Please?
MOM Of course, of course. I’m just thinking.
. Well, it’s just like the Christmas story –
. which is found in two different books
. of the Bible. So I’ll have to jump around
. just a bit – because the Easter Story - is in
. all FOUR gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
CHILD Ahhh, (thinking) oh! Ahhh, I can’t remember
. WHY the story bounces around.
MOM Each book has a slightly different theme –
. or purpose – but they all tell the exact
. same story.
CHILD And they are all true, right?
. It’s like when you and Dad tell us stories
. of your camping trip. YOU like to talk
. about how you managed to cook out in the
. wilderness even though it was pouring rain,
. and Dad likes to talk about how much you
. looked like a drenched cat-
MOM (dryly) Yes-yes-yes – exactly like that.
CHILD (correcting self) A CUTE drenched cat.
MOM Nice save, thank you. (changes the subject)
. Now, the Easter story begins in the
. gospel of Matthew –
CHILD What does “gospel” mean?
MOM Actually, that’s an excellent question.
. “Gospel” means “good news”, which is really
. the title of the Easter story. The entire
. story is exactly that: “good news”
. for everyone. Any other questions for now?
. (MOM looks at CHILD who shakes head “no”)
. Now from the Christmas story, do you remember
. how Jesus’ life here on earth begins?
CHILD Yes! Jesus was born for a reason,
. so God kept Jesus safe from danger,
. like from King Herod who was trying
. to kill Him.
. 3
MOM Exactly. And so, Jesus grew up in Nazareth,
. and lived the life of a carpenter until
. He was around 30 years old – then it was
. time to start His ministry - to start letting
. people know that He was the Son of God.
. (CHILD scrunches up face, trying to think.)
. Trying to imagine the story again?
CHILD Yes.
MOM I suppose the people back then needed some help
. to even just TRY to imagine that God WOULD come
. down to them in flesh as this man named Jesus.
. So to help Jesus begin His ministry, the prophet
. named John the Baptist, the son of Zacharias –
. was preparing the people for what was about
. to happen - by TELLING them about Jesus.
. Telling them what WAS indeed going to happen,
. and very soon...
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 1
(JOHN THE BAPTIST stands in the middle. CROWDS squeeze in
around him from the back and sides, but JOHN THE BAPTIST
speaks to the congregation as if they are also part
of the crowd.)
J.T.B. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
. Make ready the way of the Lord,
. make His paths straight
. Every ravine will be filled,
. and every mountain and hill will be brought low;
. the crooked will become straight,
. and the rough roads smooth;
. and all flesh will see the salvation of God.
. Repent and be baptized.
MAN 1 (to MAN 2) He must be speaking about
. our Messiah.
MAN 2 (to MAN 1) I’ve never heard a message
. like this.
(PHARISEES 1 & 2 haughtily push PEOPLE aside and step up
to JOHN THE BAPTIST.)
P1 We are here to be baptized.
J.T.B. You brood of vipers, who warned you 4
. to run from the wrath to come? You
. must bear fruit in keeping with repentance;
. and do not suppose that you can say to
. yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father;”
. for I say to you that from these stones
. God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
. The axe is already laid at the root
. of the trees; therefore every tree that
. does not bear good fruit is cut down and
. thrown into the fire.
(PHARISEES take an indignant step backwards. People look
from the PHARISEES to JOHN THE BAPTIST questioningly.)
MAN 1 Then what shall we do?
J.T.B. The man who has two tunics is to share
. with him who has none and he who has food
. is to do likewise.
(CROWD mutters to each other. MAN 1’s voice breaks out.)
MAN 2 Maybe THIS man is the Christ.
J.T.B. As for me, I baptize you with water;
. but One is coming who is mightier than I,
. and I am not fit to untie His sandals; He
. will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
(CROWD mutters again.)
MAN 1 You have seen Him?
MAN 2 You have seen the Christ?
WOMAN 1 Who is He?
(PHARISEES are ready to leave, but stop, curious.)
J.T.B. I have seen Him already. His name is Jesus.
. And when He came to me to be baptized, I told
. Jesus that I needed to be baptized by HIM,
. but He told me to permit it at this time –
. to fulfill all righteousness. And behold,
. right after I had baptized Jesus, the heavens
. were opened, and I saw the Spirit of God
. descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
. and a voice out of the heavens said, "This is
. My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
. 5
(CROWDS look up in awe, drinking in J.T.B.’s words,
PHARISEES 1 & 2 stand by skeptically.)
MAN 1 Still, I would like to meet this Man personally.
(PHARISEES 1 & 2 nod at this statement, then walk away.)
. SIDE STAGE
CHILD If Jesus is God’s Son, why would He
. have to be baptized?
MOM Here on earth, Jesus was our living example.
. Whatever we are expected to do, Jesus did.
. And whatever terrible or tempting things
. we might go through here on earth,
. Jesus experienced all of those.
CHILD So Jesus can understand how we are feeling!
MOM Definitely. So, right after being baptized,
. Jesus went into the wilderness to fast and pray
. for forty days.
CHILD He didn’t eat for forty days? I can’t make it
. from lunch to supper without a snack.
MOM Then you can imagine how hungry Jesus must have
. been. While Jesus was weak with hunger,
. Satan went to Him and said that - he would give
. Jesus food – if Jesus would only stop trusting
. in God to provide for His needs. Satan might
. have wanted Jesus to worry and be afraid.
. This is a sin that most of us struggle with –
. a lot. Then Satan offered Him possessions –
. if Jesus would worship Satan instead of God.
. It’s like Satan also wanted Jesus to be selfish.
. And, YOU can relate, we all like to have
. a lot of things.
CHILD Yeah, so far I can relate.
MOM And Satan also tried to trick Jesus by offering
. power in exchange for serving Satan instead
. of God. Satan wanted Jesus to be prideful.
CHILD But Jesus didn’t fall for any of the tricks
. or temptations, right?
MOM Right. And it says that there were many more 6
. temptations that Satan tried to use on Jesus,
. they just are not all listed in the Bible.
. But every time, Jesus quoted scriptures
. which said that we should ONLY trust,
. worship and serve God.
CHILD Oh! This is another example for us to do:
. know God’s words so we won’t be tricked.
MOM As Jesus began His ministry, speaking
. to the people, this was His message to them:
. to trust, worship and serve ONLY God.
. And Jesus would use scripture to back up
. what He was saying. Of course, the scriptures
. that He used were from what we now know today
. as the Old Testament... because the
. New Testament still had not been written.
CHILD Wait. So back to the temptations of Jesus.
. Did Jesus pass the test perfectly?
MOM Yes, of course. And this is very important
. for us to know. Jesus came to earth,
. one hundred percent man – and one hundred
. percent God. In order for Jesus to die for
. our sins as the sacrificial Lamb, He had to be
. without any sin, but to take our place,
. He had to be a man.
CHILD And He is all-powerful?
MOM Yes. The people also needed to see this.
. They needed to have proof that Jesus was NOT
. just an ordinary man, so that they could believe
. He TRULY was the Son of God. Jesus showed His
. power through miracles, like healing people.
CHILD This also showed God’s love, right?
MOM It did.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 2
(WOMEN 2, 3 and 4 are standing together talking, when
WOMAN 1 enters and approaches them.)
W 1 Did you hear, Jesus healed the Nobleman’s son.
W 2 There was something wrong with his son? 7
W 3 He was next to death with a very high fever.
W 4 (skeptical) So how did Jesus do it?
W 1. The nobleman begged Jesus to go see his son,
. but all Jesus did was say, “Go, your son lives.”
W 4 So Jesus didn’t even have to go SEE the son?
. Then how do they know it was Jesus that healed
. him? Maybe he got better all on his own.
W 1 The servants confirmed the exact time that
. the son was healed. It was exactly at the time
. when Jesus said those words.
W 2 (noticing WOMAN 4’s skepticism)
. I was at the wedding where Jesus turned
. the water into wine.
W 3 (snooty-like) You weren’t there as a guest.
W 2 No, I was helping to SERVE the guests. But -
. that is beside the point. We had been serving
. all the good wine first, of course,
. as one usually does-
W 3 (lightly) Of course, so by the time
. you serve the cheap stuff, the people
. won’t even care - or notice.
W 2 Well, we ran right out of everything.
. Mary overheard this and got Jesus to help.
. We all thought this was absurd. Especially
. when He told us to fill every jar with water.
W 3 What? So He made some quick grape juice?
W 1 Oh no, I heard that - this was the best wine
. anyone had ever tasted.
W 2 This is the kind of wine that normally
. takes months to ferment.
W 4 (blasé) So He can make wine.
W 1 And heal people. He’s making the blind to see,
. the lame to walk, the deaf to hear...
W2 Yes, and it’s not just like He is some 8
. kind of doctor, this man is very different.
. And very caring.
W 4 Really, ‘cause I have an Uncle with leprosy.
. Can He heal leprosy?
W 2 If Jesus is the Son of God, as He says,
. and it sure would appear that way,
. then I believe He can do anything.
W 1 I think that’s the point. YOU have to believe.
. Jesus CAN do anything, but He will not do it,
. unless you believe.
W 4 Well, I’m going to ask if maybe my
. Uncle believes, or wants to believe...
. whatever that really means. But I’m sure
. he’d like to be healed from this disease
. so that he’s not an outcast anymore.
(WOMEN exit.)
. SIDE STAGE
MOM Although, Jesus’ ministry wasn’t to physically
. heal people, it was to spiritually heal people.
. But most people just wanted the physical
. healing, and didn’t understand the
. real salvation being offered.
. They saw - but did not see.
CHILD Didn’t anybody see?
MOM There were some - like the Samaritan woman.
. After speaking with Jesus, she bravely ran
. to tell all the people in her town about Him.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 3
(SAMARITAN WOMAN rushes out into the street, calling
people. HUSBAND and WIFE stroll past and take note.)
S.WOMAN Come, see a man who told me all the things
. that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?
WIFE What are you talking about?
S.WOMAN His name is Jesus- He has come from Jerusalem-
. 9
HUSBAND And HE spoke to YOU? Jews never speak to
. Samaritans.
WIFE Not only that, but He had the nerve – to talk
. to a WOMAN? Especially a woman like YOU?
S.WOMAN I know-
WIFE Is He THAT kind of a man?
S.WOMAN Not at all!
WIFE So if He is a descent man, as you say,
. but knows what kind of woman you are,
. He would certainly not even look at you.
S.WOMAN Except that, He is like a prophet,
. He told me all the things that I have done
. in my life. But then - He told me of a way
. to have a new life. He offers living water,
. so you will never thirst again - in your heart -
. and you will have eternal life.
(WIFE looks at HUSBAND, clutching his arm.)
WIFE Perhaps this could be our Messiah?
. The Messiah is to be a Jew, is He not?
HUSBAND (to S.WOMAN) How can you be so sure
. that this man is the Messiah?
WIFE (back to S.WOMAN) Yes, how do you know?
S.WOMAN I asked Him if He was, and He said “yes.”
WIFE Anyone can just say “yes.”
HUSBAND So He insists then that we follow Him
. to Jerusalem to worship?
S.WOMAN No!
(HUSBAND and WIFE are surprised and curious at this.)
HUSBAND (skeptically) What did He say then?
S.WOMAN That it matters not WHERE you worship, we can
. worship anywhere - in spirit and in truth.
HUSBAND (very curiously now) What else did He say? 10
S.WOMAN Come – why don’t you speak with Him
. for yourself.
(HUSBAND and WIFE look at each other then nod.
Then, they ALL rush to exit, SAMARITAN WOMAN leading
the way and calling out as they go.)
S.WOMAN Come – see the Man who knows all things.
. SIDE STAGE
CHILD I guess there were a few people like that,
. who could not keep quiet about what Jesus
. did for them.
MOM And there were other people who also believed,
. but were not so brave. Such as Nicodemus.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 4
(There is a bang or thud, some sort of noise,
and NICODEMUS enters. WIFE rushes over.)
WIFE (quietly, afraid) Nicodemus, is that you?
NIC Yes.
WIFE Where were you this time of night?
NIC I, ah-
WIFE (angrily) Well? What were you doing?!
. Should I be worried - or angry?
NIC Sh! No, not like that, not at all... well...
WIFE Well? What do you mean “well?” Which is it?
NIC I went to see Jesus.
WIFE Oh, well why didn’t you say so.
. Did you catch Him doing anything wrong?
NIC No. I didn’t go out to SPY on Him...
. I went to ask Him a few questions.
WIFE Are you mad? What will the other Pharisees say?
. 11
NIC That’s why I went out at night. You mustn’t
. say anything about this to anybody.
WIFE Oh, I do get that. That would be stupid.
. I certainly don’t want you losing
. your position.
NIC Good. (starts to walk away)
WIFE Well? Wait! Was it worth it? Was it worth
. putting us into danger to go speak with Him?
. Did Jesus say anything worthy?
(WIFE spins around to follow NICODEMUS while speaking,
but NICODEMUS turns around and faces WIFE.)
NIC Jesus told me that to enter heaven,
. we must be “born again-”
WIFE (guffaws) I can hear your mother
. laughing now.
NIC Be born again – spiritually.
WIFE Interesting. But – as I FAIL to see how the
. physical rebirth is possible – how in the world
. is this spiritual rebirth even possible?
NIC It will be through Jesus - believing in Jesus -
. to have eternal life. Jesus has come to save us.
WIFE From the Romans?
NIC Not like that right now. Right now, we need
. saving from ourselves. We need saving –
. from God’s wrath.
WIFE What nonsense are you talking about?
NIC You know you have been taught: where there
. is sin, there is death. Right now, when we sin,
. we must make a sacrifice on the alter,
. as a symbol of the death that must occur.
. The blood from that animal symbolically shows us
. that God has forgiven those particular sins.
WIFE I’m quite aware of all this, yes. We’ve been
. doing it this way for thousands of years.
NIC But, we must be doing this continually. 12
. Our sacrificial system is only a temporary
. solution for our ongoing sin nature.
WIFE So there will be something more permanent?
NIC I believe so.
WIFE Again - how will that work?
NIC I am not sure. But we must trust God
. to work that out.
WIFE Through this man - Jesus?
NIC Yes.
WIFE And you will be telling this to the other
. Pharisees?
NIC (stops to think) At least for now, they are
. certainly not opened to hearing this news.
. Or making ANY sort of change. For the Pharisees,
. their fight is to maintain control -
. and keep things as they are.
WIFE So not a word then! To anyone!
. Come, let us try to get some sleep.
(WIFE leads NICODEMUS out.)
. SIDE STAGE
CHILD Why was Nicodemus scared to tell anybody?
MOM Because most of the Pharisees hated Jesus
. and wanted to kill Him.
CHILD Why?
MOM The Pharisees were some of the religious rulers
. at that time. They liked the power that
. they had, and they liked to put extra rules
. and laws in place to control the people.
(CHILD is appalled at the thought.
CHILD You mean they added rules and laws that
. weren’t even in the Bible?
MOM Exactly. The Pharisees were only concerned 13
. about the outside of the body. The do’s
. and don’t’s. Even today, many people struggle
. with that one. But Jesus cares about
. the inside, and about love. People were
. following Jesus instead of the Pharisees,
. and this made them very angry.
CHILD What about when Jesus was angry? You know,
. at the temple?
MOM The anger that Jesus had - was righteous anger.
. The temple was where the animal sacrifices
. were done. To do this, a person needed to offer
. either oxen, sheep or doves. Some people lived
. and worked in the cities, and they didn’t have
. animals, so it was acceptable for them to buy
. animals just for this. This should have been
. done outside, but men had set up their stores
. right inside the temple, to sell the appropriate
. animals, but for a very big price.
CHILD Just so they could get rich?
MOM They were certainly taking advantage of
. the situation, and making a mockery of God
. and His temple. God wants everyone to be able
. to come to Him and worship. Not just the rich.
CHILD I can see how Jesus doing THAT - would upset
. those people.
MOM What also upset some people, was that Jesus said
. He would destroy the temple, and in three days
. He would raise it up.
CHILD (confused) But He was just trying to clean
. the temple, and THEN He was going to destroy it?
MOM Jesus was talking about the temple – which
. was His body. See, humans tend to think
. of the physical, and not the spiritual.
CHILD Jesus did that a lot – said things in a way
. that makes you really have to think about them.
. Why’s that?
MOM People can be very skeptical. They don’t trust
. others very quickly. Usually because of the
. experiences they’ve had in the past with others.
. 14
CHILD What? Like when I tell you I’ve cleaned
. my room, and you don’t believe me?
MOM (looks at CHILD for a while, then...)
. Exactly. And why do you think that is?
CHILD (sheepishly) Because I’ve usually just
. pushed everything underneath my bed,
. so that’s not really what you call “clean.”
. (now emphatically) But this was JESUS!
. He NEVER lied. He always told the truth.
MOM Yes, but a lot of people don’t want to hear
. the truth. Would you have been any different?
CHILD (thinking) I don’t know. I would hope so.
MOM Jesus started letting people know things
. slowly. First He did miracles and taught
. the scriptures. His messages became more
. and more obvious about why He was here on earth.
. And then slowly, He started letting people
. know that He is God.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 5
(MAN 1 approaches MAN 2, 3 and 4.)
MAN 4 Were you at the temple today?
MAN 1 No, why? What happened?
MAN 3 You should have been there.
MAN 4 (to MAN 2 & 3) Did you hear what Jesus
. was saying?
MAN 2 You mean the part about the “time being
. fulfilled,” and that “the kingdom of God
. is at hand?”
MAN 4 He said way more that. Think about it.
MAN 2 He IS trying to set Himself up as someone
. really important.
MAN 3 That’s an understatement!
MAN 4 And if He is - who He claims to be – why 15
. are His disciples just made up of fishermen,
. tax collectors... just regular people like
. you and me? Not one Pharisee is in His group!
MAN 1 Actually, I think that’s great. He has
. come to help regular people, like us.
MAN 3 Well, if we are so important in God’s eyes,
. why not have important people come to meet
. with us?
MAN 1 You miss the point. When Jesus chooses
. regular people to help Him serve,
. that means there is hope for us.
. That means God can use us, too. And just
. how much more important can one be than Jesus?
MAN 4 Why do you say that?
MAN 1 Because, He is sent by God.
MAN 3 He is making Himself equal to God!
. He has been saying that He IS God!
MAN 4 And that is a very dangerous statement to make.
. I mean, come on, that’s close to crazy talk.
. He goes around telling people their sins
. are forgiven because they BELIEVE in Him?!
MAN 1 Except that He has the power to heal, and
. cast out demons, raise people up from the dead,
. and feed thousands of people from a few pieces
. of fish and bread. What more do you need
. to see?
MAN 3 I’m just being careful, that’s all.
MAN 1 Why do you have to be careful?
MAN 3 It’s going to get dangerous. I just have
. a feeling about all of this.
MAN 1 You would rather go by feelings than fact?
MAN 4 I don’t see any facts. Not really.
MAN 1 Then you’re not really looking.
MAN 3 That’s your opinion.
. 16
MAN 4 And the facts that we DO see, Jesus
. and His disciples are constantly
. breaking the laws of the Pharisees.
MAN 1 The question is – what ARE God’s laws?
. Are you going to obey man, or God.
MAN 2 Jesus is constantly healing people on
. the Sabbath. Keeping the Sabbath holy
. IS one of God’s laws.
MAN 1 But Jesus is doing God’s work.
MAN 3 You defend Him?
MAN 4 (to MAN 1) You are treading on some
. dangerous ground, man.
MAN 3 Yeah, you’ll change what you’re saying
. when the Pharisees find something to charge
. Jesus with and have Him arrested.
MAN 1 (speaks as all exit) Do you really think
. they’ll find anything?
. SIDE STAGE
CHILD But, Jesus never did anything wrong.
MOM Exactly, Jesus remained perfect.
CHILD God could have protected Jesus. Like at
. His birth, Jesus was always kept safe.
MOM And Jesus was always kept safe from those trying
. to kill Him – until the proper time.
. Until Jesus had done everything He needed
. to get done –
CHILD Like what?
MOM Like have many, many people see proof
. that Jesus is God, and hear the message
. about how He was going to die and rise again.
. There were many witnesses to this. And there
. were prophecies written by Daniel about when
. Jesus would be put to death. It was all in
. God’s perfect timing – only then did God allow
. Jesus to be arrested and crucified.
. 17
CHILD But WHY?
MOM Remember, man chose to sin. And where
. there is sin, there is death.
. God had the people offer animal sacrifices
. as a symbol of the spilled blood
. covering up their sin - temporarily.
. Jesus was going to be the perfect sacrifice
. for all sin, for all time.
. His spilled blood would be permanent.
CHILD So Jesus HAD to die.
MOM Because of man’s sin, and in order to pay
. for our sin, Jesus had to die. So God used
. all the people who wanted Jesus dead –
. to accomplish that.
CHILD But didn’t most of the people want Jesus
. to be their King?
MOM At first.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 6
(PEOPLE enter with palm branches, except for MAN 3.)
WOMAN 1 Jesus is entering Jerusalem! I was there
. when He raised Lazarus from the dead.
. I saw it with my own eyes. I know
. He is our Messiah.
MAN 3 You’re making this up.
MAN 1 I was there too.
MAN 3 So maybe Lazarus wasn’t really dead.
MAN 1 Oh, Lazarus was VERY dead. For several days.
. I helped prepare his body for burial.
WOMAN 1 Here He comes! Jesus is coming!
(ALL look to one side as if Jesus would be approaching
from a distance. MAN 1 is excited.)
MAN 1 He is riding in on a donkey as our King!
MAN 3 (questions) A donkey?! To signify PEACE? 18
MAN 1 Perhaps it means He will be bringing about
. peace after He kicks the Romans off our land.
MAN 2 (gets into it) Hallelujah! At last! Our King!
WOMAN 2 Our Messiah!
(WOMAN 2 looks at WOMAN 1’s palm branches.)
WOMAN 2 Do you have more of those?
(WOMAN 1 hands out the palm branches to those around.)
MAN 2 Hosanna to the Son of David!
MAN 1 BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME
. OF THE LORD!
ALL Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna!
. SIDE STAGE
CHILD So what would have happened if they HAD
. accepted Jesus as their King RIGHT THEN?
MOM They would have gone into the Kingdom
. of Heaven - the Millennium.
CHILD The what?
MOM The thousand year reign, where Jesus will sit
. on the throne and rule the earth. And it will
. be back to more of what the Garden of Eden
. should have been.
CHILD So WHY didn’t they accept Jesus as their King?
MOM They were expecting this King to fight
. for their land and kick the Romans out.
. Instead, they saw Jesus go straight to
. the temple where He kicked out the
. money changers and the people who had made
. the temple into some sort of flea market
. once again. This angered the Pharisees
. very much.
CHILD Why would they be angry? Why wouldn’t they
. just believe?
. 19
MOM (thinks of an example to explain) Welll...
. why do you have such a hard time believing ME?
. Whenever I tell you that you should be wearing
. your helmet when driving your bike.
. Don’t you usually get angry?
(CHILD remains quiet while thinking, then grimaces.)
MOM And you know that I’m right, and that it’s
. for your own safety... And at first you didn’t
. believe me at all, until you fell and hit your
. head. And yet, you still sometimes forget... or
. CHOOSE to forget. Why? Because the other kids
. might not think that you’re cool, or something?
CHILD (sighing) Continue.
MOM So now the Pharisees and the Herodians, who
. normally did not get along, were working
. together to trap Jesus.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 7
(MAN 1 walks up to group of MEN.)
MAN 1 What did I miss?
MAN 2 They’ve been trying to GET Jesus to make
. a mistake.
MAN 3 I thought for sure they had Him a couple
. of times, but it seems like He always
. has the answer to everything.
MAN 1 What sort off questions?
MAN 2 He was asked if it is lawful for us to
. pay taxes to Caesar, or not?
MAN 1 Ooo, and what did Jesus say?
MAN 3 He looked at a coin and asked who’s
. inscription was on it. They answered –
. "Caesar's."
(MAN 1 waits patiently, but the MEN don’t continue
with the story.)
MAN 1 So do we have to pay our taxes? 20
MAN 3 Yeah, unfortunately, Jesus said – “Give to
. Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
. and to God the things that are God's.”
MAN 1 Hmph! Clever.
MAN 2 Then the Sadducees approached Jesus.
MAN 1 This ought to be good.
MAN 3 They asked Jesus what happens if a woman
. marries, then her husband dies before
. they have children, so she remarries,
. et cetera, et cetera-
MAN 2 -Seven times.
MAN 3 Then when she dies, which man is her husband
. while in heaven?
MAN 1 What’s the answer to that one?
MAN 2 Jesus told them that in heaven there
. won’t be any marriages because those
. in heaven will be like the angels.
MAN 3 Then one of the scribes challenged Jesus
. and asked Him which was the greatest
. commandment of all.
MAN 1 There ARE ten of them. So which one is it?
MAN 3 Let me see if I get this right. He said,
. “To love the Lord your God with all
. your heart”...
MAN 2 “and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
. and with all your strength.”
MAN 3 That was it. And the second is “To love
. your neighbor as yourself.”
MAN 1 I guess that really sums up all ten.
. You can’t argue with that.
MAN 2 Nor did the Sadducees or anyone else.
. They pretty much gave up after that and
. left Jesus alone.
. 21
MAN 3 They all probably went to figure out
. some other trap.
. SIDE STAGE
CHILD If they couldn’t catch Jesus in any mistake,
. how did they arrest Him?
MOM They decided to be very sneaky about it.
. They paid Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus
. and found out where Jesus would be during
. the night... at the Garden of Gethsemane,
. where He would always go to pray.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 8
(MAN 3 and 4 rush up to MAN 1 and 2.)
MAN 3 They finally got Him. They finally got Jesus.
MAN 1 How?
MAN 3 I’m not sure, something about finding Him
. at Gethsemane with His disciples. I think one
. of His own disciples turned on Him.
MAN 2 Hm, that says something, doesn’t it?
MAN 1 But what are the charges?
MAN 4 They first brought Jesus to the High Priest.
MAN 3 They opened it up for people to come forward
. with anything to report on Jesus.
MAN 4 I went forward with something.
MAN 1 What was the crime?
MAN 4 Ahhhhh, let me see if I can remember
. exactly what I said.
MAN 2 Was it even the truth?
MAN 4 Um, I’m pretty sure. I mean, parts of it,
. kind of.
(MAN 3 waves off MAN 4.)
. 22
MAN 3 The testimonies were really weak...
. except for the one about Jesus destroying
. the temple, and then rebuilding it.
. Several people had definitely heard Jesus
. say that.
MAN 4 The high priest finally just asked Jesus
. if He was the Christ, and Son of God.
. Jesus actually admitted to that,
. saying He was. So that was enough.
. On the charges of blasphemy, they claimed
. that Jesus was deserving of death.
. They beat Him, and –
MAN 3 Had a bit of fun with Him.
MAN 1 Fun?
MAN 4 Well, it wouldn’t have been fun for Him.
. Anyway, Jesus was taken before the
. governor Pilate. They needed a charge
. that would hold up in THEIR court,
. so they said that they had found Jesus
. misleading our nation by saying He Himself
. is Christ - and a King.
MAN 3 And they charged Him with misleading the nation
. by forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar-
MAN 1 But we know that’s not true.
MAN 3 Pilate actually didn’t want anything to do
. with the whole situation and couldn’t find
. any guilt in Jesus, but - the Pharisees
. were really set on putting Jesus to death.
MAN 4 Pilate sent them all over to Herod,
. but nothing came of that. Getting bored,
. Herod sent them all back to Pilate.
MAN 3 This is when Pilate, according to our custom,
. gave us all a choice to release one prisoner.
. Pilate recommended Barabbas.
MAN 4 I think he was expecting the people
. to choose Jesus, but someone started yelling
. for us to choose Barabbas.
MAN 3 I still think it was one of the Pharisees.
. 23
MAN 4 But we all thought it was a good idea.
. We were all yelling for Pilate to release
. Barabbas. When Pilate asked what we wanted
. to do to Jesus, someone started yelling
. that He should be crucified.
MAN 3 (almost sadly) We all starting yelling
. that Jesus should be crucified.
. I’m even ashamed to admit it now.
. And we actually were all shouting out
. that CAESAR was our only King. CAESAR!
. What got into us? What were we all thinking?
MAN 1 (sadly) So it’s happening?
MAN 3 It is.
. SIDE STAGE
CHILD How could they all turn on Jesus like that?
MOM Well, I don’t know. What do kids usually do
. at school when someone is being picked on?
. Do you stand up and try to stop them all?
. Most kids will join in. They would rather pick
. on someone, than be the one getting picked on.
CHILD That’s the easy way out. So why didn’t someone
. go tell the teacher or – I mean – the police?
MOM They were all in on it.
CHILD Jesus must have felt very alone.
MOM And when Jesus was about to die, even God
. had to forsake Him.
CHILD What does that mean, exactly?
MOM It’s hard to explain. But God is holy
. and cannot look on sin. That’s why
. we cannot go to heaven – unless our sins
. are taken away. Jesus took on all
. our sins when He died on the cross –
. so God had to THEN turn away from Jesus.
CHILD So when it says that Jesus suffered and died,
. that part probably would have hurt the most.
MOM I would think so. We could never even 24
. begin to imagine that. We can relate much
. more to the physical and emotional pain
. that Jesus went through.
CHILD THEN there was an earthquake?
MOM Right when Jesus died.
CHILD And it got dark?
MOM There was an eclipse, exactly at that moment,
. so the sky became very dark.
CHILD That IS perfect timing.
MOM I’m sure many people wondered if they had
. made a mistake. After Jesus had been dead
. and buried, three days later –
CHILD There was another earthquake!
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 9
(MAN 3 and WOMAN 3 walk on from stage right.)
MAN 3 Come on.
WOMAN 3 That was the second earthquake within
. several days. Do you think it means anything?
. Do you think there will be more?
MAN 3 I don’t know.
(MAN 2 and WOMAN 2 rush up.)
MAN 2 The tomb where Jesus was buried has
. been opened! And His body is gone.
MAN 3 Someone stole His body?
MAN 2 The Pharisees and other rulers really made
. sure that no one would be able to do that.
. They had the rock sealed very tightly
. and stationed guards there night and day.
MAN 3 Then what happened?
WOMAN 3 Maybe the earthquake opened it up.
. 25
WOMAN 2 That’s what I said.
MAN 3 That could certainly be possible.
(MAN 1 and WOMAN 1 run up.)
WOMAN 1 Mary Magdelan –
MAN 1 And then Salome and Cleopas –
WOMAN 1 They all have seen Jesus – alive.
. He’s alive. Jesus has risen!
MAN 2 (to MAN 1) Is this true?
MAN 1 (shrugs then nods) I trust Cleopas completely.
. I’ve known him for a long time, and he’s not one
. to lie – or even exaggerate. (thinking back)
. And here the people – all of us - were taunting
. Jesus while He hung on the cross saying,
. “If You are God - save Yourself.” And now –
. what? Has He risen from the grave as He said?
WOMAN 3 If He was – if He IS God – then – could that
. be possible?
MAN 1 All things are possible with God.
MAN 2 Did you know – at the time of Jesus’ death –
. during that first earthquake – the big curtain
. in the temple tore – from the TOP - DOWN!
WOMAN 3 See, I knew it all must have meant something!
(MAN 4 rushes up.)
MAN 4 I just got news from the guards who were there
. at the tomb. Jesus’ disciples came by at night
. and stole His body away while they were asleep.
MAN 1 Seriously? We’re supposed to believe that?
. ROMAN guards - sleeping on the job?
MAN 2 Sounds fishy.
MAN 3 It makes sense to me.
MAN 2 And then what? A bunch of disciples fought
. the Roman soldiers?
. 26
MAN 3 Maybe the disciples were passing by to see
. if there was maybe any chance at getting close
. to the tomb, and just got lucky when
. the earthquake moved the huge stone
. out of the way FOR them. Then - saw that
. the guards had fallen asleep –
WOMAN 2 You really think that they fell asleep?
. Through that earthquake? It woke me up.
. It woke HIM up. (pointing at MAN 2)
. And he sleeps through everything!
MAN 2 That does sound really fishy.
WOMAN 3 If this is all true. If Jesus rose again,
. because He is God’s Son – what did we just do?
. What have we done? Is there any hope for us?
. SIDE STAGE
CHILD So even the people who helped kill Jesus,
. would they have any hope?
MOM Of course. Jesus forgives anyone who
. confesses their sins and believes in Him.
CHILD But couldn’t Jesus have just gone straight
. to heaven?
MOM Jesus needed to conquer death, so we could see
. that there is eternal life with Him.
CHILD Victory in Jesus.
MOM Exactly.
CHILD But, so, there were people going around lying,
. and saying that Jesus had NOT risen.
MOM There WERE people who DID see Jesus alive.
. The eleven disciples saw Jesus several times,
. and Jesus also appeared to over 500 people
. at one time. Those people are witnesses.
. As well, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit,
. after Jesus went back up to heaven. When
. someone becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit
. enters and seals, or protects that person’s
. soul, and then begins to change that person
. from the inside – out.
. 27
CHILD There’s that inside–out thing again.
(MOM nods as she closes the Bible and smiles at CHILD.)
MOM God cares about what is on the inside.
. A person cannot just DO or NOT DO things
. and expect their INSIDE to change.
. The inside must change first by the Holy Spirit,
. through God’s strength and guidance, and
. then we can see the evidence on the outside.
CHILD So this is a way that we can see Jesus
. right now?
MOM It is. And we can still see His miracles
. through answered prayer. But the biggest miracle
. is how God can work in our lives and change us –
. all because of what He has done for us
. on the cross.
CHILD And that is the good news.
MOM It is great news.