Easter Play

Excerpt from "The Maids in the Courtyard of Caiaphas" from the book, Bold Girls Speak: Girls of the Bible Come Alive Today
by Mary Stromer Hanson  Art by Lisa Guinther

SCENE FIVE

(Liz on stage right notices the solitary man, elbows Abby and points.)

Liz:  (loud stage whisper)  “Hey Abby, did you let that guy in?  Who is he?  Did he come in with the soldiers?”

Abby:  “I don’t know, I think he is OK.  I recognize him as a follower of Jesus.”

Liz:  “You are too trusting, now go find out for sure.”  (Liz pushes her in that direction.)

“We need to know who is in here or we could be in big trouble.”

Abby:  “Does it have to be me?  Well, if he is one of the followers of Jesus, maybe I can find out something.”

(The other servants watch out of the corners of their eyes as Abby approaches the withdrawn figure.)

Abby:  “Sir, I need to ask.  You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?”

Peter:  (abruptly)  “I do not know nor understand what you are talking about.”

(He then exits to stage left with haste.)

(Sound of rooster crowing)

Aaron:  (Looks up into the tree)  “There goes that rooster again.  Of course with all the

activity and light around here, even though it must be well past midnight, the dumb bird probably thinks it is daytime.”  (The other servants look at him and moan at his bad joke.)

(The soldiers keep up their discussion around the fire.  The talking stops every time the roar of voices is heard from the house.  Then they all look at the house.)

Abby:  “Whatever could be going on?  I do hope they at least give Jesus a fair chance.”

Joe:  “Oh, I am very afraid that Caiaphas, Annas, and the other big shots have their minds already made up about Jesus.”

Simon:  “I heard him say, ‘Better to have one person die for the people, than have many perish.’  We are going to have riots here if something isn’t done quickly.”

(Peter comes back on stage, sits on  stool at stage left unnoticed.)

Abby:  “But Jesus is not the one getting the people all riled up.  If the authorities would just really listen to him.  He is talking about another, eternal kingdom.  I am convinced he is an innocent man.”

Aaron:  “Hey, there’s that guy again.

Abby:  “Someone else go up to him.  I don’t think he is up to any good.  Liz, your turn, see what you can find out.”

Liz:  “No way, he seems to be in a foul mood, come with me.  All right, I’ll just shout from here.”  (She turns toward Peter)  “Hey you, surely you are with Jesus, you talk like a Galilean.”

Peter:  “I swear, I do not know what you are talking about!”  (Additional profanities and he abruptly walks off the stage.)

(sound of rooster crowing)

Simon:  “Whoo!  And I thought we got earthy once in a while.”

Abby:  “He does seem like something is weighing very heavily on his conscience.  He is a troubled man.  No doubt he is very concerned about Jesus.”

(A roar of voices from the window above.  Everyone in courtyard looks up at lighted windows.)

Voice from back stage:  “You have heard his blasphemy.!”

Joe:  “That is Caiaphas, I know it is him.”

Voices from back stage:  “Death to him!  Death to Jesus!”