Style: Light-hearted. Duration: 8min
Actors: 4M, 1F Characters:
Headmaster
Miss Smith
Micah
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Script
(Scene opens with Headmaster at desk, reading file. )
HM: (picks up phone) Miss Smith, can you bring in my diary please.
(Miss Smith enters stage right with diary.)
HM: Tremendous, that’s lovely. Thank you. Now, what exciting things have we got on at the Judah School of Prophecy in the midst of today?
Miss Smith: Well, headmaster, we’re expecting a fresh visitation from the education department at 11 o’clock. Then you have an outpouring of thoughts with the head of the Hebrew department about next year’s syllabus. And one of the students is waiting to see you.
HM: Who is it?
Miss Smith: Young Micah. Apparently you wanted to see him about the nature of one of his prophecies.
HM: Oh yes, that’s right. Young whippersnapper’s been prophesying about the birthplace of the Messiah. Show him in.
Miss Smith: Very good headmaster.
(Miss Smith exits SR & returns with Micah)
HM: Micah, my boy. Come in and take a seat.
Micah: Yes, sir.
HM: Now, I wanted to speak to you about this supposed prophecy of yours.
Micah: Which one would that be, sir?
HM: Now, Micah. You’re a good student. Don’t spoil your record by trying to be funny with me.
Micah: I don’t understand what you mean, sir.
HM: I’m talking about this ridiculous assertion of yours that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem.
Micah: Oh, that.
HM: Yes, that. (Rising & pacing) Now, we cannot be sure – but most scholars would expect the Messiah to come triumphantly to Jerusalem, the city where God has placed His name. Why on earth would He want to come to Bethlehem? There’s nothing there, for goodness sake. It’s little more than a watering hole on the backside of the desert.
Micah: I cannot tell the purposes of the Almighty, headmaster. All I know is that he has told me in prophecy that Bethlehem is the chosen place.
HM: It just doesn’t make any sense. The temple is in Jerusalem, the ark of the covenant is in Jerusalem, our nation’s capital city is Jerusalem, about which so much is said in prophecy. But Bethlehem? There is nothing in the Scriptures about Bethlehem. What exactly – and I mean exactly – does this supposed prophecy state?
Micah: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
HM: Alright, Micah. I see your sincerity in this, so I’m not going to put you on detention; but you are way off beam with this ludicrous idea…
(Miss Smith enters SR)
Miss Smith: Excuse me, headmaster.
HM: What is it now?
Miss Smith: Mr Jones in the Hebraic Studies department has sent down a pupil for disciplining.
HM: Who is it?
Miss Smith: It’s that sour faced kid, you know – never smiles.
HM: Jeremiah. What’s he done?
Miss Smith: Apparently, he’s been arguing with Mr Jones, saying that the Messiah will be born of the house of David.
HM: Show him in. (to Micah) You sit there.
(Miss Smith shows Jeremiah in & exits SR. Micah sits down)
Jeremiah: It’s not my fault, headmaster. Mr Jones doesn’t believe that the Messiah will be born of the house of David.
HM: There’s a reason for that, Jeremiah. There is no attested prophecy that states the Messiah will be born of that lineage.
Jeremiah: Begging your pardon, sir; but there is now.
HM: And what might that be?
Jeremiah: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
HM: Hmm. Sounds authoritative. Who said it?
Jeremiah: I did, sir.
(Miss Smith enters SR with Isaiah)
Miss Smith: Headmaster. Sorry to interrupt, but young Isaiah here needs to speak to you urgently.
HM: Miss Smith, can you get me a cup of tea. This day is not going according to plan.
Jeremiah, you sit beside Micah there.
(Miss Smith exits SR)
HM: Now, Isaiah, what seems to be the trouble?
Isaiah: Well, sir, I believe that the Lord has spoken to me about the Messiah’s birth.
HM: Oh you do, do you? What is it – national Messiah prophecy day, or just wind up the headmaster day? (Calming down) All right. What’s your word of prophecy, then?
Isaiah: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.”
Jeremiah: (stands & approaches) Sir! That confirms my prophecy that the Messiah will be of the house of David .
Micah: (stands and approaches) Excuse me, sir, but according to the prophet Samuel, Bethlehem is David’s city, so it makes sense that if the Messiah is of the house of David, He would be born in David’s city.
Isaiah: Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses …
HM: …a word shall be established. Yes, I know. Well, this is all certainly very interesting, lads.
Isaiah: And there are camels.
Jeremiah: Camels?
Isaiah: “The multitude of camels shall cover thee; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord.”
Micah: Cool – Camels bringing gifts to the Messiah.
Jeremiah: I imagine it’s the people riding camels that will bring the gifts.
Micah: Wise guy.
Jeremiah: Probably several wise guys, actually.
Isaiah: There’s just one more thing about the Messiah’s birth, sir.
HM: Just when I thought I’d had all the revelation I can take for one day. OK. (to Micah & Jeremiah) You two sit down. (to Isaiah) Let’s hear it.
Isaiah: “The Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son.”
HM: Now, young man, you’ve gone too far. A virgin shall conceive. Preposterous.
Micah: No more preposterous than the Red Sea parting.
HM: But are you really saying that the Messiah will be human – a mere mortal? Everyone knows that He will be the Son of God, coming victoriously in great power and glory. Not born as a baby.
Micah: But the Messiah being born of a woman is in agreement with Genesis: the Messiah is described as the seed of woman – no mention of man. For that word to be fulfilled literally, a virgin must conceive.
Jeremiah: Our God is a miraculous Creator – He gave life to Adam and Eve; it’s no big deal to Him to bring forth the Messiah creatively.
Isaiah: I’ve not finished yet: “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel”.
HM: Now you’re contradicting yourself by saying His name shall be Immanuel. That means “God with us.” You’re saying that the Messiah will be God with us and born as a baby. How can the Messiah be both human and divine at the same time?
Micah: Well, sir, surely He has to be both if He is to fulfil all prophecy.
Jeremiah: He has to be fully human to identify with us and to be our Saviour – “made of a woman, made under the law to redeem all of us who are under the law”.
Isaiah: We need Him to be a high priest who is able to sympathise with our weaknesses; and in all points tempted like we are – yet without sin.
Micah: So, as the spotless Lamb of God He will be offered to bear the sins of many.
Jeremiah: Yet His divinity is undiminished – in Him will the fullness of the Godhead dwell in bodily form.
Isaiah: The Word will become flesh and dwell among us.
HM: You seem to have this all worked out don’t you?
Micah: Just according to what the Lord has said to us.
HM: You may be right about the nature of the Messiah – but you have to learn to distinguish between genuine prophecy and your vivid imaginations. Bethlehem, house of David, born of a virgin. Next, you’ll be telling me that the birth of the Messiah will be marked by a fat man with a white beard and wearing a red suit! Ho, ho, ho.
Jeremiah: (to Micah & Isaiah) Do you want to tell him or will I?
Isaiah: In the future, many hundreds of years after Messiah comes, there will be those who seek to overshadow His coming with sins such as greed, gluttony, and selfishness.
Micah: People will actually suffer stress, loneliness, depression and family breakdown because of Messiah’s coming.
HM: That’s ridiculous. The Messiah will bring peace and joy to the world – not sin and suffering.
Jeremiah: But it is not the Messiah’s fault that all this happens.
Micah: It’s just how they celebrate His birth.
Isaiah: They’ll make it a national holiday – spend too much, each too much, drink too much.
HM: Right you three – you’re all on detention.
Isaiah: What?
Jeremiah: That’s not fair.
Micah: We’ve not done anything wrong.
HM: Nothing wrong! I can put up with misguided prophecies; but blatant lies about celebrating the Messiah’s birth – that’s a step too far. The deceptions of simple fleshly desires will never overtake the most significant event in human history. Back to classes, all of you.
(Micah, Jeremiah & Isaiah all exit SR) “But sir …”
HM: (exiting SR) Birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem? Born of a virgin? Got to nip this nonsense in the bud, or before you know it, there will be stories of angelic visitations to shepherds watching their flocks …
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© Copyright Barry Brannen 2009, 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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