"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you will be saved..."
Acts XVI:30,31
from The Bible Revival
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you will be saved..."
Acts XVI:30,31
from
The Bible Revival
A Play In Two Scenes
By Father John R. Green
Copyright © by John R. Green
Shown with his blessing
Ben Gideon Rich Ruler
Leah Spouse of Ben Gideon
Zaccheus Follower of Jesus
Nabal Wealthy Enemy of Jesus
Methsaida Samaritan Leper Healed by Jesus
Joseph of Arimathaea Wealthy Friend of Jesus
Peter Disciple of Jesus
Nathan Beth One of the Seventy Commissioned by Jesus
Abigail Female Benefactor and Follower of Jesus
Napier Servant of Joseph of Arimathaea
The Reception Room in Ben Gideon's Mansion
Early Afternoon
SETTING: A large room with a centered rear window which faces fields of green and yellow harvest. Entrance doors are located at center of right and left walls of room. A serving table is situated to the right and shortly forward of window. Reclining seats are placed left and right of front center of room. Rugs are scattered on floor of room. Curtains adorn window and doors.
AT RISE: Ben Gideon is pacing anxiously to the right and left of front center of window with hands on his chest and head slightly lowered. Enter Leah through left center door carrying wine and fruit to the table.
LEAH Zaccheus has arrived and the servants are ushering him into our home.
BEN GIDEON (rapturously) Zaccheus entering our home - oh those words are the magic of music, charming music! (ceases pacing as Leah places fruit and wine on table and delightfully surveys them)
LEAH I hope your meeting with Zaccheus fulfills your hopes and expectations. I shall now have him come to you. (exit Leah through left center door.)
(Ben Gideon resumes his pacing for about fifteen seconds when Zaccheus enters through left center door. Ben Gideon rushes to greet him and clasps his hands over those of Zaccheus.)
BEN GIDEON (smiling broadly) Ah Zaccheus, you greatly honor me with your presence.
ZACCHEUS (chuckling) It is most unusual for me to be so warmly welcomed in a home.
BEN GIDEON (releases his hands over those of Zaccheus and slowly escorts him towards the serving table.) The gold you sent me merits my gratitude to you. (They reach table.)
ZACCHEUS (embarrassed, awkwardly) I was merely returning what was rightfully yours - gold I extorted from you during my corrupt and callous tax collecting days. (sighing) How glad and relieved I am that they are now behind me. (they reach serving table.)
BEN GIDEON Please feast upon the fruits and wine of my harvest, dear Zaccheus.
ZACCHEUS (after sipping wine with evident pleasure) You are a charming host, Ben Gideon. I wish to taste some of these grapes. (He takes a bunch of grapes and eats them with evident relish as he walks with Ben Gideon to center of room. He then gazes around the room and through the window at the fields.) You have a lovely home and beautiful lands, my friend.
BEN GIDEON (gesturing towards fields) Those lands bring me great wealth, and wealth is power. (pause, gazes toward ceiling) And power provides security.
ZACCHEUS (shaking his head) It never provided security for me.
BEN GIDEON (looking upon Zaccheus. intrigued) I understand that you disposed of your wealth and power upon meeting the teacher, Jesus. (searches face of Zaccheus) I don't understand the basis for such action.
ZACCHEUS It is very simple, Ben Gideon. I wish to follow Jesus as my Lord and master.
BEN GIDEON (anxiously) Did he request that you relieve yourself of your monetary estate?
ZACCHEUS He needed assurance that he would be the center of my life. And by returning the ill-gotten gains to those whom I had defrauded, and by bestowing the remaining funds upon the poor, I provided him with this assurance.
BEN GIDEON (walking halfway to front of room) Does the teacher Jesus require all who associate themselves with him to give up their wealth?
ZACCHEUS (smiling, pointedly) I believe I now discern the primary significance of my being with you today.
BEN GIDEON (approaches Zaccheus and faces frontward) From all I have heard about your Lord and Master, I believe he offers that for which I have been searching many years now. But I have great possessions.
ZACCHEUS He hasn't required all who join with him to forgo their riches. Joseph of Arimathaea continues with his wealth.
BEN GIDEON (surprised) Joseph of Arimathaea, a follower of the teacher Jesus? I had no knowledge of this. Joseph is a member of the Sanhedrin, which isn't too happy with the ministry of Jesus. (pause) Why could Joseph of Arimathaea keep his wealth?
ZACCHEUS Simply because it stands not in the way of his devotion and obedience to his Lord and Master. At least this is my understanding. I firmly believe that Joseph would gladly part with his wealth if Jesus desired him to do so. In my Lord and Master he has treasures far greater than gold.
(Ben Gideon sighs and shakes his head.)
BEN GIDEON (wringing his hands and walking back and forth) While I cherish my great possessions, my life is devoid of fulfillment. I am seeking a peace, a joy, a contentment which has eluded me. I long for a higher purpose in living. I hear that your Lord and Master teaches about eternal life. Well, life is so short in this world; I am the sole survivor of my family. (ceases walking and faces Zaccheus)
ZACCHEUS My Lord and Master teaches that eternal life is a quality of life which begins in this world when one surrenders his heart and soul to him. (Zaccheus walks in thought to front of room. He then speaks to Ben Gideon, hesitatingly.) How dearly and deeply do you desire eternal life? Would you forsake your gold, silver and lands to obtain it?
BEN GIDEON (passionately) Look, Zaccheus, all of my life I have kept the Commandments. I pay those who labor in my vineyards good wages, higher than they would receive elsewhere, and I work them less hours than any vineyard master I know. These shorter hours provide more work for other laboring men.
ZACCHEUS (tenderly) I am aware of your humanitarian actions. (pause) I don't know what my Lord and Master will require of you. (turns and approaches Ben Gideon) You may learn by seeking him out. He shall be in this vicinity within a few days.
(enters Leah from left center door)
LEAH (as Ben Gideon and Zaccheus turn to face her) The servants report that Nabal, the farmer, is approaching our home from the West.
BEN GIDEON Nabal! (to Zaccheus) Wherever he goes trouble and agitation accompany him. (to Leah) Have the servants bring him to this room.
(Leah hurriedly departs through left center door.)
ZACCHEUS (shaking his head) Nabal will not be happy seeing me here, although I returned all of the gold I extorted from him and moreover. He contends that there is self-seeking in my forgoing wealth to serve Jesus as my Lord and Master.
BEN GIDEON (he and Zaccheus face right) I am afraid that Nabal judges others according to his own motives and goals.
(enters Nabal through right center door, and glances hostilely at Ben Gideon and Zaccheus)
Need we speculate as to why you are here, Nabal? (pointing to table) There is wine and fruit for your pleasure and refreshment. You must be fatigued from your journey.
NABAL (approaching Ben Gideon and Zaccheus) Your Jesus is posing a threat to my farm income!
BEN GIDEON (exchanges startled glances with Zaccheus) I don't understand!
NABAL (angrily) The swine of a farmer over in Gadarenes country drown in the lake after being seized by demons - the same demons that were driven from the body of a lunatic by this Jesus!
ZACCHEUS You mean that the demons left the lunatic and entered the hogs? (reflecting, casually) That would frighten them.
NABAL (sarcastically) Oh, how profoundly perceptive you are, Zaccheus! The swine rushed down the hill into the lake.
(Ben Gideon and Zaccheus break into laughter.)
Do you think this is funny? Do you think that demons are hiding in hogs?
BEN GIDEON (still laughing) Forgive our joviality, Nabal, but since when do Jewish farmers mourn the plight of Gentile swine herders? We detest, we abhor the meat they raise, the food they sell to other Gentiles.
NABAL If your Jesus exorcises demons which enter hogs, will he not exorcise demons that enter sheep and oxen - yes, my sheep and oxen? There are demons in the bodies of Israelites of all shapes and sizes.
ZACCHEUS (soberly) My Lord and Master places human welfare above financial profit. What satisfaction do you derive from seeing a poor lunatic suffer? The Kingdom of Heaven which my Lord and Master is ushering in is not concerned with worldly status. It advances a quality of living for all, and sometimes this may be bad for business as usual.
NABAL (thundering to Ben Gideon) You heard him! You heard him!. This Jesus is a revolutionist, and you are supporting him! Not a few of our merchants are aware of your affording higher wages and shorter hours to your hired help. Soon all laboring men will be demanding similar income as their right. I beg you, I implore you, (shaking his right arm) I demand that you disassociate yourself from this Jesus!
(enters Leah hurriedly through left center door, whispers briefly to Ben Gideon, and retreats through left center door).
BEN GIDEON Methsaida, a Samaritan leper who was healed by Jesus, will be joining us. I invited him to my dwelling.
(enters Methsaida through left center door, and at warm beckoning of Ben Gideon he comes to center of room.
Nabal's body shakes with rage).
NABAL (furiously pointing toward Methsaida) Jesus healed a Samaritan, a cursed despicable Samaritan! How many of our Jews are in agony, longing to be healed, desperate to be healed, and (pointing to Zaccheus) your Lord and Master heals (pointing toward Methsaida) that damnable Samaritan! Well, I have no tolerance for such action. (rushes to attack and grasp the body of Methsaida.)
(Ben Gideon and Zaccheus hasten to pull Nabal from Methsaida.)
BEN GIDEON (indignantly to Nabal) How arrogant of you to attack a guest in my home! You have as great a need for the ministry of Jesus as anyone in this room.
METHSAIDA (visibly shaken) My Lord would do the same for you and your associates, Nabal, that he has done for me. I was the only Samaritan among the ten lepers that he healed. His love is for all of us. (shaking his head mournfully) When will Jews and Samaritans who worship the same God cease to be mortal enemies?
NABAL (bitterly, smoothing his ruffled clothing) It is now quite clear that I am wasting my time in your home, Ben Gideon. (to Zaccheus) You shall live to regret the day you cast your lot with your Jesus. The respected and revered religious leaders of Israel are denouncing him. I thank you not for returning the money which you extorted from me - you should not have taken it in the beginning. (pause) I am still at a loss for explanation as to why you dispatched it to me. I cannot accept that it was a request of your Lord and Master.
BEN GIDEON (to Nabal) In the hardness of your heart you will never understand. But you are entirely correct in one of your assertions. I fully intend to meet with Jesus.
(Nabal rapidly storms from room, exiting through right center door.)
(Ben Gideon, Zaccheus and Methsaida exchange foreboding glances.)
(Methsaida bows and exits through left center door.)
ZACCHEUS I too must take my leave, although a gentle one. I shall eagerly await word of your meeting with my Lord and Master. And I pray that he will come to mean all to you that he has meant to me.
BEN GIDEON (clasping hands of Zaccheus with his own) I pray this awaits me. May God bless and keep you. (hands are released.)
(Exit Zaccheus through left center door.)
(Enter Leah through left center door, and slowly approaches Ben Gideon, who appears to be in deep thought)
LEAH I know you plan to see Jesus, my most happy observation. (hesitatingly) I wish not to startle you, my love, but it is my desire to accompany you. My life likewise needs fulfillment, and I have heard that Jesus is most favorably disposed toward women.
BEN GIDEON (tenderly embraces Leah) I fear your approaching Jesus would rush a relationship. This very afternoon I have been accused of fomenting an economic revolution on behalf of laboring people. Bringing you to Jesus might incur even greater wrath. While the great teacher and master may truly honor women, the rank and file of our Israelite countrymen do not. (pause) I, too, want a richer and fuller life for you. I have given you complete charge of our household and garden servants, and made you my chief deputy.
LEAH (following a disappointed pause) Dear Ben Gideon, will you promise me that once you have joined with the great teacher you will arrange for me to come to know him?
BEN GIDEON Wait until I return. We shall see. We shall see.
LEAN (startled) You are not approaching Jesus with reservations? Oh, I desperately hope not!. I want to see you happy and content.
BEN GIDEON (releasing Leah from his embrace) I must prepare our estate for my departure. Shall we have some wine? (they walk embraced toward table.)
CURTAIN
The Reception Room in the Mansion of Joseph of Arimathaea
Mid-morning
SETTING: A large room with two reclining chairs placed to both left and right of front center and facing semi-forward. A curtain adorned door is in rear center of room. A table bearing fruit and wine is at center of room.
AT RISE: Joseph of Arimathaea is seated left of room, while Zaccheus and Abigail are seated at right center of room.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA I fear we are in for some unhappy moments before Zaccheus and The Seventy depart on their mission for our Lord. The messenger from Peter indicated that Peter is very distressed about one of our Lord's teachings.
ZACCHEUS I am afraid that Ben Gideon's meeting with our Lord and Master was tragic. What can we tell him?
ABIGAIL This is very sad. I had high hopes for Leah.
(enter Napier through rear center door)
NAPIER (to Joseph of Arimathaea) Simon Peter has arrived and desires to be in your presence.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA (to Napier) You may usher Peter to me.
(exit Napier and returns with Peter.
Napier exits again as Peter slowly proceeds to front center of room.)
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA (to Peter) I am happy to welcome you, Peter, and I have expected a visit from you.
PETER (wringing his hands as he glances at each of the three seated) I am very perplexed, very distressed. (lowers his head as though in thought, and then looks to Joseph of Arimathaea) Ben Gideon, a man of considerable wealth and prominence sought to become a follower of our Lord, but he was denied this glorious experience.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA May we assume, Peter, that monetary considerations was the basis for Ben Gideon's rejection by our Lord?
PETER (vexed, shaking his head) I have long thought that wealth and prosperity are the result of God's blessing upon the righteous. Our religious leaders have proclaimed resoundingly that this is true. (pause, paces back and forth sideways) Ben Gideon's wealth would have enhanced our Lord's ministry. With Ben Gideon as a Disciple other men of great substance may have followed his example - joined with our Lord. (stops pacing and faces Joseph of Arimathaea) Remember, dear Joseph, our Lord's ministry is being financed by wealthy Jerusalem women. Have I been misled? (pause) Why did our Lord not require you to sever yourself from your wealth when you became one of his followers?
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA (warmly) My dear Peter, the Prophets of Israel never declared wealth to be a reward for righteous living. And you surely heard our Lord empathize that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. God blesses both the rich and the poor, but not because they are sinless. Do you really believe that your poverty stricken friends are poor because they have offended God?
(Peter shakes his head in frustration.)
As for me, I would gladly separate myself from my great possessions should my Lord request me to do so. He seemed aware of my attitude when I joined with him.
PETER (desperately) But why did he demand that Ben Gideon give all of his wealth to the poor. Ben Gideon has always been good to the poor. And he never imprisoned anyone who failed to pay his debts.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA Of course, I wasn't with my Lord when he met with Ben Gideon. However, I surmise that he discerned that Ben Gideon's great riches would stand between him and complete devotion and service to our Lord. (pause, searches Peter's face) Why do you believe Ben Gideon was so reluctant to give up his wealth?
PETER (shaking his head) I don't know! I don't know!
ZACCHEUS (tenderly) This should be no mystery to you, Peter. Did not you and the Eleven give up all to become Disciples of our Lord and Master? Do you have any regrets for so doing?
PETER (turning toward Zaccheus. rapturously) What my Lord has meant to me far exceeds any benefit I left behind when I joined with him. At times I am confused, perplexed and even astounded by some of his teachings, as you observe today. But I am experiencing a joy, a peace, a friendship which I never dreamed would be mine. My life has a purpose and contentment that only my Lord can provide me. (pause) But I do worry about the dangers we have faced together and his prediction of greater dangers yet to come. (pause) Do you, Zaccheus, miss the riches you once had?
ZACCHEUS I believe I can best answer your question by posing one of my own. (intimately) Why do you believe our Lord required my separating myself from my fortune?
PETER Obviously, you gained much of it through extortion as a tax collector.
ZACCHEUS This is one reason. He likewise wants me not to be concerned. As a corrupt tax collector my life was like a bad dream. I am now ecstatic to be awake. All I have extorted has been returned and moreover. And many of the poverty stricken are relieved.
PETER (reflecting) We of the twelve did hear our Lord tell of the rich man and Lazarus, and we wondered about it.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA I was present when our Lord denounced the motives of the wealthy who tossed coins from their chariots to the poor in the market place. They were doing so for adoration and glory rather than to relieve the poverty stricken.
PETER (tossing his arms in resignation) He declares that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. How can anyone who is wealthy be saved?
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA With God all is possible. You are surely aware of this my dear friend in the Lord.
PETER (smiling rapturously and lifting high his head) No one knows this better than I! (pause, beaming in reflection) I treasure your counsel Joseph and Zaccheus. I shall now rejoin my Lord.
(Joseph of Arimathaea and Zaccheus wave joyously as Peter bows and then exits through rear center door.)
(Enters Napier through rear center door.)
NAPIER (to Joseph of Arimathaea) Nathan Beth is approaching on the lower road.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA (exulting to Napier) Welcome him to this house.
(exit Napier and returns with Nathan Beth who rushes to embrace Joseph of Arimathaea. Following embrace, he nods to Zaccheus and Abigail.)
Napier exits through rear center door.)
Please seat yourself comfortably, my dear friend.
(Nathan Beth occupies reclining seat at left of Joseph of Arimathaea, who returns to his seat.)
NATHAN BETH We of the Seventy are prepared and can barely contain ourselves. This second journey for our Lord might prove even more glorious than was the mission.
ABIGAIL I wish I could join with you. I feel so fortunate in serving my Lord.
NATHAN BETH (beaming) This may come sooner than you think. Mary Magdalene travels with our Lord. He treasures the devotion and loyalty of women; however, they may express it.
ABIGAIL Mary is most blessed. I am eager to meet her.
(enters Napier through rear center door)
NAPIER (to Joseph of Arimathaea) Ben Gideon is without.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA (to Napier) Welcome him in!
(Napier exits and returns with Ben Gideon, who pauses at entrance to room.)
Please join us, Ben Gideon.
(Ben Gideon anxiously approaches the seated group, as Napier exits through rear center door.)
BEN GIDEON (after glancing apprehensively at Abigail and Nathan Beth) I rather thought that my meeting would be with you, Joseph and Zaccheus.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA Oh please pardon the absence of social graces upon my part, dear Ben Gideon. (motioning with his right hand) Abigail is a devoted follower of our Lord, and Nathan Beth is one of The Seventy commissioned by our Lord to witness to the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. You may be at ease with them.
BEN GIDEON (relieved, nods warmly toward Abigail and Nathan Beth) I come to you quite shattered, as Jesus has rejected me as an inheritor of eternal life.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA (smiling, tenderly) Could it be that you rejected fulfilling the requirements for entering eternal life? I have heard of your kindness and generosity toward the laborers in your vineyards, and this truly pleases my Lord, I feel assured. His compassion for the poor, the starving and the homeless knows no bounds.
BEN GIDEON (wondering, pleading) Well, why does he want me separated from my treasures?
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA Because he wants to be the first and great treasure of your life. Treasures of the heart are the most glorious treasures of all. He wants you to surrender your heart and life to him - let him do with your life as he longs to do. Trust in him for your security - not treasures that will rust and decay. Wealth is transitory; my Lord is eternal.
BEN GIDEON (desperately) But Joseph, you are a member of the Sanhedrin. I made a vow to myself not to mention this to you today, but the Sanhedrin is widely known to be an enemy of Jesus.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA (smiling assuredly to Ben Gideon) It is good that you made reference to the Sanhedrin. I am associated with the Sanhedrin, not for self-glorification but to serve Israel and my Lord. This is likewise true of Nicodemus. My Lord needs friends on the Sanhedrin. It is a powerful body. But loving God and neighbor is the essence of the Kingdom of my Lord.
(pause as Ben Gideon walks back and forth sideways as though in reflective thought)
I do believe my Lord felt that you would make a great Disciple. There is strong potential there.
(Ben Gideon stops short.)
NATHAN BETH (places his arm around shoulder of Ben Gideon, rapturously) Come with the Seventy, Ben Gideon. You will experience a far greater joy than your life has hitherto known. You will see demons fleeing from the minds and bodies of men, the blind will see before your very eyes, the lame will leap to their feet and run before you. You will be a witness to changed hearts - hearts transformed from hatred and greed to love and generosity. And you will be a part of this glory! This is our second journey.
BEN GIDEON (stopping short) This is what I want, but how can I leave my fields untended, particularly at harvest time?
NATHAN BETH (moving to the right with Ben Gideon) Oh, but you must leave your possessions now and for all time.
BEN GIDEON (waving his arm, pleading as he returns to the left with Nathan Beth) But cannot I return to them as the need may be?
(stops, Nathan Beth takes his arm from Ben Gideon's shoulder)
NATHAN BETH (shaking his head, emphatically) Your entire concentration must be on spreading the Kingdom of Heaven. Your heart and your mind cannot be divided between your wealth and your mission for our Lord. As the great master and teacher has declared: You cannot serve both God and mammon!
BEN GIDEON But my riches could finance the mission of The Seventy!.
NATHAN BETH (replacing his arm around shoulder of Ben Gideon and moving to the right with him) We take no coins with us. Our Lord has made it clear that we are to be fed and housed by those who joyfully receive our message.
BEN GIDEON (stopping short) Why is it that the wealthy are called to surrender so much?
NATHAN BETH All who have treasures in their hearts and lives that crowd out my Lord must depart from them, whether it be wealth, power, business, occupation, a government post - yes, even family. Did not our great Moses leave the wealth, comfort and security of Pharaoh's palace to serve our God? What would be our fate today had he remained with Pharaoh's daughter?
BEN GIDEON (flustered, shaken) I hear the call of my vineyards. I must return. (turns to leave. pauses. turns back toward Nathan Beth) You may see me again after the harvest. (turns again and rapidly exits through rear center door)
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA Sad, sorrowful, Ben Gideon; he hears the call of gold more clearly, more dearly than the invitation of our Lord.
ZACCHEUS Did not our Lord and Master declare that many are called but few are chosen?
NATHAN BETH Unless one responds to our Lord with his heart, affection by voice is merely a windy utterance.
CURTAIN
THE END