Summary: Based on the book of Luke, an old shepherd relates the up and downs of his life.
Style: Dramatic. Duration: 10min
Actors: 1M
Characters
An elderly shepherd.
Script
Although I am now old and nearing the end of my life I have so many memories to remember, both good and bad and some almost terrifying.
I’ve always been a shepherd. I started my work as a very young boy near Bethlehem, living out under an open sky in the fields, watching over our flocks. We used to work in shifts, and one night I witnessed the most amazing sight. Even after all these years I cannot forget the impact of that night.
It was a quiet night, just like any other, when suddenly an angel stood in our midst. There were lights and flashings in the sky. We were all terrified, but the angel soon reassured us and told us not to be afraid. This calmed the situation and little and then the angel told us that he brought good news for all. He said that a Saviour, the promised Messiah, was born in the town of David, Bethlehem, and even told us where to find Him.
We were still stunned but the senior shepherds decided that we should go and see this special child. So we did.
We found Him in a dirty rundown stable lying in a manger, which was a shock. Fancy that, our Messiah in a dirty stable, stinking of animal droppings! But we soon forgot about that because there was a great feeling of peace about that stable and as we knelt to see the baby we were filled with awe and joy. I will never forget that night.
Little did I know that later in life, about thirty years, I would encounter Jesus and witness many situations in His life.
Later, as I grew older, I heard about a new prophet that was going around the countryside preaching, healing folk and casting out demons. I didn’t connect him to the baby in the stable long ago until I managed to hear this preacher called Jesus.
I remember, vividly that one day, the first time I saw Him again, He was preaching on some high ground. The teachings of Jesus were so original and nothing like the lessons that our priests taught. Everyone marvelled at His wisdom. He preached to the humble people, the poor and neglected and we listened to His every word.
I realised that day, that Jesus was full of love for everyone, no matter who they were or what their station was in life. He had no favourites. He treated everyone the same and loved them all.
Through the years, I followed Jesus, He performed many miracles. I was present when He fed around five thousand people. The bread and fish were delicious!
All His miracles were unique. He even touched lepers, and He never bought healing to folk in the same way. Jesus must have delivered hundreds of people from demons, because the demon possessed were common in those days. Nothing stopped Him from healing anyone that the Holy Spirit showed Him, if they had the faith for healing.
Those were the good times, but not everyone appreciated His ministry.
Thousands were bought back to Jehovah, but other people, including our elders, were jealous of Him because He always spoke the truth in everything, including their schemes. His teachings were so new to us, and His love for everyone He met shone out, even to His enemies. The elders got so angry with Him that they began to forbid the people from following Him.
What I did not realise, at the time, was that they wanted to kill Him, Israel’s Messiah.
Everyone was looking for Him, some to hear His words of wisdom and some to entrap Him with lies.
Towards the end of His life, Jesus sat on a donkey and rode into Jerusalem. His disciples and the crowd began to rejoice and praise God. The noise was terrific. They called out “Blessed is the King coming in the name of the Lord! Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!” However, some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” Jesus replied: “I tell you that if these should be silent, the stones would cry out.” This surprised me, because I thought that nothing could oppose the Messiah, or stop His ministry. How wrong I was!
As He drew near to Jerusalem, He wept over it - He actually cried, which was further surprised me and the crowd, because we did not understand.
We heard Him say: “If you had known, even you, even at least in this day of yours, the things for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come on you that your enemies will raise up a rampart to you, and will surround you, and will keep you in on every side. And they will tear you down, and your children within you, and will not leave a stone on a stone because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
The crowd kept following Him and when Jesus arrive at the temple, He became enraged and began to throw out those selling and buying in it, saying to them, It is written, "’My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of thieves.”
As the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, drew near, the chief priests and scribes searched for a way to kill Him, but they were frightened of the people, because of the enormous effect that Jesus’ preaching and teaching had had on the people.
I later heard something that was almost unbelievable, the fact that one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus. As a result, He was arrested and tortured by the Romans and sent before Pilate, the Roman governor.
Pilate ask Jesus if He was the King of the Jews. Jesus replied, “You say it.” Pilate said that he could find no fault in Jesus, despite the accusations of the chief priests, and wanted to release Him, but the religious leaders roused up the people to a fever pitch and they started shouting “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
I was totally amazed. After all the wonderful teachings and healings that Jesus had done, the people now turned on Him. I wondered how they could want Him executed.
It was only later on I realised that not all of Jerusalem and the people had heard him, and after His resurrection His disciples taught that it was God’s will that Jesus should die for the whole world.
Now, as I said, I am an old man but still a follower of Jesus. He changed my life. Glory to God
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© Copyright Roger Bulpitt, all rights reserved. The script may not be reproduced, translated or copied in any medium, including books, CDs and on the Internet, without written permission of the author.
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