The Way It Works
Drama
Lectionary Scenes
58 Vignettes For Cycle B
Theme
How is our forgiveness related to Jesus?
Summary
Three people discuss Jesus and the fact that he is telling people their sins are forgiven. How can anyone forgive sins? Who is Jesus and what right does he have to say these things?
Playing Time
3 minutes
Setting
Your church
Props
None
Costumes
Peasant, of first century, Christian
Time
The time of Jesus
Cast
JOEL
NATHAN
DANIEL
JOEL: (ENTERS ALONG WITH NATHAN AND DANIEL) Where did this man get these things?
NATHAN: Jesus?
DANIEL: You know who we mean. Yes, Jesus.
NATHAN: What things are you talking about?
JOEL: The things he teaches. We've never had a teacher like this.
NATHAN: None of us has ever heard such teaching.
DANIEL: I'm not so sure we want this teaching. His teaching will lead to anarchy.
NATHAN: Anarchy? How will "Your sins are forgiven" lead to anarchy?
JOEL: No one can forgive sins. No one. If a person says, "Your sins are forgiven," he must be a madman. That's it. He's a madman. "Your sins are forgiven." C'mon. If I came up to you and said, "Your sins are forgiven," what would you do?
NATHAN: I'd shake your hand and think, "My sins are forgiven, fantastic. I'm free. I'm clean."
JOEL: Okay, okay, I didn't really mean that. Calm down.
NATHAN: Anyone would be glad to have his sins forgiven.
DANIEL: Of course, if you're talking about sins against someone else. But he's not talking about that.
NATHAN: Who says he doesn't mean that?
JOEL: No. He means that you are forgiven of all your sins. All your sins. Get it?
NATHAN: That's even better. Imagine that all your sins are forgiven. That's fantastic.
JOEL: Of course it would be fantastic -- if it were true.
DANIEL: We all have our sins forgiven now.
JOEL: Of course we do. On the day of sacrifice.
NATHAN: Yes, they are. Our sins are all forgiven on the day of sacrifice.
DANIEL: Well, then, why do we need this guy telling us our sins are forgiven?
NATHAN: How long?
DANIEL: How long what?
NATHAN: How long are your sins forgiven?
DANIEL: What difference does that make?
JOEL: Until the next day of atonement, I guess.
DANIEL: Yeah. Next year. Our sins are forgiven every year.
NATHAN: Why?
JOEL: Because Moses said so.
DANIEL: Yeah. Right. And God spoke directly to Moses.
NATHAN: Right. He did. But why do we get our sins forgiven every year on the day of sacrifice?
JOEL: Because we need it every year.
DANIEL: Right. We sin again and so we need forgiven again.
NATHAN: How soon?
JOEL: How soon, what?
NATHAN: I mean, how soon do we need to be forgiven after we've been forgiven?
DANIEL: As soon as we sin, I guess. I don't know.
NATHAN: How soon would that be?
DANIEL: I don't know. It could be anytime, I guess.
NATHAN: The next day?
DANIEL: Yes. I guess so, sure.
NATHAN: The next hour?
DANIEL: Sure, I guess so. A person could ...
NATHAN: The next minute?
DANIEL: Uh ...
NATHAN: Well, could a person sin the next minute after being forgiven on the day of atonement?
DANIEL: I don't know. Yes, it's possible. I guess it's possible.
NATHAN: How about the next second?
JOEL: Now, wait a minute. What's the point of this?
NATHAN: I was just thinking, what if you sinned the next second after being forgiven, what good is the forgiveness? You'd have to wait an whole year to be clear of sin again. To have that great feeling of freedom from guilt. A whole year. You'd carry a load of sin a whole year, and then after being forgiven you'd have to wait another year.
JOEL: Well, that's the system. That's the way it works.
NATHAN: Maybe not.
JOEL: Of course that's the way it works. That's the system. If it was good enough for Moses ...
DANIEL: Unless you keep the law, and then you wouldn't sin at all.
JOEL: But no one can do that.
DANIEL: Some people claim they can, but we know they can't. We know human nature. No one can keep the law for a whole day, let alone a whole year.
JOEL: So, we're all sinners without any hope of having our sins forgiven.
NATHAN: And yet Jesus is telling people their sins are forgiven.
DANIEL: How can he do that?
NATHAN: I've been thinking about that. Don't the scriptures say there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood?
JOEL: Yes. The scriptures say that, but Jesus is not a priest. He cannot make sacrifices.
DANIEL: And even if he could, it would only be for a second until we sinned again.
JOEL: We're back where we started.
NATHAN: But what if there was a sacrifice that would continue forever?
JOEL: Impossible.
NATHAN: With God all things are possible. Or else God is not God.
JOEL: If it's a sacrifice that lasts forever it would have to be a sacrifice that God makes.
DANIEL: Because only God lasts forever.
JOEL: But where would God get an animal that lives forever so it would be a sacrifice that continues forever?
DANIEL: Angels?
NATHAN: No. God created the angels so they don't live forever.
JOEL: It's just impossible.
NATHAN: What if God Himself was the sacrifice?
JOEL: How could God sacrifice Himself?
NATHAN: I don't know exactly, but Jesus is telling people their sins are forgiven.
DANIEL: This is too much for me.
NATHAN: Jesus might have something there. He does miracles. He must be a prophet. Let's listen to him and watch him and find out.
How is our forgiveness related to Jesus?
Summary
Three people discuss Jesus and the fact that he is telling people their sins are forgiven. How can anyone forgive sins? Who is Jesus and what right does he have to say these things?
Playing Time
3 minutes
Setting
Your church
Props
None
Costumes
Peasant, of first century, Christian
Time
The time of Jesus
Cast
JOEL
NATHAN
DANIEL
JOEL: (ENTERS ALONG WITH NATHAN AND DANIEL) Where did this man get these things?
NATHAN: Jesus?
DANIEL: You know who we mean. Yes, Jesus.
NATHAN: What things are you talking about?
JOEL: The things he teaches. We've never had a teacher like this.
NATHAN: None of us has ever heard such teaching.
DANIEL: I'm not so sure we want this teaching. His teaching will lead to anarchy.
NATHAN: Anarchy? How will "Your sins are forgiven" lead to anarchy?
JOEL: No one can forgive sins. No one. If a person says, "Your sins are forgiven," he must be a madman. That's it. He's a madman. "Your sins are forgiven." C'mon. If I came up to you and said, "Your sins are forgiven," what would you do?
NATHAN: I'd shake your hand and think, "My sins are forgiven, fantastic. I'm free. I'm clean."
JOEL: Okay, okay, I didn't really mean that. Calm down.
NATHAN: Anyone would be glad to have his sins forgiven.
DANIEL: Of course, if you're talking about sins against someone else. But he's not talking about that.
NATHAN: Who says he doesn't mean that?
JOEL: No. He means that you are forgiven of all your sins. All your sins. Get it?
NATHAN: That's even better. Imagine that all your sins are forgiven. That's fantastic.
JOEL: Of course it would be fantastic -- if it were true.
DANIEL: We all have our sins forgiven now.
JOEL: Of course we do. On the day of sacrifice.
NATHAN: Yes, they are. Our sins are all forgiven on the day of sacrifice.
DANIEL: Well, then, why do we need this guy telling us our sins are forgiven?
NATHAN: How long?
DANIEL: How long what?
NATHAN: How long are your sins forgiven?
DANIEL: What difference does that make?
JOEL: Until the next day of atonement, I guess.
DANIEL: Yeah. Next year. Our sins are forgiven every year.
NATHAN: Why?
JOEL: Because Moses said so.
DANIEL: Yeah. Right. And God spoke directly to Moses.
NATHAN: Right. He did. But why do we get our sins forgiven every year on the day of sacrifice?
JOEL: Because we need it every year.
DANIEL: Right. We sin again and so we need forgiven again.
NATHAN: How soon?
JOEL: How soon, what?
NATHAN: I mean, how soon do we need to be forgiven after we've been forgiven?
DANIEL: As soon as we sin, I guess. I don't know.
NATHAN: How soon would that be?
DANIEL: I don't know. It could be anytime, I guess.
NATHAN: The next day?
DANIEL: Yes. I guess so, sure.
NATHAN: The next hour?
DANIEL: Sure, I guess so. A person could ...
NATHAN: The next minute?
DANIEL: Uh ...
NATHAN: Well, could a person sin the next minute after being forgiven on the day of atonement?
DANIEL: I don't know. Yes, it's possible. I guess it's possible.
NATHAN: How about the next second?
JOEL: Now, wait a minute. What's the point of this?
NATHAN: I was just thinking, what if you sinned the next second after being forgiven, what good is the forgiveness? You'd have to wait an whole year to be clear of sin again. To have that great feeling of freedom from guilt. A whole year. You'd carry a load of sin a whole year, and then after being forgiven you'd have to wait another year.
JOEL: Well, that's the system. That's the way it works.
NATHAN: Maybe not.
JOEL: Of course that's the way it works. That's the system. If it was good enough for Moses ...
DANIEL: Unless you keep the law, and then you wouldn't sin at all.
JOEL: But no one can do that.
DANIEL: Some people claim they can, but we know they can't. We know human nature. No one can keep the law for a whole day, let alone a whole year.
JOEL: So, we're all sinners without any hope of having our sins forgiven.
NATHAN: And yet Jesus is telling people their sins are forgiven.
DANIEL: How can he do that?
NATHAN: I've been thinking about that. Don't the scriptures say there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood?
JOEL: Yes. The scriptures say that, but Jesus is not a priest. He cannot make sacrifices.
DANIEL: And even if he could, it would only be for a second until we sinned again.
JOEL: We're back where we started.
NATHAN: But what if there was a sacrifice that would continue forever?
JOEL: Impossible.
NATHAN: With God all things are possible. Or else God is not God.
JOEL: If it's a sacrifice that lasts forever it would have to be a sacrifice that God makes.
DANIEL: Because only God lasts forever.
JOEL: But where would God get an animal that lives forever so it would be a sacrifice that continues forever?
DANIEL: Angels?
NATHAN: No. God created the angels so they don't live forever.
JOEL: It's just impossible.
NATHAN: What if God Himself was the sacrifice?
JOEL: How could God sacrifice Himself?
NATHAN: I don't know exactly, but Jesus is telling people their sins are forgiven.
DANIEL: This is too much for me.
NATHAN: Jesus might have something there. He does miracles. He must be a prophet. Let's listen to him and watch him and find out.
