Burning Hearts

13 male actors, 5 females, all adult or older teens. About 8 minutes.

Excerpt:

BURNING HEARTS

Written by Warren Sager

(As the lights come up on the upper room, 9 disciples have gathered. Thomas is missing. There is a knock at the door)

JOHN: (offstage) It is I, John!

MATTHEW: (Opening the door) Come in, John. We were waiting for you.

JOHN: (entering with Mother Mary) Hello, Matthew…I brought Mary with me. She wanted to come. (Everyone greets her and Simon crosses and bolts the door)

MOTHER MARY: It is good to see everyone. I am glad you are all staying together. I think it helps if we are together.

JAMES: Come, Mary…come and sit over here. (He takes her across the room to a place to sit)

MOTHER MARY: Thank you James. Don’t let me interrupt what you were doing.

MATTHEW: We are trying to get Peter to tell us what happened this morning!

ANDREW: He wouldn’t say anything until you arrived, John.

MATTHEW: So tell us! Both of you! What did you see?

JAMES: Did you see those men that Magdalene spoke of?

JOHN: We saw nothing really, just the cloths lying there. Not His body.

PETER: Immediately, John thinks He has risen from the dead, but I was doubtful until Mary came back later and reported what she had experienced.

JOHN: Mary had followed us back to the tomb, but we headed for home and left her all alone. She saw the angels again, that must be who they were, and then she saw the Lord! (Everyone reacts… especially Mother Mary with emotion)

MATTHEW: She saw Him alive? I don’t believe it.

PHILIP: It was His spirit!

JOHN: He spoke to her! At first she thought he was the gardener, and she asked Him if He had taken the body, but He said her name and she looked at Him and realized it was Him. He asked her not to touch Him and He asked her to come and tell us that He was going to His Father and our Father…His God and our God.

ANDREW: That is incredible! How can we be sure?

NATHANAEL: No one is going to believe this. Magdalene is the only one who has seen Him. Others are going to find out that the body is gone. We will be suspected of taking Him.

PETER: Mary is not the only one. He appeared to me also, (they react) and to the women as they hurried home along the road. So there are witnesses, but we must be cautious. Mary told us that there were guards lying on the ground like dead men when they got there this morning. But when we were there, there was no one around.

SIMON THE ZEALOT: Those men either got up and left, or someone took them. That means that someone knows that the tomb was opened.

NATHANAEL: The Jews will think that we took His body. They will be looking for us. Are we safe?

SIMON THE ZEALOT: I think we are safe here. I bolted the door. No one can come in unless we let them in. (there is a bang on the door and they all jump, then all sit very quietly)

MARY MAGDALENE: (offstage) It is us, Magdalene and Salome, Joanna and Mary!

PHILIP: I’m sure they have brought food! Let them in! (Simon opens the door and the four women enter with baskets of food. Everyone greets them and takes the food… it is placed on the table. Simon bolts the door)

MARY MAGDALENE: Have you heard our exciting news?

MATTHEW: You really saw the Lord?

MARY MAGDALENE: Yes.

PHILIP: How can you be sure it was really Him?

MARY MAGDALENE: Oh, it was Him!

PHILIP: Perhaps a spirit!

MARY MAGDALENE: Well, I have never seen a spirit, but He seemed very real. I started to touch Him but He would not allow it.

SALOME: Then He appeared to all of us as we were on the road. It was really Him!

PETER: …And He appeared to me.

MATTHEW: What did He say to you, Peter?

PETER: Well… (Becoming emotional) He… (He cannot speak from being overcome with emotion)

JOHN: You’ll tell us when you are ready, Peter.

ANDREW: If this is true, then we should celebrate! Jesus is alive!

PHILIP: Unless they all saw a spirit. (Some agree… others frown at his suggestion)

NATHANAEL: Whatever the case may be, we must be very cautious. The Jewish leaders will not like this and they are going to be looking for us. They are certainly not going to believe any of these stories. They will say that we have concocted them. All of our lives are in danger!

JOANNA: Does anyone know that we are here?

NATHANAEL: Your husband works for Herod…

JOANNA: Chuza would not give you away. Besides, I don’t think he knows of this place.

SIMON THE ZEALOT: The door is bolted. No one is coming in unless we let them in!

MOTHER MARY: If I might speak. (They all turn to her with respect and silence) I realize that I am His mother, but my son is also my Lord. He is the Son of God and I know that He can do anything.