The Lesser Commission
Drama
Lectionary Scenes
57 Vignettes For Cycle A
Theme
Doubting what the Lord says is not a recent phenomenon.
Summary
Three disciples meet Jesus and Jesus gives them the "great commission" but they are slow to hear and immune to learning.
Playing Time: 3 minutes
Setting: A mountain in the Holy Land
Props: None
Costumes: Disciples -- contemporary
Jesus -- Jesus robe
Time: A time with Jesus
Cast: MATTHEW -- a follower of Jesus
THOMAS -- also a follower of Jesus
JOHN -- him too
JESUS
MATTHEW: (ENTERS WITH THOMAS AND JOHN) Jesus told us to meet Him here.
THOMAS: But why here, Matthew? Why on a mountain?
MATTHEW: I don't know.
JOHN: We must learn to do as He says, that's all.
MATTHEW: Yes, you're right, John. You're right.
THOMAS: I mean to have more faith in the Master. I have doubted in the past, but that is going to change.
JOHN: I hope it does, Thomas. I hope we all can change when it comes to having faith.
JESUS: (ENTERS) Thank you for being faithful and meeting me.
(THE DISCIPLES WORSHIP JESUS)
THOMAS: My Lord and my God.
JESUS: (AS JESUS SPEAKS DISCIPLES FREEZE THROUGHOUT) All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
THOMAS: (THEY UNFREEZE AS THEY SPEAK) Wait! Stop! What did He say?
JESUS: All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
THOMAS:
I doubt if He means all authority.
MATTHEW: He certainly must mean something else.
JOHN: Maybe He means "quite a lot of authority has been given to me since I rose from the dead." That would sound better.
MATTHEW: Yes, it would sound better. Who would believe it if He said all authority?
JOHN AND THOMAS: No one.
MATTHEW: Right.
JOHN AND THOMAS: Right.
JESUS: All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
THOMAS: Hold it! Hold it!
JESUS: All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
THOMAS: Do you think He means on earth as well as heaven?
MATTHEW: I see what you mean. He couldn't mean on the entire earth.
JOHN: It's easy for me to believe He has authority in heaven. He is the Son of God, but not on earth. Just look at the earth. It's in pretty bad shape.
MATTHEW: I'll say. He probably means He has some limited authority on earth as a representation of the authority He has in heaven.
JESUS: Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
THOMAS: Whoa! What was that?
JESUS: Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
MATTHEW: What do you think? He probably means for us to support each other and the people who don't believe as we do will learn from what we do.
JESUS: Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
JOHN: He can't possibly mean we should baptize like John did in the wilderness.
MATTHEW: That's probably symbolic.
THOMAS: Let's not get into the baptizing question. You know how we had that big fight the last time He brought that up.
JOHN: That's right. I doubt if He means we should fight about it.
THOMAS: So He probably meant it to be symbolic like Matthew says.
JESUS: Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
MATTHEW: Right. And what about that last part: in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. What is that?
JOHN: A formula. Simply a formula.
THOMAS: (NOT REALLY UNDERSTANDING) Oh, yeah.
JESUS: Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
JOHN: What was that? What did He say?
JESUS: Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
JOHN: I doubt if He means all that He commanded us. That's quite a lot. I suppose if all the commands were written down it would fill the whole world.
MATTHEW: How can He be with us always? I admit it would be nice, but always? Let's get serious.
THOMAS: Even to the end of the age? What does that mean? I doubt if He means this present age.
JOHN: Do you know something, I think we have voiced some serious doubts about what He said.
MATTHEW: Hey, you know, you're right. We have voiced some serious doubts.
THOMAS: I doubt if Jesus would want us to have doubts.
MATTHEW: I doubt it too.
JOHN: I doubt if He wants us to continue doing this.
THOMAS: Doing what?
JOHN: Doubting, Thomas.
THOMAS: Oh, yeah.
MATTHEW: Well, what then?
THOMAS: What do we do?
JOHN: I doubt if Jesus would want us to doubt at all.
MATTHEW: I doubt it.
THOMAS: I really doubt it.
JOHN: I doubt it, too. (THE DISCIPLES EXIT)
JESUS: I doubt if they understand.
Doubting what the Lord says is not a recent phenomenon.
Summary
Three disciples meet Jesus and Jesus gives them the "great commission" but they are slow to hear and immune to learning.
Playing Time: 3 minutes
Setting: A mountain in the Holy Land
Props: None
Costumes: Disciples -- contemporary
Jesus -- Jesus robe
Time: A time with Jesus
Cast: MATTHEW -- a follower of Jesus
THOMAS -- also a follower of Jesus
JOHN -- him too
JESUS
MATTHEW: (ENTERS WITH THOMAS AND JOHN) Jesus told us to meet Him here.
THOMAS: But why here, Matthew? Why on a mountain?
MATTHEW: I don't know.
JOHN: We must learn to do as He says, that's all.
MATTHEW: Yes, you're right, John. You're right.
THOMAS: I mean to have more faith in the Master. I have doubted in the past, but that is going to change.
JOHN: I hope it does, Thomas. I hope we all can change when it comes to having faith.
JESUS: (ENTERS) Thank you for being faithful and meeting me.
(THE DISCIPLES WORSHIP JESUS)
THOMAS: My Lord and my God.
JESUS: (AS JESUS SPEAKS DISCIPLES FREEZE THROUGHOUT) All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
THOMAS: (THEY UNFREEZE AS THEY SPEAK) Wait! Stop! What did He say?
JESUS: All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
THOMAS:
I doubt if He means all authority.
MATTHEW: He certainly must mean something else.
JOHN: Maybe He means "quite a lot of authority has been given to me since I rose from the dead." That would sound better.
MATTHEW: Yes, it would sound better. Who would believe it if He said all authority?
JOHN AND THOMAS: No one.
MATTHEW: Right.
JOHN AND THOMAS: Right.
JESUS: All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
THOMAS: Hold it! Hold it!
JESUS: All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
THOMAS: Do you think He means on earth as well as heaven?
MATTHEW: I see what you mean. He couldn't mean on the entire earth.
JOHN: It's easy for me to believe He has authority in heaven. He is the Son of God, but not on earth. Just look at the earth. It's in pretty bad shape.
MATTHEW: I'll say. He probably means He has some limited authority on earth as a representation of the authority He has in heaven.
JESUS: Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
THOMAS: Whoa! What was that?
JESUS: Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
MATTHEW: What do you think? He probably means for us to support each other and the people who don't believe as we do will learn from what we do.
JESUS: Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
JOHN: He can't possibly mean we should baptize like John did in the wilderness.
MATTHEW: That's probably symbolic.
THOMAS: Let's not get into the baptizing question. You know how we had that big fight the last time He brought that up.
JOHN: That's right. I doubt if He means we should fight about it.
THOMAS: So He probably meant it to be symbolic like Matthew says.
JESUS: Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
MATTHEW: Right. And what about that last part: in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. What is that?
JOHN: A formula. Simply a formula.
THOMAS: (NOT REALLY UNDERSTANDING) Oh, yeah.
JESUS: Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
JOHN: What was that? What did He say?
JESUS: Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
JOHN: I doubt if He means all that He commanded us. That's quite a lot. I suppose if all the commands were written down it would fill the whole world.
MATTHEW: How can He be with us always? I admit it would be nice, but always? Let's get serious.
THOMAS: Even to the end of the age? What does that mean? I doubt if He means this present age.
JOHN: Do you know something, I think we have voiced some serious doubts about what He said.
MATTHEW: Hey, you know, you're right. We have voiced some serious doubts.
THOMAS: I doubt if Jesus would want us to have doubts.
MATTHEW: I doubt it too.
JOHN: I doubt if He wants us to continue doing this.
THOMAS: Doing what?
JOHN: Doubting, Thomas.
THOMAS: Oh, yeah.
MATTHEW: Well, what then?
THOMAS: What do we do?
JOHN: I doubt if Jesus would want us to doubt at all.
MATTHEW: I doubt it.
THOMAS: I really doubt it.
JOHN: I doubt it, too. (THE DISCIPLES EXIT)
JESUS: I doubt if they understand.
