Bible Trivia
Drama
Lectionary Scenes
57 Vignettes For Cycle A
Theme
What are some of the interesting facts about the life of John the Baptist?
Summary
Four friends are playing "Bible Trivia" and learn something about John the Baptist.
Playing Time: 5 minutes
Setting: A neutral playing area that represents a living room
Props: A "Bible Trivia" game
Costumes: Contemporary
Time: The present
Cast: JIM -- and his friends:
MARY
JOHN
SANDY
(THE PLAYERS ARE RETURNING TO BIBLE TRIVIA AFTER A BREAK)
JIM: It's your turn.
MARY: I hate this game.
JOHN: You only hate it because you never win.
MARY: Well, that's true enough. I can't even answer one question, it seems.
SANDY: Can we just play, please.
JIM: Yes, let's get back to it.
MARY: Oh, all right. Whose turn is it?
SANDY: It's yours.
MARY: Oh. (PICKING A CARD)
JIM: (LOOKING AT CARD) Oh, man, this is so easy. Why don't I ever get the easy ones?
MARY: Who was it that said, "I am not even fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals"?
JOHN: A shoe salesman with a poor self-image.
MARY: Do you want me to read the question again?
SANDY: Yes, please.
JOHN: No, we got the question. What we want is the answer.
MARY: Are you giving up?
JOHN: No, we're not giving up!
SANDY: I'm no good with quotations.
MARY: Who was it that said, "I am not even fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals"?
SANDY: Tell us who it was he was talking about.
MARY: I can't do that. We agreed there would be no hints.
SANDY: Jim got a hint on that Narcissus question.
MARY: He couldn't answer it anyway.
JIM: That one was a mistake. I heard that there were mistakes in this game. Time's up anyway.
JOHN: No. It can't be.
JIM: Who's the time keeper?
JOHN: You are but you're a lousy one.
SANDY: I give up.
MARY: Do you give up, John?
JOHN: No. Not yet.
JIM: I said time's up.
JOHN: And I heard you.
JIM: Well, what does that mean to you?
JOHN: It means -- get out of my face. I'm thinking, all right!
JIM: Just admit you don't know.
JOHN: Okay, what's the answer?
JIM AND MARY: John the Baptist!
MARY: Let's quit this stupid game. We could watch a movie.
JIM: No. We're playing.
MARY: I never know any of the answers.
JIM: That's what we're doing. We're learning.
MARY: I'm not learning. I'm getting frustrated and bored. Who was John the Baptist, anyway?
JOHN: He founded the Baptist Church.
JIM: John the Baptist was the guy who lived in the wilderness and preached about the coming of the Messiah.
SANDY: The Messiah? Oh, Jesus!
JIM: Right, Jesus, but no one knew Jesus was the Messiah until He was baptized by his cousin, John.
MARY: John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus?
JIM: Right.
JOHN: And he wore a fur coat, didn't he?
SANDY: A fur coat? Are you kidding?
JIM: Kinda like a fur coat. He wore a covering of camel's skin.
SANDY: It doesn't sound so glamorous now.
JOHN: John the Baptist ate grasshoppers and honey. Probably in a very gooey, crunchy sandwich.
MARY: Let's watch the movie. This is getting ridiculous.
JOHN: Well, he really did.
SANDY: He did not, did he, Jim? You're the expert.
JIM: Well, not quite. The Bible mentions that he ate locusts and wild honey but the locusts were probably the beans from the carob bush or honey locust tree.
MARY: How do you know all this stuff?
JIM: I was there.
JOHN: Oh, right.
JIM: No, really. I go to a Bible study.
SANDY: But how can you remember all this detail?
JOHN: He didn't know the "Narcissus" answer.
JIM: I told you that was a mistake.
JOHN: Sure it was.
MARY: All right. Who cares. I just want to watch a movie.
JOHN: I bet you don't know what John the Baptist and Smokey the Bear had in common.
SANDY: I bet this is going to be profound.
JIM: No, what?
JOHN: They both had the same middle name!
MARY: I know what movie I'm going to watch.
JOHN: Don't tell us. The Sound of Music, right?
MARY: I'm not going to tell you.
SANDY: You can't quit. Jim needs a partner.
JIM: That's all right. I'll take you two on alone.
JOHN: This ought to be good.
JIM: And I'll probably win, too.
JOHN: Yeah. Right.
SANDY: Just so we don't have to listen to any more stories about eating grasshoppers.
JIM: He didn't eat grasshoppers.
JOHN: Prove it.
JIM: Let's get on with the game.
JOHN: You can't prove it, can you?
JIM: No, I can't.
JOHN: You see!
SANDY: You see!
MARY: You see!
JIM: "Oh, you brood of vipers!"
JOHN: Whoa! What is this?
JIM: It's just something John the Baptist said and it seemed to fit this situation.
MARY: Oh, no.
SANDY: Can we get back to the game.
JOHN: You've got a lot of nerve calling me a viper.
JIM: You, especially, are a viper.
JOHN: I was a "vindow viper" this week.
SANDY: Cute.
JIM: Let's get back to the game.
SANDY: Yeah.
MARY: So, why was John the Baptist important?
JOHN: I thought you were going to watch a movie.
MARY: I couldn't find one I liked.
JIM: John the Baptist's mission was to prepare the way for Jesus.
MARY: Why would Jesus, who was the Son of God, need any way prepared for Him?
JIM: Well, I don't know, but He did.
JOHN: I thought you were going to tell us something important.
JIM: His message was to make way for Jesus. He told the people to repent.
MARY: Repent?
JIM: Repent in Hebrew means to change your heart.
MARY: I guess it's still a message the world could use today. "Change your heart -- Jesus is coming."
JIM: You're right.
JOHN: To change your heart in preparation for whatever Jesus wants to do in your heart. I get it.
MARY: Sounds like something everyone could use in the game of life.
SANDY: Let's watch a movie. (JOHN, MARY AND SANDY EXIT)
JIM: Hey, wait. What about the game? Okay, I win. You forfeit the game. I win!
What are some of the interesting facts about the life of John the Baptist?
Summary
Four friends are playing "Bible Trivia" and learn something about John the Baptist.
Playing Time: 5 minutes
Setting: A neutral playing area that represents a living room
Props: A "Bible Trivia" game
Costumes: Contemporary
Time: The present
Cast: JIM -- and his friends:
MARY
JOHN
SANDY
(THE PLAYERS ARE RETURNING TO BIBLE TRIVIA AFTER A BREAK)
JIM: It's your turn.
MARY: I hate this game.
JOHN: You only hate it because you never win.
MARY: Well, that's true enough. I can't even answer one question, it seems.
SANDY: Can we just play, please.
JIM: Yes, let's get back to it.
MARY: Oh, all right. Whose turn is it?
SANDY: It's yours.
MARY: Oh. (PICKING A CARD)
JIM: (LOOKING AT CARD) Oh, man, this is so easy. Why don't I ever get the easy ones?
MARY: Who was it that said, "I am not even fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals"?
JOHN: A shoe salesman with a poor self-image.
MARY: Do you want me to read the question again?
SANDY: Yes, please.
JOHN: No, we got the question. What we want is the answer.
MARY: Are you giving up?
JOHN: No, we're not giving up!
SANDY: I'm no good with quotations.
MARY: Who was it that said, "I am not even fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals"?
SANDY: Tell us who it was he was talking about.
MARY: I can't do that. We agreed there would be no hints.
SANDY: Jim got a hint on that Narcissus question.
MARY: He couldn't answer it anyway.
JIM: That one was a mistake. I heard that there were mistakes in this game. Time's up anyway.
JOHN: No. It can't be.
JIM: Who's the time keeper?
JOHN: You are but you're a lousy one.
SANDY: I give up.
MARY: Do you give up, John?
JOHN: No. Not yet.
JIM: I said time's up.
JOHN: And I heard you.
JIM: Well, what does that mean to you?
JOHN: It means -- get out of my face. I'm thinking, all right!
JIM: Just admit you don't know.
JOHN: Okay, what's the answer?
JIM AND MARY: John the Baptist!
MARY: Let's quit this stupid game. We could watch a movie.
JIM: No. We're playing.
MARY: I never know any of the answers.
JIM: That's what we're doing. We're learning.
MARY: I'm not learning. I'm getting frustrated and bored. Who was John the Baptist, anyway?
JOHN: He founded the Baptist Church.
JIM: John the Baptist was the guy who lived in the wilderness and preached about the coming of the Messiah.
SANDY: The Messiah? Oh, Jesus!
JIM: Right, Jesus, but no one knew Jesus was the Messiah until He was baptized by his cousin, John.
MARY: John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus?
JIM: Right.
JOHN: And he wore a fur coat, didn't he?
SANDY: A fur coat? Are you kidding?
JIM: Kinda like a fur coat. He wore a covering of camel's skin.
SANDY: It doesn't sound so glamorous now.
JOHN: John the Baptist ate grasshoppers and honey. Probably in a very gooey, crunchy sandwich.
MARY: Let's watch the movie. This is getting ridiculous.
JOHN: Well, he really did.
SANDY: He did not, did he, Jim? You're the expert.
JIM: Well, not quite. The Bible mentions that he ate locusts and wild honey but the locusts were probably the beans from the carob bush or honey locust tree.
MARY: How do you know all this stuff?
JIM: I was there.
JOHN: Oh, right.
JIM: No, really. I go to a Bible study.
SANDY: But how can you remember all this detail?
JOHN: He didn't know the "Narcissus" answer.
JIM: I told you that was a mistake.
JOHN: Sure it was.
MARY: All right. Who cares. I just want to watch a movie.
JOHN: I bet you don't know what John the Baptist and Smokey the Bear had in common.
SANDY: I bet this is going to be profound.
JIM: No, what?
JOHN: They both had the same middle name!
MARY: I know what movie I'm going to watch.
JOHN: Don't tell us. The Sound of Music, right?
MARY: I'm not going to tell you.
SANDY: You can't quit. Jim needs a partner.
JIM: That's all right. I'll take you two on alone.
JOHN: This ought to be good.
JIM: And I'll probably win, too.
JOHN: Yeah. Right.
SANDY: Just so we don't have to listen to any more stories about eating grasshoppers.
JIM: He didn't eat grasshoppers.
JOHN: Prove it.
JIM: Let's get on with the game.
JOHN: You can't prove it, can you?
JIM: No, I can't.
JOHN: You see!
SANDY: You see!
MARY: You see!
JIM: "Oh, you brood of vipers!"
JOHN: Whoa! What is this?
JIM: It's just something John the Baptist said and it seemed to fit this situation.
MARY: Oh, no.
SANDY: Can we get back to the game.
JOHN: You've got a lot of nerve calling me a viper.
JIM: You, especially, are a viper.
JOHN: I was a "vindow viper" this week.
SANDY: Cute.
JIM: Let's get back to the game.
SANDY: Yeah.
MARY: So, why was John the Baptist important?
JOHN: I thought you were going to watch a movie.
MARY: I couldn't find one I liked.
JIM: John the Baptist's mission was to prepare the way for Jesus.
MARY: Why would Jesus, who was the Son of God, need any way prepared for Him?
JIM: Well, I don't know, but He did.
JOHN: I thought you were going to tell us something important.
JIM: His message was to make way for Jesus. He told the people to repent.
MARY: Repent?
JIM: Repent in Hebrew means to change your heart.
MARY: I guess it's still a message the world could use today. "Change your heart -- Jesus is coming."
JIM: You're right.
JOHN: To change your heart in preparation for whatever Jesus wants to do in your heart. I get it.
MARY: Sounds like something everyone could use in the game of life.
SANDY: Let's watch a movie. (JOHN, MARY AND SANDY EXIT)
JIM: Hey, wait. What about the game? Okay, I win. You forfeit the game. I win!
