Foreshadowing
Drama
SUNDAY MORNING READERS' THEATER
Cast: JESUS, MARY, LAZARUS, JUDAS Length: 7 minutes
JESUS, LAZARUS and JUDAS are seated on stools. They mime eating.
JESUS: This is a great dinner, Lazarus. Thanks for inviting us.
LAZARUS: You should thank my sisters. They did most of the work.
JESUS: I certainly will.
LAZARUS: You spent way too much on the food, Lazarus. We should eat more frugally and give what is left over to the poor. Don't you agree, Lord?
JESUS: Another time we will, Judas. But this is a special occasion.
JUDAS: Special occasion? What special occasion is this?
LAZARUS: (Worried) I didn't realize that this was a special occasion. I hope everything is in order.
JESUS: Everything is perfect, Lazarus. Except for one thing.
LAZARUS: Tell me what that is, Lord, and I will provide it. I'll send Martha, or better yet, Mary, out to get it.
JESUS: Never mind, Lazarus. Here comes Mary now. And she hasn't forgotten.
MARY enters carrying a small bottle and kneels on the floor at JESUS' feet. (She may put her script on the floor and read while kneeling.)
MARY: (To JESUS) Sir, I have some perfume, some nard. May I have permission to clean your feet?
LAZARUS: (Slapping his head) That's what I forgot! I didn't offer water for the foot-washing.
JESUS: Don't worry, Lazarus. Mary has provided what was lacking.
JUDAS: No, Lord! Don't let her. Mary, don't bother the Master! Why aren't you in the kitchen helping your sister with the meal?
MARY: (Confused) Lord, I only wish to do you honor.
JESUS: It's all right, Judas. Let her do as she wishes. (To MARY) Please, Mary, go right ahead.
MARY: Thank you, Lord.
She pours the oil on his feet.
JESUS: I do so love the smell of nard. Thank you, Mary, for thinking of me.
JUDAS: Think of how much that nard must have cost! For what purpose is that money being wasted?
JESUS: Wasted? Why do you say it's wasted?
JUDAS: Well, I ... I mean ... There's no real reason ...
JESUS: No?
JUDAS: Well, Lord. You're the one who's always telling us that we should give money to those less fortunate than ourselves. And that we shouldn't live in luxury while others go hungry. Do you mean to tell us that that standard no longer applies?
LAZARUS: He's right, Lord. That perfume might have been sold for over 100 denarii. That would go a long way toward building a shelter for the homeless.
JUDAS: You made a grave error in judgment, Mary. You should have remembered what the Master said.
JESUS: Leave her alone. She has done a good deed here today.
JUDAS: But, Lord! I don't understand. Should we help the poor or not?
JESUS: Are you really worried about the poor, Judas?
JUDAS: Of course! Or we could have used that money for ourselves. Our account is low enough as it
is. And without money our mission can't succeed.
JESUS: You've got that wrong, Judas. Without me our mission can't succeed.
JUDAS: But money is important.
JESUS: No. I am important.
JUDAS: But I'm in charge of the money. If there's no money, then I have no purpose here.
JESUS: No, Judas, my friend. Without me you have no purpose here.
JUDAS: I don't understand what you are saying. You talk in riddles.
JESUS: Let me try to make it clear. You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
JUDAS: Well, it sounds to me as if I have no use here. I thought I was being helpful, managing the money. Now I see that I'm not needed. Very well, if that's the way you want it.
He stands indignantly and leaves in a huff.
MARY: Did I do something wrong, Master?
JESUS: (Drawing her up to the empty stool beside him) No, Mary. You've done what you could. You have anointed my body for burial. No one else will do that for me.
MARY: (Appalled) Burial! Lord, are you going to die?
JESUS: Yes. In a little while.
MARY: Oh, Lord! No!
She hides her face in her hands. JESUS places a hand on her shoulder.
LAZARUS: (Looking after the departing JUDAS) Lord, maybe we should do something about Judas. I'm afraid he's going to do something rash.
JESUS: You're right. He will do something rash. But not just yet.
LAZARUS: Did you know he's been pilfering the money from the group funds?
JESUS: Yes, I know. I'm afraid Judas is not in control of the money.
LAZARUS: (Confused) But I thought he was in control of the money.
JESUS:
No. The money's in control of him. Judas has one god too many in his life.
LAZARUS: Then why did you trust him with it? Wouldn't it have been wiser to let someone else handle it? Someone who could better resist the temptation?
JESUS: I could have done that, but I wanted him to find out something for himself.
MARY: What was that?
JESUS: I wanted him to learn that there are more important things than money.
MARY: But we all know that.
LAZARUS: Of course we do! We all know that.
JESUS: I wonder. (Directly to the audience) Do we?
There is a moment of frozen time and then the cast stands to take their bows.
JESUS, LAZARUS and JUDAS are seated on stools. They mime eating.
JESUS: This is a great dinner, Lazarus. Thanks for inviting us.
LAZARUS: You should thank my sisters. They did most of the work.
JESUS: I certainly will.
LAZARUS: You spent way too much on the food, Lazarus. We should eat more frugally and give what is left over to the poor. Don't you agree, Lord?
JESUS: Another time we will, Judas. But this is a special occasion.
JUDAS: Special occasion? What special occasion is this?
LAZARUS: (Worried) I didn't realize that this was a special occasion. I hope everything is in order.
JESUS: Everything is perfect, Lazarus. Except for one thing.
LAZARUS: Tell me what that is, Lord, and I will provide it. I'll send Martha, or better yet, Mary, out to get it.
JESUS: Never mind, Lazarus. Here comes Mary now. And she hasn't forgotten.
MARY enters carrying a small bottle and kneels on the floor at JESUS' feet. (She may put her script on the floor and read while kneeling.)
MARY: (To JESUS) Sir, I have some perfume, some nard. May I have permission to clean your feet?
LAZARUS: (Slapping his head) That's what I forgot! I didn't offer water for the foot-washing.
JESUS: Don't worry, Lazarus. Mary has provided what was lacking.
JUDAS: No, Lord! Don't let her. Mary, don't bother the Master! Why aren't you in the kitchen helping your sister with the meal?
MARY: (Confused) Lord, I only wish to do you honor.
JESUS: It's all right, Judas. Let her do as she wishes. (To MARY) Please, Mary, go right ahead.
MARY: Thank you, Lord.
She pours the oil on his feet.
JESUS: I do so love the smell of nard. Thank you, Mary, for thinking of me.
JUDAS: Think of how much that nard must have cost! For what purpose is that money being wasted?
JESUS: Wasted? Why do you say it's wasted?
JUDAS: Well, I ... I mean ... There's no real reason ...
JESUS: No?
JUDAS: Well, Lord. You're the one who's always telling us that we should give money to those less fortunate than ourselves. And that we shouldn't live in luxury while others go hungry. Do you mean to tell us that that standard no longer applies?
LAZARUS: He's right, Lord. That perfume might have been sold for over 100 denarii. That would go a long way toward building a shelter for the homeless.
JUDAS: You made a grave error in judgment, Mary. You should have remembered what the Master said.
JESUS: Leave her alone. She has done a good deed here today.
JUDAS: But, Lord! I don't understand. Should we help the poor or not?
JESUS: Are you really worried about the poor, Judas?
JUDAS: Of course! Or we could have used that money for ourselves. Our account is low enough as it
is. And without money our mission can't succeed.
JESUS: You've got that wrong, Judas. Without me our mission can't succeed.
JUDAS: But money is important.
JESUS: No. I am important.
JUDAS: But I'm in charge of the money. If there's no money, then I have no purpose here.
JESUS: No, Judas, my friend. Without me you have no purpose here.
JUDAS: I don't understand what you are saying. You talk in riddles.
JESUS: Let me try to make it clear. You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
JUDAS: Well, it sounds to me as if I have no use here. I thought I was being helpful, managing the money. Now I see that I'm not needed. Very well, if that's the way you want it.
He stands indignantly and leaves in a huff.
MARY: Did I do something wrong, Master?
JESUS: (Drawing her up to the empty stool beside him) No, Mary. You've done what you could. You have anointed my body for burial. No one else will do that for me.
MARY: (Appalled) Burial! Lord, are you going to die?
JESUS: Yes. In a little while.
MARY: Oh, Lord! No!
She hides her face in her hands. JESUS places a hand on her shoulder.
LAZARUS: (Looking after the departing JUDAS) Lord, maybe we should do something about Judas. I'm afraid he's going to do something rash.
JESUS: You're right. He will do something rash. But not just yet.
LAZARUS: Did you know he's been pilfering the money from the group funds?
JESUS: Yes, I know. I'm afraid Judas is not in control of the money.
LAZARUS: (Confused) But I thought he was in control of the money.
JESUS:
No. The money's in control of him. Judas has one god too many in his life.
LAZARUS: Then why did you trust him with it? Wouldn't it have been wiser to let someone else handle it? Someone who could better resist the temptation?
JESUS: I could have done that, but I wanted him to find out something for himself.
MARY: What was that?
JESUS: I wanted him to learn that there are more important things than money.
MARY: But we all know that.
LAZARUS: Of course we do! We all know that.
JESUS: I wonder. (Directly to the audience) Do we?
There is a moment of frozen time and then the cast stands to take their bows.
