"The Triumph"
CAST
(In order of appearance)
Reader 1
Reader 2
Jesus Christ
Jacob, a little boy
Sarah, a little girl
Joanna
Miriam
Simon Peter
Mark
Thomas
Mary Magdalene
Man Born Blind
Woman
John
Person A
Person B
Person C
Person D
Person E
Person F
PROLOGUE
(Two Readers. Reader 1 stage right, holding a scroll. Reader 2 stage left, holding a book. Spotlights alternately dim and
brighten as they speak. )
Reader 1- Just before delivering the Israelites from Egypt, God instituted the Passover. On Passover, each family had to
obtain a lamb. This lamb had to be perfect; that is, unblemished. It was a picture for them, an image of a greater Redeemer
yet to come.
Reader 2- Many centuries later, John the Baptist saw Jesus of Nazareth approaching him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world!"
Reader 1- After the first year of life, a lamb is no longer a lamb, but becomes a full-grown sheep. God said the lamb had
to be exactly one year old; at the height of strength and the prime of life — as a lamb.
Reader 2- When Jesus Christ was crucified, He was thirty-three years old — at the height of strength and the prime
of life, for a man.
Reader 1- In the original Hebrew, God commanded that the lamb be killed "between the two twilights", that is, between sunrise
and sunset.
Reader 2- Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross at nine o’clock in the morning — three hours after sunrise.
He was taken down, dead, at three o’clock in the afternoon — three hours before sunset.
Reader 1- The people had to take the lamb’s blood and apply it to the doorposts and lintels of their homes. Not until
the blood was applied would they be safe from the judgment of God.
Reader 2- To this day, all who take the shed Blood of Jesus Christ by faith and apply it to the doorposts and lintels of
their hearts and lives are safe from the judgment of God.
Reader 1- To this day, many of the people who celebrate Passover do not understand the full significance of it.
Reader 2- When Jesus Christ was crucified, His disciples did not understand the significance of what was happening.
(Lights out. Readers exit.)
(A cross is held high or suspended, center stage. Lights flash on it as thunder peals)
JESUS- (Offstage) Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!
(Thunder, light flashes on cross, then dark)
JESUS- (Offstage) My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?!
(Thunder, light flashes on cross, then dark)
JESUS- (Offstage) It...is...accomplished! (Pause) Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.
(Thunder, lights flash on cross, then dark.)
(Narration over mime of mourning disciples.)
Cry! O, cry aloud
and mourn with me, my brethren!
Jesus, Who calmed the stormy seas
and put to death our fears —
He is no more.
He who was Purity...
and Love --
The Beloved of God --
and the Friend of every man
Is no more.
No longer will He speak with us
and kindle our understanding:
No longer shall we hear the voice of our dear Master,
speaking to us the very words of God...
O, cry!
For our beloved One has been slain;
Jesus, of Nazareth, is dead.
Remember — remember how He would teach us --
How He would answer, not the words on our lips,
but the secrets in our hearts?
Remember how He loved the children --
And how He freed the tormented ones from demons --
And healed the sick --
And brought to life again the dead...
Oh, why, WHY, has He of all men,
been so cruelly stricken?
This day has evil trodden down good;
Hatred has vanquished love,
And the Hope of man has been forever extinguished.
O, cry aloud, lament and mourn, my brethren, mourn!
Jesus, who calmed the storms
That raged in our hearts,
Is no more.
For Jesus, our Messiah, is dead.
He has gone to be with His Father...
But we...we...shall forever...be alone.
INTERLUDE A
(A Jerusalem street. Sarah and Jacob, two children, enter from stage right)
JACOB- Sarah?
SARAH- Yes, Jacob?
JACOB- Do you remember Jesus of Nazareth?
SARAH- Remember Him? He put me on His lap once, and then He told all the grownups that they would have to be just
like me if they wanted to go to Heaven!
JACOB- Yes, He was always saying nice things like that about us.
SARAH- What do you mean, "was"?
JACOB- Well, I heard my father tell my mother that He was crucified, and now He’s dead.
SARAH- (crosses arms, shakes head) Uh-uh! I remember Jesus teaching that He’s going to come back to earth and judge
the world some day.
JACOB- Hey, I remember that! He said we’d all be like either sheep or goats!
SARAH- Well, if He said it, then He’ll do it! Even if He died, He’ll work it out somehow!
JACOB- That’s right! (Thinks) I wonder if the grownups will understand that.
SARAH- (Doubtfully) I hope so...but I don’t know.
(Curtain)
SCENE 1
(Home of Mark and his mother, Miriam. A table is center stage, at which Simon Peter sits. Mary Magdalene
offers him something to drink, but he refuses. Miriam is upstage cleaning, and Joanna is glancing out a window,
to the right of the "front" door. Another door, to upstairs rooms, is stage left.)
JOANNA- Someone’s coming!
PETER- (jumps up) Where can I hide?
(Before anyone can answer, there’s a knock at the door)
MARK- (Offstage) It’s me, Mark!
Joanna opens the door. Mark and Thomas enter. Thomas stays by the door, uncomfortable. Mark goes to take
and sits.)
PETER- He’s...He’s dead, Thomas.
THOMAS- I know. Everybody’s talking about it. (Looks around) Mark said the others were here already.
JOANNA- They are. They’re upstairs, trying to sleep.
MIRIAM- We’ve been worried about all of you since Mark told us about the arrest. He’s been rounding you all
up and bringing you here.
THOMAS- (to Mark) I don’t remember seeing you there.
MIRIAM- Go on, tell him what you did. If we weren’t all so upset I’d give you the rod of correction for it.
(While Mark speaks, Thomas sits at table, stage left. Mary M. gets him something to drink. He takes it and sips)
MARK- (Looks guiltily at Miriam, then turns to Thomas) Well, I couldn’t sleep when you were all upstairs earing the
Passover, and I heard when Judas left. I didn’t know it was him yet. When the rest of you left I was watching from the
window...because I wanted to see who left early. That’s when I found out it was Judas...not Thaddeus, but Iscariot...
THOMAS- (Slightly impatient) I know, Mark.
MARK- Anyway, I went back to bed...and I did fall asleep this time. But after a little bit I woke up. There was
a lot of noise, so I got up to look out the window. It was Judas again, but he had a lot of people with him this time.
MIRIAM- It was terrible! Roman soldiers and Temple guards, all searching for the master. In less than ten minutes, they
left the place a mess. We thought we were all going to be killed!
MARK- Well, I waited until they all left. I knew Jesus went to Gethsemane a lot to pray, so I thought He’d be there.
I just wrapped a towel around my waist and ran as fast as I could to warn Him, but they were there already.
THOMAS- What did you do then?
MARK- I hid in the bushes until I thought they were gone.
(Mary M. and Joanna silently persuade Miriam to sit)
MIRIAM- A Roman saw him and grabbed for him. He was almost caught!
MARK- He just got the cloth. I slipped out of it and ran home.
THOMAS- You ran all the way home with no clothes on?
MARK- (shrugs) I couldn’t stay out there!
MIRIAM- Okay, that’s enough for now. It’s time for you to get to bed, young man.
(Mark exits, stage left)
MARY M.- I think I will, too. I won’t get much sleep, but at least I’ll rest.
MIRIAM- That’s a good idea. Let’s all do it. Come on, now. Simon, Thomas, let’s go. You haven’t
slept since yesterday.
PETER- No, please. I’d rather not be alone with my thoughts. I couldn’t sleep yet, anyway.
JOANNA- But what will you do sitting down here?
THOMAS- I’ll keep him company.
JOANNA- Hah! A lot of good that will do!
MIRIAM- No, Thomas may be right. Let’s leave them alone to talk. It may be just what they need.
(Miriam leads the women out stage right)
THOMAS- Simon, can you talk about it? The bits and pieces I’ve overheard all contradict each other. Some say the
Jewish court condemned Him, some say the Romans did it...
PETER- (Bitter. Gets up and paces) Everybody condemned Him, Thomas! Everybody did! The Sanhedrin condemned Him for blasphemy,
Pilate condemned Him for treason, the crowds condemned him for not being what they expected...you condemned Him by running
away...and I was the worst of all.
THOMAS- How can you say that? You and John went back and stayed with Him...didn’t you?
PETER- Only at first. I was...well, I was angry at Him for not letting me fight in the garden. I still don’t
understand why He wouldn’t let us die like men!
THOMAS- I don’t know, either. I only know I was more afraid than I’ve ever been...more afraid than I had a
right to be.
PETER- (sits back down) Thomas, remember when He told me I would deny Him three times? He was right, Thomas. Three times,
I said I didn’t even know Him. Now He’s dead...and I have to live with myself. (Puts face in hands)
THOMAS- Stop it, Simon. We all denied Him when we ran. You may have done it with words, but we all did it with our actions.
PETER- Thomas, I’m ashamed to say this, but on top of everything else, I’m scared. I gave up the fishing business
to follow Jesus, and everyone knows that. Can I go back to fishing, with everyone knowing I’m the disciple who denied
his Leader? Would you do business with someone like that? No matter what I try, I’ll be known for the rest of my life
as the one who denied Jesus. What am I going to do?
(Curtain)
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