PROPS and COSTUMES

        Soldiers need just a Sash, Sword, and a Helmet

        Chief Priests need a Robe each

        Jesus will need a crown of thorns, and a Royal Robe

        Basin for Pilate to wash his hands in – and tea towel

        The Centurion/Narrator will need to look like a decorated soldier with sword and helmet

        Pilate will need a flowing Robe and an olive branch crown

        Pilate’s Wife will need a flowing robe

        The Angel of the Lord needs a pure white robe

        A drawing of the Crucifixion

        A drawing of the mountain tomb

        A chair for Pilate to sit on

        A sign with the words, “Jesus of Nazareth…”

Chair by Tomb Stone

A Reed

        An extra robe that looks like Jesus’ for the soldier’s to gamble over

A BRIGHT light for the ending

Possible sound-effects recorded: Stone rolling; Whipping of Jesus; Crowd chanting “Crucify Him…”; Earthquake

SCENE I - JESUS IS BOUND AND BROUGHT BEFORE PILATE

All the cast lines up Left of stage

The Centurion, who is the Narrator, comes out on stage and faces the crowd.

NARRATOR: Good morning! Who am I? It doesn’t matter. What matters is what I saw. I was a Centurion, stationed in Jerusalem. I never imagined things could get out of hand like they did that day! But out of hand they went. You see, Jesus had been in the Garden of Gethsemane praying with His disciples., when later that evening, Judas, one of the twelve, came also into the Garden, leading a mob of angry men and soldiers carrying sticks and swords to where Jesus was. It did not look good. All the disciples took up positions around Jesus to try and protect Him. But Jesus didn’t even put up a fight! That mob took Jesus, and tied up His hands so tight I didn’t think he would be able to bare it! But He walked on with them all the way to a secret meeting of the priests and city officials. There Jesus was made fun of, and spit upon, and hit over and over by me, and other men. It went on all night!

Pilate comes in and sits down on his chair.

NARRATOR: “ When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:  And when they had bound him (again), they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.”

Pilate is sitting on his chair; Jesus is brought before him by two soldiers. The Pharisees are gathered near to Jesus as well.

NARRATOR: Surely Pilate would see through their hatred, and let Jesus go! But, as “Jesus stood before the governor: the governor asked him, saying,”

PILATE: “Art thou the King of the Jews?”

JESUS: “Thou sayest.”

NARRATOR:  “And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing” more.

Pharisees accuse Jesus – “He thinks he is God!” “He is a trouble-maker!”  “He is a rebel!”

PILATE:  “Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?”

NARRATOR:  “And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.” And so did I! I couldn’t believe that Jesus would not defend Himself!

SCENE II - BARABAS IS RELEASED

        Pilate gets out of his chair, and gets ready to address the “crowd” (the congregation)

The Pharisees sneak away and spread out among the crowd and begin to tell people “to ask for Barabbas,” and to demand that Jesus be crucified! They need to wait just a few moments before beginning though.

NARRATOR: “Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.  And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.  Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them,”

        Barabbas is brought in by (struggling) two soldiers and is set to Pilate’s left facing the crowd.

PILATE: “Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas (the murderer), or Jesus which is called Christ?”

CROWD (CONGREGATION): “Barabbas! Give us Barabbas!”

Pilate paces back to his chair, and sits down. His wife enters and approaches him as he is thinking.

NARRATOR:   “He knew that for envy they had delivered him.  (And) when he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying,”

PILATE’S WIFE:  “Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.”

Pilate’s wife leaves. Pilate is confused, and looks very troubled about the situation.

NARRATOR:   “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.”

Pilate gets back up and addresses the crowd again. The Pharisees need to stir up the people again telling them to say “Jesus needs to be crucified!”

PILATE: “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?”

CROWD: “Let him be crucified!”

PILATE:  “Why, what evil hath he done?”

NARRATOR:  “But they cried out the more, saying,”

CROWD:  “Let him be crucified!” Let Him be crucified!

        NARRATOR:   “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying,”

PILATE:  “I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.”

PHARISEES:  “His blood be on us, and on our children.”

NARRATOR:  “Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”

Barabbas is then released into the crowd, and he sits down.

Pilate leaves, as does everyone else except Jesus and the soldiers, who surround Jesus.

They bring out a crown of thorns, and a purple robe.

SCENE III - JESUS IS CRUCIFIED

NARRATOR:  “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.  And WE stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.  And when WE had platted a crown of thorns, WE put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and WE bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying,”

SOLDIERS:  “Hail, King of the Jews!” Hail, King of the Jews!

The soldiers begin to play-mock at Jesus.

NARRATOR:  “And WE spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.  And after WE had mocked him, WE took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.”

At this point, the soldiers take Jesus towards the place of the cross.

NARRATOR:  “And when WE were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,  WE gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.”

The lights go out, Jesus exits, and the roll of paper depicting the crucifixion is unfurled. The lights come back on.

The soldiers gamble on the ground for a simple garment, and keep looking up and laughing at jersus on the cross.

The three women approach and shake their heads in disbelief at the sight of the cross. They will stay near the cross until scene VII, when they will briefly move off-stage.

NARRATOR:   “And WE crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.”

SONG: There is a Green Hill Far Away

There is a green hill far away, without a city wall,

Where the dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all.

Oh, dearly, dearly has He loved us, and we must love Him too;

And trust in His redeeming blood, and try His works to do.

There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin;

He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in!

SCENE IV - MOCKERY OF JESUS

A sign is brought up from the floor, and then tacked next to the crucifixion scene.

The Pharisees walk  up to the cross.

        NARRATOR:  “And sitting down WE watched him there;  And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

        NARRATOR:  “Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,  And saying,”

The Pharisees, and the soldiers now walk back and forth in front of the cross, and talk up to the Man on the cross, pointing, and mocking, and laughing.

PHARISEE:  “Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself.”

PHARISEE: “If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

NARRATOR:  “Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,”

PHARISEE:   “He saved others; himself he cannot save.”

PHARISEE: “If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.”

PHARISEE: “He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.”

NARRATOR:   “The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.”

SONG:  There is  Fountain

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains:

Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;

And there may I though vile as he, was all my sins away!

Wash all my sins away, wash all my sins away.

And there may I though vile as he, was all my sins away!

SCENE V - JESUS INTERCEDING FOR US IN DEATH

The room goes dark.

Everybody quiets down and looks up at the cross.

NARRATOR:  “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,”

Jesus (who is really off-stage) cries out, and all the on-lookers are shocked and horrified!

JESUS:  “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”

NARRATOR:  “That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

NARRATOR:   “Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.  And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.  The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.”

NARRATOR:  “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice…        yielded up the ghost.”

JESUS:  IT IS FINISHED!

SONG: Man of Sorrows

“Man of sorrows!” what a name for the Son of God who came

ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood;

Sealed my pardon with His blood; Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished” was His cry;

Now in heaven exalted high; Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

        Pharisees leave.

        Lighting now at HALF intensity.

SCENE VI - THE CENTURION BELIEVES

Light comes on the Centurion, and the other soldiers who are gathered together and looking at Jesus on the cross.

NARRATOR:  “Now when I, and they that were with (me were) watching Jesus, (we) saw (an) earthquake, and feared greatly, saying,”

CENTURION, and ALL SOLDIERS:  “Truly this was the Son of God.”

SCENE VII - JESUS IS BURIED

        NARRATOR:  “And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:  Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.”

These three ladies move to the other side of the cross, and keep looking up, and then sadly at each other, over and over in disbelief! They will finally move off to the right.

Attention is now directed to the Tomb, where a Stone is being rolled over the door by a soldier.

NARRATOR:  “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:  He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,  And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.  And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.”

NARRATOR:  For three days, three long days the darkness remained. Oh yes, the sun would rise, and the sun would set, but you could feel the darkness – it was as if all of heaven wept. I know I was crying, and so were many others – many who just did not understand!

                Lighting goes to darkness slowly.

SCENE VIII - SUNDAY – RESURRECTION MORNING

NARRATOR:  But all that changed!

The three ladies come to the Tomb, still sad, very slowly approaching the stone.

Lighting slowly comes on for just the ladies.

When the Angel rolls the stone away, then direct FULL lighting on the Angel!

NARRATOR:  “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.  And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:”

NARRATOR:   “And the angel answered and said unto the women,”

                A bright light flashes, and the Angel is ready to speak!

ANGEL:  “Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead!”

SONG: Christ Arose

Low in the grave He lay – Jesus my Saviour, waiting the coming day – Jesus my Lord!

Chorus

Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph over His foes!

He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign!

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose!

Death cannot keep his prey – Jesus my Saviour! He tore the bars away – Jesus my Lord!

(To Chorus)

SONG:  Christ the Lord is Risen Today!

Christ the Lord is risen today, Al – – – le – lu – ia!

Sons of men and angels say: Al – – – le – lu – ia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high, Al – – – le – lu – ia!

Sing, ye heavens and earth, reply, Al – – – le – lu – ia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Al – – – le – lu – ia!

Fought the fight the battle’s won; Al – – – le – lu – ia!

Death in vain forbids Him rise; Al – – – le – lu – ia!

Christ has opened Paradise. Al – – – le – lu – ia!

CLOSING SONG: He Lives

I serve a risen Saviour, He’s in the world today; I know that He is living whatever men may say.

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.

Chorus

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me, and talks with me along life’s narrow way!

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives – He lives within my heart!

Rejoice rejoice O Christian, lift up your voice and sing; Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!

The Hope of all who seek him; the help of all who find. None other is so loving, so good, and kind!

(To Chorus)