The Appearing

Nearly every scene takes place in the Inn as several famous names show up: The Roman centurion, James and John, Mary Magdalene and Thomas, plus others. The final scene takes place on the mountain side as they await the final appearing of Jesus. We meet many others here, like His mother, Mary, Peter and Matthew, and then stories and testimonies are shared of how Jesus impacted their lives. The finale is Jesus appearing to share the final words from Matt. 28. Several options are given for how you might want to do that final part depending on your technical abilities. The play continues to ask the question, “do you believe in the resurrection?” The truth is declared that He is the Resurrection and the Life.

Cast of 20 (12 males, 8 females) Several extras needed. At least an hour long… (60-70 mins)

Written by Warren Sager
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
ABIGAIL: (Speaks 1274 words) Fictional character, Innkeeper’s wife. Skeptic.
ROMAN SOLDIER: (Speaks 1213 words) Longinus, the centurion, based on real person
BENJAMIN: (Speaks 1158 words) Fictional characters, Innkeeper, full of doubt and fear
MARY: (Speaks 1139 words) Martha and Lazarus’ sister
LAZARUS: (Speaks 1114 words) Mary and Martha’s brother
MARY MAGDALENE: (751 words)
MARTHA: (698 words) Mary and Lazarus’ sister
THOMAS: (690 words) The doubting disciple
JOHN: (582 works) The beloved disciple, left in charge of Mary’s care.
MARY, JESUS’ MOTHER: (446 words)
CHLOE: (Speaks 329 words) Fictional character, young woman who works at the Inn
JAMES: (305 words) Brother of John, disciple
CLEOPAS: (Speaks 264 words) Friend of the disciples
JESUS: (247 words)
PETER: (245 words) Simon Peter, a close disciple
SALOME: (174 words) One of the women, friend of the disciples
NATHANAEL: (114 words) One of the 12
MATTHEW: (92 words) One of the 12
JOANNA: (68 words) one of the women, friend of the disciples
ANGEL: (43 words) Messenger of God, male (usually)

Excerpt:

ABIGAIL
(Clearly nervous)
May I help you?
ROMAN SOLDIER
Yes… I hope so. I’m looking for some people. They are friends of the Nazarene.
ABIGAIL
Let me call my husband. BENJAMIN! Please, sir… we don’t want any trouble.
ROMAN SOLDIER
I don’t want any trouble either. Just information.
Benjamin enters
BENJAMIN
Why are you yelling…? Oh!
ROMAN SOLDIER
Hello, sir… are you the Innkeeper?
BENJAMIN
Yes, I’m Benjamin… my wife Abigail. Listen… We don’t want any trouble.
ROMAN SOLDIER
I just need to know if the people I am looking for are staying here.
BENJAMIN
Please sir… I can assure you that all of our guests are law abiding citizens… and there is no one hiding here that would be a criminal or someone who you would be looking for.
ABIGAIL
If one of our guests were to get arrested… that could hurt our business.
ROMAN SOLDIER
I’m not here to arrest anyone. Perhaps I should have changed clothes before coming. I don’t mean to frighten you. Truly, I come in peace.
BENJAMIN
But you are looking for one of our guests?
ROMAN SOLDIER
Perhaps I should explain. I was at the Nazarene’s crucifixion yesterday. I was pretty much in charge of making sure everything went according to plan. But I saw some people there… followers of this man. I just want to talk to them.
BENJAMIN
What makes you think they are staying here? At our Inn?
ROMAN SOLDIER
Well, I had them followed. My soldier reported back to me and said he saw them enter this establishment.
ABIGAIL
They are nice people. I don’t think they have done anything wrong.
ROMAN SOLDIER
So, you know who I mean. And they are staying here.
ABIGAIL
Oh dear.
ROMAN SOLDIER
Please… I just want to talk to them. They are not in trouble. Believe me, I would not want to hurt them in any way. I know they are friends of the Nazarene and I wish to ask them questions about Him.
BENJAMIN
It could be a trick.
ABIGAIL
Benjamin… he knows they’re here. Better that they come out peacefully, than he bring soldiers in and tear up our place.
ROMAN SOLDIER
No… it’s fine. That won’t happen. Just ask them if they would be willing to speak with me.
Abigail exits.
BENJAMIN
I really don’t understand what it is you want with them. Why are you questioning them? You got your man… he’s dead… what more could you want? The names of all his followers?
ROMAN SOLDIER
No. Well, not for any kind of arrest. I just want to know about the Man.
BENJAMIN
The man you killed?
ROMAN SOLDIER
I was just doing my job. I oversee crucifixions all the time… but I have never seen anything like this.
BENJAMIN
Why? What do you mean?
ROMAN SOLDIER
Surely you noticed what happened yesterday!
BENJAMIN
There was a lot of commotion in the streets. More than usual for a crucifixion.
ROMAN SOLDIER
I’m talking about the weather. It went black in the middle of the day!
BENJAMIN
Oh yes… I remember that… so strange. It was at noon and it lasted about 3 hours. But what did that have to do with….?
ROMAN SOLDIER
It was at the end of His life! Then He died.
BENJAMIN
What?? That must be a coincidence.
ROMAN SOLDIER
And then there was an earthquake! Rocks were splitting! It was as if God was weeping for His Son.
BENJAMIN
Oh! Don’t tell me that you believe that story about Him being the Son of God! You’re a Roman! You people don’t even believe in our God.
ROMAN SOLDIER
I cannot deny what I witnessed yesterday. Do you know that during the earthquake, tombs were opened?
BENJAMIN
Well… I suppose if the earthquake was powerful enough…
ROMAN SOLDIER
And bodies have gone missing!
BENJAMIN
Someone is stealing bodies from the tombs?
ROMAN SOLDIER
Or they got up and walked out on their own!
Abigail returns with the three siblings.
LAZARUS
Are you looking for us?
ROMAN SOLDIER
Yes… please don’t be alarmed or frightened… I am not here to arrest you. I just wanted to talk to you.
LAZARUS
About what?
ROMAN SOLDIER
I saw you at Golgotha yesterday. I was watching you with your friends. I could not bring myself to speak to the disciple or the women… they were so distraught. Besides, I was in no place to talk then. I needed a private location. So, I had you followed.
MARTHA
We were followed?
ROMAN SOLDIER
Yes. I didn’t think that you were one of the twelve. They all scattered at the arrest. I don’t really want to know where they are hiding. They have been through enough. But I hoped that you would speak with me. You are a man. I did not want to have the other women followed. So I chose you.
LAZARUS
What is it that you want to know?
ROMAN SOLDIER
Was Jesus of Nazareth who He said He was?
LAZARUS
You want to know if He was the Son of God?
MARY
Yes, He was! Does that give us a death sentence?
Benjamin and Abigail look very frightened and concerned for their friends.
ROMAN SOLDIER
Not in my book.
LAZARUS
(Sudden realization)
You’re the soldier who spoke those words. You’re the centurion.
ROMAN SOLDIER
So, you heard me. I proclaimed his innocence.
LAZARUS
You said, “Surely… this Man was the Son of God.” Didn’t you risk losing your position if that word got back to the governor?
ROMAN SOLDIER
I don’t think that anyone in the Roman government cares what each of us might believe. As long as we carry out our orders.
MARY
So, you believe?
ROMAN SOLDIER
I don’t know. Perhaps I want to believe. I cannot get it out of my mind. I saw something amazing… the way He spoke from the cross… the way He forgave His enemies… the way He told that thief that he would be with Him in paradise. But mostly… it was the way He died.
MARTHA
So… what? Now that He is dead… you want to become His follower?
ROMAN SOLDIER
If He was the Son of God… then we have done a terrible thing.
BENJAMIN
No matter who He was… you have done a terrible thing.
ABIGAIL
Benjamin!
ROMAN SOLDIER
You are right. We murdered an innocent man. Perhaps the gods will be angry with us.
MARTHA
The gods? You Romans and your gods!
ROMAN SOLDIER
I know, the Jews believe in only One God. And I am beginning to think you are right. And we just killed His Son. I have been so uneasy for the past 24 hours. I could not sleep.
MARY
He wasn’t just the Son of God.
ROMAN SOLDIER
What do you mean?
MARY
He was God in the flesh. I sat at His feet for hours while He spoke of His kingdom.
MARTHA
It’s true. My sister was very attentive.
ROMAN SOLDIER
So, you are saying that we killed your God?
MARY
You killed Jesus Christ. I don’t believe the God of Heaven can be killed. Not even by the entire Roman army.
ROMAN SOLDIER
No doubt.
LAZARUS
You are clearly not our enemy, but a man seeking the truth, just like us. I am Lazarus. These are my sisters, Martha and Mary.
MARTHA
Brother! Our names??
ROMAN SOLDIER
I’m called Longinus. Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell anyone who or where you are.
LAZARUS
My sister worries a lot. There is a bounty on my head.
MARTHA
OH!!
Martha sits in fear and panic as her brother tells all.
ROMAN SOLDIER
A bounty? Why?
LAZARUS
Because I was dead. My friend, Jesus called me out of the tomb after four days.
ROMAN SOLDIER
I heard of this! So, the story is true, then! Oh, now I am honored to be in your presence!
LAZARUS
As I live and breathe… yes. It is all true. But there is no reason to feel honored. I am just a man.

(later scene)

Benjamin enters.
BENJAMIN
Glad to see you are back safely. I worry about you, Lazarus. Now that I know who you are, I fear that they might still want you dead.
LAZARUS
God protects me.
BENJAMIN
He does indeed.
Magdalene, Salome and Joanna enter very excited.
BENJAMIN
Hello!
MARY MAGDALENE
Oh! I’m glad you are all right here!
MARY
What has happened?
MARY MAGDALENE
The most wonderful thing!
MARY
What could possibly…..?
MARY MAGDALENE
Jesus is alive! He’s ALIVE!!
ALL
What??
BENJAMIN
That’s impossible!
MARTHA
Mary! What are you saying??
MARY MAGDALENE
It’s true! I saw Him with my own eyes!
BENJAMIN
You obviously saw someone who looked like him…
SALOME
Listen to what she is saying!
ABIGAIL
Did you see Him, too?
SALOME
No. But Joanna and I saw the empty tomb.
JOANNA
And we saw angels there. They told us that He has risen!
ABIGAIL
You saw angels?
BENJAMIN
How many others thought they saw Jesus?
MARY MAGDALENE
As far as I know, He only appeared to me.
ABIGAIL
Oh, well, that’s convenient.
MARY MAGDALENE
I understand your doubt. It is too marvelous to imagine! The disciples did not believe me either.
BENJAMIN
As they shouldn’t. You saw a ghost.
JOANNA
We know that it sounds unbelievable. But we arrived at the tomb and the stone was rolled away… the tomb was empty and two men were standing there telling us that Jesus had risen.
SALOME
So we all ran back to the city as fast as we could go.
BENJAMIN
Wait…. How do you know the men were angels?
JOANNA
Because of what they said.
MARY MAGDALENE
I found Peter and John and I told them and we all ran back to the tomb. I was out of breath. They got there first and John believed right away. When I finally arrived back at the tomb… I was alone. When I saw him, at first I thought he was the gardener.
MARY
The gardener?
MARY MAGDALENE
I asked him if he had taken the body somewhere. But then he spoke to me and looked right at me… It was HIM! I ran back and told the others… but not all of them believe me.
BENJAMIN
But how do you know you didn’t see a ghost? Did you touch Him?
She shakes her head
SALOME
He’ll surely appear again!
MARY MAGDALENE
You believe me, don’t you Lazarus?
LAZARUS
He raised me from the dead. I can believe anything.
MARTHA
But if He was dead… who could raise HIM?
LAZARUS
Perhaps He has the power to raise Himself. Or it was the Father’s doing.
MARY MAGDALENE
Well, I see that you are mixed about this as well. I know it is hard to accept till you see Him like I did. I think you should come to the room where the others meet. Surely He will show Himself to His followers there.
LAZARUS
We will try to come. Perhaps later today.
SALOME
We should probably go. We want to visit Mary, too.
MARY
Does Mary know your news?
MARY MAGDALENE
I was going to see her first, but John said he was going straight there… and he was going to tell her. But I thought we would stop there on the way back. Perhaps she will feel up to going with us back to the others.
MARTHA
Give her our best.
JOANNA
Let’s go, sisters. It was nice meeting you all. I’m Joanna, by the way.
ABIGAIL
Abigail, and my husband, Benjamin.
MARTHA
Oh… I’m sorry. My manners.
The women leave.
ABIGAIL
Alright… now I have heard everything!
MARY
I believe it!
ABIGAIL
You want to believe it. But think about it! How can it possibly be true? You watched Him die!
MARTHA
Come, Mary… we need to rest and then get ready, if we are going to go over there.
MARY
You believe her, don’t you, Martha?
MARTHA
Like Abigail… I want to believe it. But isn’t it possible that Mary is mistaken?
MARY
No! I’m sure she is not.
MARTHA
I hope you are right… I really do! Now… we must try to rest.
LAZARUS
Excuse us. Come Mary.
MARY
I’m coming… but I will not be sleeping! Not with this news on my mind!
They exit.
BENJAMIN
We are living in a crazy world, Abigail. First He is a great teacher, a prophet of God, able to heal the sick. Then He is the Son of God… and then they crucify Him for no reason other than blasphemy. Now they say He has come back from the dead??! What next?
LIGHTS OUT.