Between Two Theives
written by Leigh Riches. Based on a concept by Phil Jones.
2001 Oakden Baptist Church. All rights reserved.
Between Two Thieves
Stage:
Empty except for two raised blocks on either side. Possibly a drop of fabric (screen)
with a shadow of a cross projected on it in between the two blocks.
Lighting:
Fairly tight and low throughout the drama so that walls past the edge of the stage
remain in darkness. Some coloured lighting used for effect throughout the drama.
Cast
(5) : Two thieves - ILAN and YAAKOV, A Scribe, A Roman Centurion and Mary (Jesus
mother)
Costuming :
The thieves wear all black, while the other three characters could wear period clothing
or colours representing themselves (ie. Scribe - Gold, Centurion - Red, Mary - Blue.
The three phases
- The drama has three phases that it transitions through. The first
is the conversation between two thieves as they discuss their crimes and the nature
of the man between them - who he is, what he has done. The second phase
sees the thieves (beggining to tire) interacting with three people attending the
crucifixion, and the thirds and final phase
see the Thieves (exhausted, on their last legs) talking to Jesus himself.
------------------------------------------
Introduction:
(can be read by pastor as an introduction)
(The Bible tells us that) After Jesus was arrested he was put on trial before the
Jewish Council, Govenor Pilate, and King Herod. No-one could find any reason to imprison
him, let alone crucify him. But a group of priests and leaders persuaded the crowd
to ask for Jesus to be put to death.
So the Govenor ordered that Jesus be whipped with a lead-tipped whip, and then turned
him over to the Roman soldiers.
Some of the soldiers beat Jesus about his head with sticks, spitting on him and mocking
him. Finally, when they grew tired of this, they led him away to be crucified.
They made Jesus to carry a heavy wooden cross through the streets of Jerusalem and
took him to a nearby hill called "Golgotha" or "The place of the Skull".
It was here that Jesus first saw the two other men who were to be crucified alongside
him that day..... one on his right, and one on his left. We don't know their names,
we don't know exactly why they were being crucified, .....but we do know that in
those few hours, while they were hanging on crosses in front of an unruly crowd, that
a remarkable conversation took place...... A conversation between two thieves.....
Phase 1:
(Setting)
The stage is dark, then the sounds of nails being pounded and possibly screams is
played (audio only) while still in darkness. The roar of the crowd is heard and as
the light come up (to a medium-low level only) the crowd audio gradually dies down.
The two thieves are standing on raised blocks on either side of the stage with 3-4 metres
between them. The thieves, dressed in black and with their faces dirty and perhaps
scratched are standing on the blocks with arms out-stretched, this is how they stand
as they deliver their first 4 or 5 lines.)
ILAN: (panick) I don't want to die...... please..... somebody, .... please...... help
me.... anybody...... (he gives up and half whispers) " I don't want to die.....
I'm sorry ....
YAAKOV: (bitter) It's too late for being sorry now ILAN, they've put us here to die,.....
they don't care about us now..... don't waste your energy.
ILAN: YAAKOV - I'm scared - I don't want to die - not like this...... when we talked
in the prison, I was brave... I'm not brave now..... The people.... they keep looking
at me... staring at me...... (shouting) what are you looking at
....
YAAKOV: ILAN, these people are here to watch
us die,.... to look down on us ..... If I'd hadthe chance I would have stolen much
more..... from all of you
...
ILAN: (being coaxed) ....Yes.... I stole too.......I stole 8 pieces of gold from the
temple... .....The food YAAKOV,..... the food I bought with that money.... and the
clothes..... I was rich.....
YAAKOV: (bragging) I had cattle.... and sheep as well.... I stole some of the finest
goats in Jerusalem. No one was more cunning than I ... I became wealthier than most
people here. I stood and watched others die on this hill..... until they caught me.....
ILAN: Look at this crowd.... these people are crazy.....
YAAKOV: Crazy is right..... they wanted Barabbas, .... Barabbas the murderer they
set free... YAAKOV the goat stealer they crucify..... they are out of their minds....
It should have been me that was set free.....
(both men become aware for the first time of the (imaginary) 'man' between them and
turn to look at him as they speak now to him their arms drop slowly to their sides.
The scene now set to the audience allows them to be more natural)
YAAKOV: (looks to where Jesus would be, and then up at the (imaginary) sign above
his head, reading it) You..... hey you.... 'King Man' .... who are
you.... I've not seen you
in prison......why are you
here.....
ILAN: (pause) I know of this man - This is the one they swapped for Barabbas, (nodding
to the crowd) they wanted this man
dead in place of Barabbas.
YAAKOV: A man worse than Barabbas? How many has he killed?....What's his name?
ILAN: The people call him Jesus... I've heard about him....
YAAKOV: You know
him... What did he do?
ILAN: (shaking his head) I don't know him - ...... I've heard ....stories....
YAAKOV: Ahh... a criminal with a reputation that precedes him.... His crimes must
be well known .... so that's why this crowd hates him so much... I've never seen
a man beaten to within an inch of his life before
he is crucified...
ILAN: The stories I've heard..... they say he was a good
man.....
YAAKOV: You've been up her too long ILAN.... no-one kills a good man like this .....
he was obviously a crazy man
- he thought he was a king
.... (both men laugh)
ILAN: .....I heard he was from Nazareth... the son of a carpenter.
YAAKOV: (the 'in' joke) Nazareth
.....Can any good
thing come out of Nazareth
?
ILAN: (agreeing) I know..... It's just that..... well..... (to YAAKOV) ....you haven't
heard anything
about Jesus of Nazareth?
YAAKOV: No..... Sorry.... I've been tied up lately.....
ILAN: ... they say... that he had..... well...... powers....
YAAKOV: Powers?
ILAN: (shrugging) Something.....news travels...., stories..... well... maybe they
were made up but it was said that he healed men who were blind..... that he fed
thousands in a single day.... that he even made dead people live again.... these
are the stories I've heard of this man.....
[Lighting goes down and stage is dark.]
[Video footage projected from "Visual Bible" or "Jesus Video" of some of the events
just talked about. (5-10 minutes), finishing with a montage of clips of Jesus close
up, smiling etc.]
[When the lighting comes back up, the thieves have their arms raised again, crucifixion
style)
[Phase 2 begins.... occasionally the thieves are short of breath as they speak and
begin to look more visually uncomfortable)
YAAKOV: (mocking) This man.
... This man
did all those things.... you are going crazy ILAN.
ILAN: (shrugging again) This is what I've heard....
YAAKOV: If this man has done all this why would they kill him in such a way ( A Scribe
comes by) (calling out) Hey you (Scribe looks up in disgust at the criminal) Who
is this man with us - what has he done?
Scribe: I do not answer the questions of common criminals.
YAAKOV: This man says he is your king and you kill him?...
Scribe: (enraged) He is not our King....
he said
he was the the king of the Jews. The man you speak of is a liar
. He said he could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days.....He spoke and ate with
sinners and the unclean, he had no
respect for the Holy Sabbath. How can a man with clearly no understanding and adherence
to the Law claim to be even remotely
associated with the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ILAN: But didn't this man do some
good.?
Scribe: Trickery.... that's all it was,... trickery plain and simple. This man was
a fraud with cleverly staged tricks to deceive the foolish. If he had any power at
all it was the power of the evil one
which he used.
ILAN: But... they say he healed people of great sickness..... they .... they even
say he had power over the dead.....
Scribe: Absurd..... (mocking) He saved others but he cannot save himself?.... So he is the king of
Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross, and we will believe in him!
ILAN: Does he not worship.... the same God as you all?
Scribe: He trusted God? --let God show his approval by delivering him! (even more disgust)
for he said...'I am the Son of God". (Scribe exits stage)
YAAKOV: (incredulous & mocking) Son of God?..... (laughing) you are the Son of God
are you (yelling) Look at you
.... is this how God treats his Son?....
(Play Audio
"Father forgive them for they know not what they do")
(Centurion walks on stage)
Centurion: Enough with your yelling.... Have some respect and die in peace.
YAAKOV: How courageous the Roman army is, yelling insults at dying men...
Centurion: (The Centurion strikes YAAKOV with a stick) I said be quiet.... you should
be more like this man (Pointing toward where Jesus would be) He had no foul mouth
like you.
ILAN: So what did he do..... to be beaten in such a way?
Centurion: (pauses for a while) This man was a trouble maker - He made a mockery
of your
beliefs and the beliefs of the Roman Empire. He pronounced himself a King - there
is no king but Ceaser.
YAAKOV: And for this he dies?
Centurion: His own people wanted him dead. Every man and woman was screaming
for his crucifixion before Pilate himself. They didn't want this 'king' and neither
does Herod or Ceasar...... He wanted to be a king.... well we made him a king...
(laughing)... Did you not see the royal robe we gave him, the sign we put above him,
and the royal crown of thorns we placed on his head..... We made this crazy man a king,
just like he wanted.
ILAN: But didn't you fear..... haven't you heard of his.... powers.
Centurion: Powers.... (laughs)... this man is nothing but a common lunatic. He claims
to know all - but when we blindfolded him and beat him with sticks saying "Tell
us King - Who hit you" he said nothing. He did not even make a defense for himself
before Pilate. This man has no power over his tongue let alone anything else. (To Jesus)
If you are the King of the Jews..... Save yourself.
(laughs and exits.)
YAAKOV: ( to ILAN) so this powerful man of yours turn out to be nothing more that
a fraud
.... No-one cares about him...... no-one even liked
the man.
( A woman enters and stands a distance from the 'cross' - she has been crying and
is physically exhausted)
YAAKOV: (sees the woman, nods to ILAN and then calls out) Woman.... Woman
.... (she half looks toward him) You know this man?... he was a fraud.... why then
do you cry for him?
(No answer from her)
ILAN: (a little more gentler than YAAKOV) Woman.... You know
this man?
Mary: (nodding and sobbing) I know this man.
YAAKOV: Don't waste your tears on this man - we've hard all about him.
Mary: (starting quietly but getting more confident) You've heard all about him?......
Have you heard how he cared for those who were sick,.... how he spoke to the little
ones..... how he spent time with those that had no-one.....
YAAKOV: Are you sure this the same man? You can hardly recognise him.... besides he's
clearly crazy - He thinks he's a king.
Mary: He didn't behave like a king - not like any king that I know..... He had no
palace, no money, ... only the clothes he wore. He didn't demand to be served by
others... instead he served them. He didn't speak like the pharisees and rulers...
instead he used plain language,... stories .... to explain about God.
ILAN: So.... you believe he had .... powers.
Mary: I saw a man change water into wine, a man who made blind people see, a man
who gave back life to a dead person. He was not an ordinary man.
ILAN: Woman....who....are you?
[Audio of Jesus talking - "Woman..... behold your son."]
(Mary exits)
Phase 3
begins..... [Here the lighting lowers to a different softer, the two thieves are
now taking longer between each line, taking deep breath's and are clearly in pain
- their arms are raised again crucifixion style]
YAAKOV: (calling after her) - You foolish woman..... this man has deceived you......
he's a mad-man
ILAN: YAAKOV, What sort of .....mad-man dies .....for what he believes?
YAAKOV: That shows how crazy he is.... he really believes he is.... God.....
ILAN: YAAKOV..... what will happens to us when we die....?
YAAKOV: How..... should I know?...... You should have asked... that religious man
.... or ask your mad friend here.
ILAN: Do you..... do you..... regret having stolen all those cattle and sheep now......
are you... sorry
.....
YAAKOV: (pauses) No...... they deserved to get their livestock stolen..... besides....
they had plenty more.....
ILAN: ........ I'm sorry........
YAAKOV: What.....
ILAN: ......I'm....... sorry I stole that money.....
YAAKOV: You mean..... you're sorry that ..... you got caught
.....
ILAN: ....no....... I'm sorry.... that I did ...... wrong........
YAAKOV: You're crazy too.... you both are....
ILAN: (nodding toward where Jesus would be) No.... he's
not crazy.... ..... how did he heal people..... perform miracles.... and yet....
he allows these people to kill him without protest..... YAAKOV.... I think.... he
might be.... who he said he was..... The Messiah.
YAAKOV: (long pause, laughs, then angrily) So you're the Messiah
, are you? .....Prove it ......by saving yourself--..............and us, too, while
you're at it!"
ILAN: Don't you fear God......... even when you are dying?.... We deserve...... to
die for our evil deeds,............ but this man hasn't done anything wrong......
(pause)
Jesus, ........ remember me .........when you come into your Kingdom.......
Jesus: (Audio
only) I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.
(the sound of a rumbling earthquake begins and then dies away.... The lighting changes
to Red)
Jesus: (Audio
only) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
(the earthquake sound begins again, this time very loud... and then all the lights
cut leaving the stage in darkness.)
End.
*Message to follow should focus on a 'Liar, Lunatic, Lord' message.