HE IS RISEN

Synopsis:  Two days have passed since Jesus died.  Mary, her cousin Elizabeth, and Matthew
console each other as they reminisce about the life of Jesus.   Fantastic Ending!

NUMBER OF CHARACTERS:  3
MARY, ELIZABETH AND MATTHEW.

VOICE OF JESUS

PROPS: A PLACE BIG ENOUGH FOR ALL THREE CHARACTERS TO SIT - COULD BE BAILS OF HAY, A BENCH - MUST BE HIGH ENOUGH FOR THE AUDIENCE TO SEE CHARACTERS CLEARLY WHILE THEY ARE SITTING DOWN.  CUP AND PITCHER ON A SIDE TABLE OF SOME SORT.

SCRIPT

Scene opens with Mary and Elizabeth walking on stage.   Elizabeth is supporting Mary who looks like she is about to collapse.  Mary is crying softly.

Elizabeth - Come over here and sit down. (Elizabeth leads Mary over to bench and Mary sits on the middle of the bench.)

Mary - Thank you, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth - Let me get you something to drink, Mary. I'll be right back.  (Elizabeth walks over to table, picks up pitcher and pours wine into a cup.)

(Enter Matthew. Mary looks up as Matthew enters.  Matthew crosses to sit next to her.)

Mary - (looks at Matthew and sobs.)  My son.  Did you see what they did to my son?

Matthew - (picks up Mary's hand and holds it.  Shakes his head sadly.)  I know.   I know.

Mary - They treated him like a criminal, Matthew.   They beat him until even I couldn't recognize him.  (Puts her face in her hands and sobs.)

Elizabeth -  (returns with cup, places her hand on Mary's shoulder.)  Here Mary, try to drink some of this.  (Mary takes a sip and hands the cup back to Elizabeth.)

(Mary starts to sob again.)

Matthew - (puts his arm around Mary.  Mary buries her face in his shoulder and sobs.)

Matthew - Shh, Mary.  Shhhh.  He wouldn't have wanted you to cry like this.  Shh.

Elizabeth - Mary, please.  It's been two days and if you go on like this you will make yourself sick.

(Mary sits up wearily, dries her eyes on the edge of her veil and stares into space.)

(Mary smiles slightly, stares into space and begins to rock back and forth gently.)

Mary - HE hardly ever cried, you know. 

(Matthew and Elizabeth look at her with concern.)

Mary - He was the best baby I ever saw...quiet and gentle.

(Matthew and Elizabeth relax and listen.)

Mary - The day the Shepherd came to play his drum for him, Jesus smiled for the first time.  He always loved music.

Matthew - (Smiles)  I know he did.  You know what else he liked?

Mary - What, Matthew?

Matthew - Animals!  Everywhere we went, he stopped to pet the animals.

Mary - (stops rocking back and forth)  That could be because he was born in a stable surrounded by goats, and cows, and sheep...I think that old donkey was his favorite though.

Elizabeth - That old Donkey?  The one you rode to Bethlehem?  What was his name?

Mary - HER name was "Olive."

Elizabeth - Oh, that's right.  I remember Olive.  A good and faithful beast.

Mary - He used to go outside every night  and feed that donkey a bite of bread that he saved from his dinner.

(Mary covers her face and starts to cry again.)

Matthew - (looks at Elizabeth) Has she slept at all?

Elizabeth - No, she hasn't slept since he died.  (Looks toward the sky.)  it will be light soon.  Maybe we can convince her to spend some time in the garden.   The fresh air might do her some good.

(Mary's sobs start to subside and she dries her eyes on her veil again.)

Mary - Matthew, you spent so much time with him.  What did you two talk about?

Matthew - (Smiles)  He told me once that he loved to play hide and seek when he was a child.

Mary - (Smiles)

Matthew - It's hard to imagine him as a child.  Is it true?  Did he play hide and seek?

Mary - (Laughs softly) Oh, yes he did.

Mary - I remember one night after dinner, he went outside.  I thought he had gone to feed the donkey.  But I waited and waited and he didn't come back.  I went outside to look for him.  I called his name.  But there was no answer.

Matthew - What happened?

Mary - I heard him laugh.  I followed the sound of his laughter and finally found him hiding in an empty water barrel in Joseph's workshop.

Elizabeth - How old was he then, Mary?

Mary - (Thinks for a moment)  He must have been about four, because he was still small enough to fit into that water barrel.

Elizabeth - (Nods)  I remember another time he played hide and seek.

Mary - When was that?

Elizabeth - That year we all went up to Jerusalem for Passover.

Mary - Oh, don't remind me, Elizabeth.

Matthew - Why?  What happened?

Mary - Jesus was twelve years old.  Joseph and I took him to Jerusalem to celebrate the holy feast.  SO many people traveled to Jerusalem that year.  When Passover was finished, Elizabeth and I, and many of the other women decided to travel home together.  We had such fun.

Elizabeth - It was such a joyous time. 

Mary -  I remember that you gave me a recipe that day, Elizabeth.  It was for lentil stew and it turned out to be the best thing I ever tasted.

Elizabeth - Remember how lighthearted we felt?

Mary - Yes, until Joseph came running up to me and asked where Jesus was.

Elizabeth - He was frantic!

Matthew - Wasn't Jesus traveling with Joseph?

Mary - That's what I thought, but Joseph thought he was traveling with me.

Elizabeth - It turned out that he wasn't traveling at all.  Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem!

Elizabeth - Mary and Joseph turned right around and went back to find him.

Mary - Oh, I was so afraid of losing him.  I was sure I would never see him again.   (pauses and stares into space...speaks in a flat tone of voice)  And now the unthinkable has happened.  He's dead.  They beat him.  They found him guilty of a crime he didn't commit. They nailed him to a cross.  I stood there and watched in horror as he died in agony and there was nothing I could do to help him.  Now he's gone. I will NEVER see his face again.