Jeremiah-An Easter Skit
Setting
· 1 year after Jesus crucifixion and resurrection
· Dinner table setting to share a meal of celebration
Characters
· Jeremiah – 40 year old blacksmith
· Abigail – Jeremiah’s wife
· Anna – Jeremiah’s daughter
· Caleb – Jeremiah’s son
· Daniel – 30 year old brother-in-law
· Deborah – Abigail’s sister
· Sarah – Daniel’s daughter
Scene 1
(As “For All You’ve Done” finishes, Daniel, Deborah and Sarah move quietly onto stage and begin setting the table with plates, cups, food, etc.)
Daniel “Sarah, would you please go outside and watch for your cousins.”
(Sarah moves to back of stage as if going outside. Table setting continues with small talk—hand me this, will you get that, this smells good, etc.)
Sarah (rushing back in) “They’re coming! They’re coming!” (Rushes back out to meet them.)
(Jeremiah and family enter, exchanging hugs and complements about the table looking good, etc. Use names when possible.)
(Jeremiah and Daniel shake hands at the elbows)
Jeremiah (jokingly) “You’d think we hadn’t seen each other in 10 years. We live less than a fourth of a day walk up the road.”
Daniel (laughing) “Yes, but you know sisters. If they haven’t talked in a week, they’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
(Jeremiah agrees. Ladies continue setting up the table. Children move to back and play quietly.)
Daniel “So Jeremiah, how’s business been doing since you stopped working for the Romans?”
Jeremiah “Well, I’m holding my own. I don’t make nearly as many horse shoes, which is good on my knuckles.”
Daniel “I sure respect you for you decision to quit working for them. I know it has been hard with the loss of income. But stay strong, our Lord will provide.”
Jeremiah “So He will my good friend, So He will.”
Deborah “Guys, the supper is ready. (to Daniel) Will you call the children?”
Daniel (yelling to back) “Children, the supper is ready, come eat.”
Deborah (a little disgusted, to her Abigail) “I could have done that.”
(Children come rushing in and jockey for seats at the table.)
(Caleb reaches for food. Abigail smacks him on the hand.)
Abigail (to Caleb) Caleb, you know better than that. Now sit and wait for the rest of the family.
Daniel “Jeremiah, will you honor us by sitting at the head of the table?”
Jeremiah “I most certainly will not! This is your house; it is your right and your place to sit at the head of the table.”
Daniel “But dear friend, (jokingly) you are the elder at the dinner. (More serious) And we want you to tell your story. It is what makes this occasion so special for our two families.”
(The rest of the family members agree)
Jeremiah “Very well then. Let the (emphasizes) old man sit at the head of the table.”
(The adults sit, except for Jeremiah)
Jeremiah “We join together today to celebrate. To celebrate that gift beyond gifts that was given to us one year ago today. The gift of the knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth. The gift of the Messiah. The gift of eternal life through His death and resurrection. My story is unique, because I help crucify our Lord and Savior. But before I get to that, let us begin sharing our meal of celebration. Bow your head and I will lead us in talking to our Savior.”
(Jeremiah sits and scene pauses for prayer as choir begins music. Scene continues lightly in background.)
Scene 2
(Family continues to eat)
Jeremiah (standing) “Ever since I was old enough, I loved to work with metal and forge it into thing with my hammer. My father was disappointed because he wanted me to be a prophet or priest – that’s why he named me Jeremiah after one of our great prophets of old. But, I became a blacksmith. Pretty much anything you wanted from metal, I could make. I was strong and sharp.”
“No one really liked the Roman soldiers being here! But I thought; why not make something good come from something bad. And so I struck up a deal with the leading Captain. I would produce metal plates for their horses. It makes the horses less likely to get hurt on sharp rocks. They paid well. They also needed other metal work from time to time.”
“One of which was making nails for their crucifixions. I hate to admit this now, but I was very proud of my work in making nails. They were using those nails to punish the criminals of society. I made the nails extra big and extra rough – no polishing like the horseshoes. I made sure the nails were blunt so they would rip and tear as they entered the skin. The Roman soldiers would have to strike the nail extra hard to make it enter the wood. I got a kind of satisfaction in know that I was helping to punish these people for their crimes. After all, they deserved it—didn’t they?”
Deborah (Standing) “Jeremiah, I’m sorry to interrupt, but the supper bread is done, and I do not want to miss any of your story. Please continue to eat and you can finish you story in a few moments.”
(Jeremiah smiles and agrees and sits and begins eating. Deborah.)
Scene 3
(Deborah returns as “The Carpenter’s Son” ends. Jeremiah rises again.)
Jeremiah “And so it happened almost one year ago today that the Roman guard Tibious came to pick up his order of nails. They were planning a crucifixion for three men. It really was bad timing with it being the week of Festival. Lot’s more people in town. The extra religious things. The extra family meals.”
“Anyway, I was running behind and didn’t have them ready. So he told me to bring them to the crucifixion hill the next morning. I worked all night and had them ready in time. I rushed into town—the amount of people in town was incredible. I almost had to push my way through town. At one point, I heard the crowd chanting, crucify, crucify, crucify him. Yes, yes, crucify him, that’s why I had the nails. I couldn’t see anything and I didn’t want to be late, so I headed on to the hill.”
“A couple of Roman soldiers were there getting things ready. I stood around and talked to them and about the time I started to hand off the nails the mob of people came rushing up the hill. There were two men carrying their cross beams, but the people didn’t notice them much. I recognized one of them, Ben-Thomas, he was a nasty sort. Stealing, I think he even killed someone. Good, my children will be a little safer after today.”
“I didn’t recognize the other man, but who cares. He’s getting what he deserves.”
“Then the third man. Wait. I recognize him. That’s Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth. No, it can’t be. I know him. I heard him speak one time at the synagogue. He spoke of love a treating each other as we would want to be treated. He spoke of doing away with the details of the law as an ultimate sacrifice would wipe away all wrong doing. He used the word sin. He said that an imperfect people could inherit the Kingdom of God.”
“Because he taught like that, some of the religious leaders didn’t like him, but I didn’t see anything wrong with him. As a matter of fact, I liked his ideas.”
“And then he did good things for people. I mean, Blind Bartimaeus, well, used to be blind. He can see now. He said Jesus did it! And then the old lady across town that had been sick ever since I can remember, she said Jesus made her well by just touching his clothes.”
“So what did he do to deserve death on a cross? Just because the religious leaders are afraid that the people might like him better than them. No! I will not stand for it. He doesn’t deserve it!”
“About that time the Roman soldier came over to me for the nails. No! Not my nails, not to crucify an innocent man.”
“And at that time, I looked at Jesus and he was looking at me. He never said a word, but his eyes. His eyes said to me—it’s OK. Really, it’s OK. I must do this.”
“I dropped the nails on the ground and turned to walk off. But I couldn’t leave. I just stood there staring. I heard the screams as these men as they were nailed to their crosses. I heard the blowing of the hammers on the metal nails. My nails. The nails I made. My handiwork. My pride in my work. My arrogance that I was better than those condemned to die. It was there that I realized what Jesus meant by imperfect. What he meant when he said sin separated us from God. It was my sin that nailed Jesus to his cross.”
“I dropped to my knees and cried out loud. Jesus I’m sorry. Jesus I’m sorry. And then I heard him said ‘Father forgive them for they do not really understand what is going on.’”
“Was He saying that about me? Was he willing to forgive me?”
(Emotionally, Jeremiah pauses)
(Abigail rises)
Abigail “Deborah, children, let’s go get the rest of the food and allow Jeremiah a few moments to compose himself.”
(Abigail, Deborah and children quietly exit. Jeremiah sits.)
Scene 4
Daniel “Jeremiah, are you OK?”
Jeremiah “Yes, my friend, it’s just every time I think about that day, I’m overcome with grief. For the next two nights and days, I couldn’t eat or sleep. I just kept remembering that it was my nails that killed an innocent man. But on the third day, the news came. Jesus was alive. Jesus was alive? No, it couldn’t be. I slowly walked to the tomb where he had been placed. And sure enough, the stone was missing.”
“But…still, Daniel, could it be that He was really alive. For several days, I questioned it...I was hopeful, but could he really be alive. Then several days later I heard that Jesus was in town. I couldn’t hold myself back; I had to know for sure. I rushed out the olive grove and sure enough there was Jesus with his disciples and about 500 other people. He was alive. He was alive!”
“I went up to him and apologized for making the nails, but he just looked at me with love and compassion and said, “Son, you are forgiven.” Can you believe that? He forgave me. I cannot express to you the burden that was lifted from me.”
“I never saw Him again after that day. But I’ve never forgot that day.”
(Jeremiah pauses and pulls a nail out of his belt)
“But, I have carried one of these nails with me every day since then. To remind me of my sin, my sin that nailed Him to the cross. But more importantly to remind me what He did. He died to pay the price. Once and for all. I don’t deserve His love. I don’t deserve a relationship with Him. But He freely gives it to me, to you, to anyone that confesses their sin and accepts Him as their Savior. We are sons and daughters of Jesus the Christ.”
(The family comes back in with food and places it on the table and takes their seats.)
(Jeremiah holds up a piece of bread and the cup.)
“And so today, on this anniversary of the greatest gift ever given, let us remember the last supper that Jesus had with his closest followers. Peter has taught us that Jesus distributed the bread, blessed it and said, ‘Take and eat, this is my body given for you. And in like manner Jesus took a cup of wine blessed it and said, ‘Drink. For this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive your sins.’”
(Jeremiah prays and the family partakes of the Lord’s Supper. Jeremiah holds up the bread and prays for it. He then distributes it to the family. Jeremiah holds up the cup and prays. Jeremiah passes the cup around.)
Jeremiah “Let us continue to come together and celebrate that Good News of Jesus Christ until that day in which we will be with Him forever.”