Thursday, April 08, 2004
"Those Who Knew Him"
At the request of J and M, here is the monologue I did at our church last night for a show called "Those Who Knew Him." We were instructed to write our monologues from the perspective of someone that might have known or knew of Jesus when he walked this earth. The following is my monologue.
Did I know him? Yes I did. I will never be the same having been in the
presence of Jesus of Nazareth.
I happened upon him talking to a group of men as I was going to get some
water from the well. When I was able to position myself in such a way that I
could look at Jesus’ face without the men seeing me, I did so. Beauty like I’ve
never seen before stood before me. Don’t misunderstand me – at a glance, he
was an average looking man. However, he caught my gaze for the briefest of
moments and I looked into his eyes – and to look into his eyes was to look into
his soul and to look into his soul was to look into the Promised Land. Then and
there I knew – the stories were true – here stood my Lord. He nodded ever so
slightly as if to acknowledge my thoughts, and then continued speaking to the
men. I was standing there with my mouth open with tears streaming down my
face. Fortunately, I was able to compose myself before I drew any attention to
myself and I ran to get home and tell my husband. Except that he wasn’t
there…
I didn’t see him until the next day and suddenly he showed up with a bag full of
coins. Before I could ask him where he had been, he threw the money at me and told me to go to the market and get proper food to feed his babies. I was
so shocked I stood there for a moment and just looked at him. Without looking
at me he then yelled, “What are you waiting for woman! Be gone with you!” He
had never raised his voice at me before. Before I started to weep, I herded the
children out the door and went to the market as he instructed.
The children and I arrived home shortly before the noon hour and the front door
to our home was ajar. I didn’t think anything of it at first until I entered our
home and saw that it was ransacked. My neighbor ran over and informed me
that my husband was taken away by the Roman soldiers. She overheard them
saying he was arrested for stealing. Stealing? My husband? Then it began to
dawn on me. Where had my husband gotten a week’s worth of wages in one
night? Had he really been so desperate? In my heart of hearts, I knew it was
true. I left my children with our neighbor and went to find out about my
husband.
He was sentenced to crucifixion. I followed as they took him up to the hill and
placed him on that cross. My precious husband lay dying above me as I sat at
the foot of the cross. I could do nothing else but wait for my husband to die and pray.
I looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward the hill where my husband
and another man were already suffering. Emerging from the crowd was a man
carrying one of the crucifixion crosses. He was stumbling and moving painfully
slow. I saw people wailing and trying to help him. I saw people curse him and
spit on him. As he got closer, I saw that they had placed thorns around his head
and blood and sweat were pouring down his face. Wait – that face looks
familiar. Oh no – it can’t be – Jesus? NO – not my Lord!
Soon my beautiful Jesus – my Lord - was hoisted up on the cross that he carried
himself through the city and up the hill. The two men I loved most in the world
were dying! Dying in an agony that no one should know! Fresh new tears
emerged as I looked up at my now unconscious husband and then toward Jesus.
I shook my fist at the sky and screamed, GOD! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO
YOUR SON? HOW? HOW COULD YOU LET THEM DO THIS TO MY HUSBAND AND YOUR SON?
I had cried myself dry and screamed myself voiceless; I could do nothing but
slump against the cross where my husband hung. My eyes witnessed things that
still wake me up screaming in the night. In my haze, I heard the 3rd man who
was crucified on that hill that day say to Jesus, “So you’re the Messiah, are you?
Prove it by saving yourself – and us, too, while you’re at it!” I was startled when
I heard my husband’s voice say to the other man; “Don’t you even fear God
when you are dying? We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man hasn’t
done one thing wrong.” His gaze shifted to Jesus and he said, “Jesus, remember
me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “Today you will be
with me in Paradise. This is a solemn promise.” I looked up at my husband. A
look of total peace was on his face. He smiled, told me he loved me and then he
was gone.
Despite my husband being dead, my Lord was still suffering. I could not leave
that hill. I sat quietly and reflected on the words my husband and Jesus had
said. Paradise? My husband in Paradise with Jesus and his Father – Our Father.
I prayed that Jesus’ suffering would soon be over and finally, my prayer was
answered. I heard my Lord shout, “Father, I commit my spirit to you.”
As I slowly walked away from the place where I had lost so much, I thought
about what I had left, which were my precious children. I will not have them
going through their lives ashamed of their father the thief! I will raise them to
hold their heads high because, just as Jesus has promised, their father is in
Paradise Jesus and when it is their time to leave life as they know it, they too will
be there with Him as well. My children are not the sons and daughters of a
thief. My children are the sons and daughters of a Child of God.
|
At the request of J and M, here is the monologue I did at our church last night for a show called "Those Who Knew Him." We were instructed to write our monologues from the perspective of someone that might have known or knew of Jesus when he walked this earth. The following is my monologue.
Did I know him? Yes I did. I will never be the same having been in the
presence of Jesus of Nazareth.
I happened upon him talking to a group of men as I was going to get some
water from the well. When I was able to position myself in such a way that I
could look at Jesus’ face without the men seeing me, I did so. Beauty like I’ve
never seen before stood before me. Don’t misunderstand me – at a glance, he
was an average looking man. However, he caught my gaze for the briefest of
moments and I looked into his eyes – and to look into his eyes was to look into
his soul and to look into his soul was to look into the Promised Land. Then and
there I knew – the stories were true – here stood my Lord. He nodded ever so
slightly as if to acknowledge my thoughts, and then continued speaking to the
men. I was standing there with my mouth open with tears streaming down my
face. Fortunately, I was able to compose myself before I drew any attention to
myself and I ran to get home and tell my husband. Except that he wasn’t
there…
I didn’t see him until the next day and suddenly he showed up with a bag full of
coins. Before I could ask him where he had been, he threw the money at me and told me to go to the market and get proper food to feed his babies. I was
so shocked I stood there for a moment and just looked at him. Without looking
at me he then yelled, “What are you waiting for woman! Be gone with you!” He
had never raised his voice at me before. Before I started to weep, I herded the
children out the door and went to the market as he instructed.
The children and I arrived home shortly before the noon hour and the front door
to our home was ajar. I didn’t think anything of it at first until I entered our
home and saw that it was ransacked. My neighbor ran over and informed me
that my husband was taken away by the Roman soldiers. She overheard them
saying he was arrested for stealing. Stealing? My husband? Then it began to
dawn on me. Where had my husband gotten a week’s worth of wages in one
night? Had he really been so desperate? In my heart of hearts, I knew it was
true. I left my children with our neighbor and went to find out about my
husband.
He was sentenced to crucifixion. I followed as they took him up to the hill and
placed him on that cross. My precious husband lay dying above me as I sat at
the foot of the cross. I could do nothing else but wait for my husband to die and pray.
I looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward the hill where my husband
and another man were already suffering. Emerging from the crowd was a man
carrying one of the crucifixion crosses. He was stumbling and moving painfully
slow. I saw people wailing and trying to help him. I saw people curse him and
spit on him. As he got closer, I saw that they had placed thorns around his head
and blood and sweat were pouring down his face. Wait – that face looks
familiar. Oh no – it can’t be – Jesus? NO – not my Lord!
Soon my beautiful Jesus – my Lord - was hoisted up on the cross that he carried
himself through the city and up the hill. The two men I loved most in the world
were dying! Dying in an agony that no one should know! Fresh new tears
emerged as I looked up at my now unconscious husband and then toward Jesus.
I shook my fist at the sky and screamed, GOD! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO
YOUR SON? HOW? HOW COULD YOU LET THEM DO THIS TO MY HUSBAND AND YOUR SON?
I had cried myself dry and screamed myself voiceless; I could do nothing but
slump against the cross where my husband hung. My eyes witnessed things that
still wake me up screaming in the night. In my haze, I heard the 3rd man who
was crucified on that hill that day say to Jesus, “So you’re the Messiah, are you?
Prove it by saving yourself – and us, too, while you’re at it!” I was startled when
I heard my husband’s voice say to the other man; “Don’t you even fear God
when you are dying? We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man hasn’t
done one thing wrong.” His gaze shifted to Jesus and he said, “Jesus, remember
me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “Today you will be
with me in Paradise. This is a solemn promise.” I looked up at my husband. A
look of total peace was on his face. He smiled, told me he loved me and then he
was gone.
Despite my husband being dead, my Lord was still suffering. I could not leave
that hill. I sat quietly and reflected on the words my husband and Jesus had
said. Paradise? My husband in Paradise with Jesus and his Father – Our Father.
I prayed that Jesus’ suffering would soon be over and finally, my prayer was
answered. I heard my Lord shout, “Father, I commit my spirit to you.”
As I slowly walked away from the place where I had lost so much, I thought
about what I had left, which were my precious children. I will not have them
going through their lives ashamed of their father the thief! I will raise them to
hold their heads high because, just as Jesus has promised, their father is in
Paradise Jesus and when it is their time to leave life as they know it, they too will
be there with Him as well. My children are not the sons and daughters of a
thief. My children are the sons and daughters of a Child of God.
|
