By Christin Kuck
It is the time of the Passover, and the apostles are ready to celebrate. Unbeknownst to them, this is the last time they will eat with their Lord. They are appalled when Jesus announces one of them will betray and one will deny. Three apostles give a short monologue relating their past lives and how they became followers of Christ. Each apostle wonders if he will be the one to betray Jesus. The fourth character in this drama is a woman of modern era. She too relates the change Christ made in her life, and her fear that she may be tempted back to her old life. She too must ask herself, "Am I the One?"
Mark 14:18-19
Andrew
Matthew
Simon the Zealot
Annie
(Scene: The three apostles are frozen in different positions on stage. As each delivers his monologue, he unfreezes, says his lines and then takes a piece of bread and a sip of wine then freezes again. Annie is praying at the altar until her lines are to be delivered.)
Andrew: Well, that was a surprise! None of us saw it coming. We all
expected the usual celebration! This is the Passover after all. But Jesus
never does the expected. Tonight, he has been exceptionally somber. His
mood has permeated the entire room! Judas Iscariot just couldn't take it
anymore. He jumped up and ran out the door as if he had a fire lit under
him. And as for the rest of us.... Well, since Jesus made his big revelation,
we've all been staring into our cups, afraid to look the other in the eye.
The only one that seems confident is my idiot brother, Simon Peter. But
then he doesn't have the sense God gave a goat. Imagine. Trying to walk
on water! That turned out to be a complete failure!
I suppose I'm no better. People say of me, "Andrew, was the first
to
follow Jesus!" But in my mind that is not saying much. These past three
years I've tried to keep to the background. I have kept my mouth shut for
fear of sticking my foot in it, like Peter. In fact the only great thing
I've ever done is to bring a young lad with fish and loaves to Jesus. Even
then I had my doubts about what Jesus could do with that
meager offering. Boy, did he astound us all.
I'm not much of a servant you see, nor do I possess a great amount
of faith. So when Jesus announced one of us would betray him...one of us
would deny... well, naturally the question came into my mind. (Long Pause)
"Am I the one?" (Pull off a piece of bread and eat it. Take a sip
of wine, then go back to position and freeze)
Matthew: I can't believe this. I just can't believe this. Three years
I've been with Jesus. Three years! Could he possibly think that I.... (Long
sigh)
I am Matthew. I'm sure you've heard about me, what with my disreputable
past. I made a lot of money before Jesus came along. I was considered one
of the best tax collectors in the country! I was despised by all. Even
my own family hated me. I didn't care. I collected enough to satisfy the
Roman government, and keep some on the side for myself. I was a rich man.
I didn't need my family or my former friends. I didn't need anyone! My
wealth gave me new friends.
One day Jesus came to me at my tax collector's booth. I felt a shadow
fall over me, and I looked up into the most compelling eyes. He simply
said "Follow me." I left it all behind. Every bit of it. I became a changed
man. My family no longer called me a money-grabbing outcast. Now they said
I was crazy! Following a scripture-quoting carpenter from Nazareth.
I am a different man now. I don't do the things I used
to do. I don't even want to do them! (Pause) But, I'm still not sure exactly
what he thinks of me. With all these doubts, how could I not question myself?......
Am I the one? (Pull off a piece of bread and eat it. Take a sip
of wine, then go back to position and freeze)
Simon: When I first met Jesus I was standing on a big boulder yelling
at the top of my lungs, (yell) "No king but Messiah! No tax but the Temple!
No friend but the Zealot!" I was a brutal man, laying in wait for any Roman
citizen that came along so I could (brings fist to hand with a loud crack)
.... Well.... I'm sure you get it. The name, Simon the Zealot, was well
earned!
But Jesus changed my life. Look!! Am I not sitting at the same table
as that Jewish tax collector?
Jesus spoke to me of freedom from the oppressor. Of course I assumed
that he was speaking of our Roman captors. It wasn't long before I understood
he was talking about something quite different, and by then I was so amazed
by this man I could never turn around and go back to my former life.
I was the least likely candidate to be chosen for this close circle
of believers. Jesus was so gentle, so patient. I was reckless and
rash. A danger to all who stood in the way of my beliefs. With a past like
that, I can't help but wonder, ..... "Am I the one?" (Pull off a piece
of bread and eat it. Take a sip of wine, then go back to position
and freeze)
Annie: (Walks onto stage from hidden position) You look at me and think,
"What a nice respectable woman. She holds down a job at a reputable company.
She goes to church, and has a beautiful family." All of those things are
true, but it wasn't always that way.
There was a time when I wasn't respectable. A dark time when I was
addicted to drugs and alcohol, and I would do anything to get them. I didn't
care about my family, I didn't care about myself. Why would I care about
God! I lived my life like God didn't exist, stealing money from my employer
for drugs, hanging out at bars and getting drunk with my two year old son
in tow. And the men. There were so many of them in my life, I can't even
remember their names.
And then I met the Master.
At first my family thought I was insane. Talking about "religion" all
the time. They didn't trust it. They had seen me try and fail so often.
But soon they began to realize that something had made a difference in
my life. I wasn't doing the those things I used to. I had become a new
creature.
But, every once and a while, down at the bottom of my soul, I feel
the draw of those old days. There are times when the need to get high is
like a monster crawling up my back. There are times I fight myself to do
what is right. And times I just feel so tempted to throw this all away....
It is at those times I have to ask myself........ "Am I the one?"
(Pull off a piece of bread and eat it, take a sip of wine, exit stage.
Lights go out on the disciples.)
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© Copyright Christin J. Kuck 2000. All rights reserved. This script may not be altered without permission from the copyright holder. This script may be freely copied and distributed, providing it is done so in its entirety. This copyright notice and the performance license information must be reproduced on all copies of the script.
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright ©
1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."
PERFORMANCE LICENCE No performance is permitted unless a copy of the script is licensed to at least one member of the cast OR licensed to the drama group, theatre company or organization performing the sketch. License can be obtained by forwarding a check made out to Christin Kuck in the amount of $5.00 US to 13341 86th Avenue, Seminole, FL 33776. An original licensed hard copy will be mailed upon receipt of check. Christin Kuck can be reached by email at anonadrama@hotmail.com