Peter
Drama
DATELINE: Jerusalem
Dramatic Dialogue Sermons Lent
Good evening. We return tonight to the ongoing story of Jesus of Nazareth. What is it about this story that continues to fascinate and enthrall? Jesus, a former carpenter turned street preacher, was executed by crucifixion at the urging of a Jerusalem mob. Prior to that, Jesus had been a well-known and even well-loved figure in Jerusalem and all of northern and western Israel. He had, in fact, been welcomed into Jerusalem in an impromptu parade, the route lined with adoring fans, less than a week before his execution. Joining us tonight from an undisclosed location is one of Jesus' closest followers, a man who was with him right up until the very end, Simon, son of Jonah.
Hello, there.
Thank you, Simon, for being with us this evening.
Hi. Call me Peter. That's what most everybody else calls me.
Very well, then, Peter.
That's the Greek way of saying it, anyhow. Jesus and the other guys say Cephas. Means the same thing. Means "Rock." I'm not sure why they call me that. Kind of hardheaded at times, I guess.
Thank you. Peter, if we could talk for a few moments about Jesus of Nazareth.
Yeah, about that: it's not true, by the way. You know, not entirely, well, um, accurate if you know what I'm saying.
What's not true?
Well, I wish it were true, but it's not really, not technically, anyhow. I wasn't with Jesus all the way to the end. If by the end you mean his death, anyway, though it looks like that's not really the end of it, anyhow. I mean, you know, after his death, well, that's a different matter. But all the way up to his death --aI was there most of the way. That little bit right before his death, and kinda during, I mean, no -- I wasn't there for that, but a good 99.9 percent of the time, maybe 99.8, well, the rooster thing, may be 96.4 percent of the time ...
Why don't we back up a little bit? Could you tell us about your relationship with Jesus?
Oh, yeah. It all started a couple of years ago, maybe three years ago, maybe a little less, I'd have to see a calendar. Anyway, Andrew and I were fishing, that's my brother, I mean, Andrew. And Jesus called us to follow him. And what a time it's been since then, you'd never believe. The huge crowds and the wild things we saw. The miracles, people all messed up getting put back together right now while we're watching. And Jesus walking on water, and man, could he spot fish -- just about ruined our nets. The stories I could tell you, I could talk your ear off.
I have no doubt. I understand that you were Jesus' closest friend.
Oh, sure, we're real tight. He even paid my temple tax for me one year. He said "Go down to the creek and pull out a fish and it'll have enough money in its belly to pay the tax for both of us." And I did, pulled out this nice big pike and slit it open; had two coins in it -- weirdest thing. Jesus would come over to the house, you know, help out, heal my mother-in-law or anything like that he could do. We got along real well. He called mea"Satan" that one time, but that was my fault.
He called you "Satan"?
Well, not just like that. He could be real complimentary, too. He asked who we thought he was, and I said he was the Messiah, and he was real glad for me that I got it right, affirming and all that. "Right you are," he said. "And you are the Rock. And people saying that I'm the Messiah is the rock I'll build the church on." And I was all pleased with myself, but then he kept on talking. You know how some people do that? They just keep on talking? And he says he was going to be arrested and tortured and killed and that, and rise on the third day, and I didn't want to hear that kind of stuff, so I said, "God forbid," and that's when he called me "Satan."
I'm sorry, I don't see the connection. Why would he call you "Satan" for not wanting him to suffer?
"Get behind me, Satan," is what he said. "You're thinking like people think, not like God thinks." Turns out that he was right about that, just like he was right about everything else.
You mean about your being Satan?
No, no. Gee, I hope not. No, he was right about the suffering and dying part, and the rest of it, too. That's just what happened.
You said that you weren't with Jesus at the very end. What happened?
Well, we were sitting down to dinner together, leaning down to dinner really, you know how people do. It was Passover, the Seder. It's the last meal we had together (well, until recently) and Jesus said that one of us was going to betray him. We all wanted Jesus to know it wasn't going to be us. I said, "Even if I have to die for you, I'm not going to betray you, ever." Everybody else said that, too. But Jesus told me that I would let him down three times, right then, before the next morning. Like stabbing me in the heart with a knife. That hurt worse than being called Satan. I couldn't believe he didn't trust me better than that, after all that time. Then we all went for a walk in this little park called Gethsemane.
But you were still with Jesus.
So far, yeah. Jesus went off on his own for a little while, and we all had trouble staying awake. He had to keep coming over and waking me up, but yeah, we were all still with him then, even when the mob arrived.
Tell us about the mob.
Well, there was this whole pile of soldiers with armor and javelins and torches, the whole bit -- like they just walked off some movie set. And leading the bunch up the hill was Judas Iscariot. I thought at first that Judas had gotten some of the soldiers over to our side. It would've been great to have some bodyguards; things were getting pretty tense. And Judas was smart like that, good at organizing. He was our treasurer, you know. But as soon as Judas gave Jesus a hello kiss (we do that kind of thing over here), the mob went on the attack. Turns out Judas was some kind of double agent.
And then this is the point at which you left Jesus.
Did worse than that, if you must know, but not yet. I was all gung-ho at first. I had a sword with me. You don't go walking around Jerusalem at night unarmed, especially around Passover time. Too many out-of-towners, and too many Romans. So I pulled out the sword and took a swipe at this guy Malchus who works for the High Priest. Great aim, too, if I must say so myself. Cut his ear right off.
I wasn't aware that the arrest of Jesus involved violence.
Not much. That was it, really. Jesus told me to put the sword way and I did. Then he told the soldiers that he'd go peacefully if they let all of us go, so they put the cuffs on him and drug him off.
And then you ran away.
Most of the guys did. I didn't. And John didn't either. We faked like that's what we were doing, but then we snuck along behind the soldiers, hiding in the bushes, waiting to see where they took him. If Judas can play double agent, then John and I could do some spying of our own.
So where did you end up going?
We went to the High Priest's house -- Caiaphas. John ran up ahead and caught up with Jesus, and they let John in, because he knew some of the people there. I think he even met the High Priest himself a couple of times. John talked to one of the maids later, and she let me into the courtyard.
I don't understand why you say you let Jesus down. It sounds like you were as supportive as you could have been.
I'm getting to that. The maid says to me, "Oh, you're with that Jesus guy they just drug in here." And I'm still into the spy thing, didn't want to blow my cover, so I lied, and said I didn't know what she was talking about. And then I'm standing in the courtyard after she lets me in, warming myself by the fire, and the soldiers keep at me. One guy said, "You gotta be with that troublemaker Jesus. You have the same accent like he does." And another one goes, "Yeah, didn't I see you in Gethsemane?" And I know he did, 'cause I definitely saw him there. But I keep saying, "No, no, I never even heard of Jesus," and then the rooster crows, and the sun comes up, and it's morning and Jesus was right. Again. I turned my back on him, over and over.
That's certainly understandable.
No, it's not. John stayed with him. Some of the women were there. Even his mother stood by him. As hard as it would have been for us, it would have been a million times worse for her. But nine of the others who were with Jesus on that last night and I ran and hid. We're still hiding.
Yet you called us this morning to set up this interview.
Things have changed. I don't think we're going to be hiding out much longer. This morning we woke up to a frantic pounding on the door. We thought it was going to be the police coming to get us, but it was Mary Magdalene, who stayed with Jesus the whole time. She had just run like a maniac back from the tomb. She went there as soon as the Sabbath was over so she could finish embalming Jesus, but when she got there, the body was gone. Then she said that Jesus was alive. We thought she was hallucinating. You know, wishful thinking, anxiety attacks, something like that.
Could she prove what she said?
We didn't wait around for that. John and I took off like a shot and headed for the tomb. John got there first, he's a lot younger you know, but he got to the door of the tomb and froze. I pushed him aside and went in and, sure enough, it was empty.
The Roman authorities are claiming that their guards fell asleep, and that the body was stolen.
Didn't happen. The body wasn't stolen. Jesus is alive.
You told our producer on the phone this morning that you weren't sure if that was true.
I wasn't sure this morning. But just before I left to come here and meet your cameraman, we had a visit. Jesus came to us. Don't know how he did it. The doors were locked tight, but there he was.
Is he still there, and might he be available for an interview?
Don't know where he is now. After a while, he just wasn't there anymore.
Pardon my saying so, but are you sure that this isn't just a hallucination brought on by anxiety or wishful thinking?
Jesus pulled up a chair and ate with us. Hallucinations don't move furniture. Wishful thinking doesn't chew fish. Jesus is alive.
This is astounding news. This must be a very confusing time for you. What will you do now?
This isn't a confusing time at all. Things have never been clearer. I didn't understand half of the things Jesus said to me at the time. It's all coming together now. He once said he'd make us fish for people, and I'm thinking, "What's up with that? Are we supposed to put a sandwich on the end of a line and cast it out into the street?" But I understand how. The hook is the cross, and Jesus is the bait. What am I going to do now? I'm going to go back to work. I've got some fishing to do.
Thank you, Peter. A truly fascinating story.
You're certainly welcome.
Incredible developments this morning. We will continue our coverage as we interview one of the more colorful characters in this affair, and one whose role has apparently just gotten larger than we expected -- Mary of Magdala. Good night.
Hello, there.
Thank you, Simon, for being with us this evening.
Hi. Call me Peter. That's what most everybody else calls me.
Very well, then, Peter.
That's the Greek way of saying it, anyhow. Jesus and the other guys say Cephas. Means the same thing. Means "Rock." I'm not sure why they call me that. Kind of hardheaded at times, I guess.
Thank you. Peter, if we could talk for a few moments about Jesus of Nazareth.
Yeah, about that: it's not true, by the way. You know, not entirely, well, um, accurate if you know what I'm saying.
What's not true?
Well, I wish it were true, but it's not really, not technically, anyhow. I wasn't with Jesus all the way to the end. If by the end you mean his death, anyway, though it looks like that's not really the end of it, anyhow. I mean, you know, after his death, well, that's a different matter. But all the way up to his death --aI was there most of the way. That little bit right before his death, and kinda during, I mean, no -- I wasn't there for that, but a good 99.9 percent of the time, maybe 99.8, well, the rooster thing, may be 96.4 percent of the time ...
Why don't we back up a little bit? Could you tell us about your relationship with Jesus?
Oh, yeah. It all started a couple of years ago, maybe three years ago, maybe a little less, I'd have to see a calendar. Anyway, Andrew and I were fishing, that's my brother, I mean, Andrew. And Jesus called us to follow him. And what a time it's been since then, you'd never believe. The huge crowds and the wild things we saw. The miracles, people all messed up getting put back together right now while we're watching. And Jesus walking on water, and man, could he spot fish -- just about ruined our nets. The stories I could tell you, I could talk your ear off.
I have no doubt. I understand that you were Jesus' closest friend.
Oh, sure, we're real tight. He even paid my temple tax for me one year. He said "Go down to the creek and pull out a fish and it'll have enough money in its belly to pay the tax for both of us." And I did, pulled out this nice big pike and slit it open; had two coins in it -- weirdest thing. Jesus would come over to the house, you know, help out, heal my mother-in-law or anything like that he could do. We got along real well. He called mea"Satan" that one time, but that was my fault.
He called you "Satan"?
Well, not just like that. He could be real complimentary, too. He asked who we thought he was, and I said he was the Messiah, and he was real glad for me that I got it right, affirming and all that. "Right you are," he said. "And you are the Rock. And people saying that I'm the Messiah is the rock I'll build the church on." And I was all pleased with myself, but then he kept on talking. You know how some people do that? They just keep on talking? And he says he was going to be arrested and tortured and killed and that, and rise on the third day, and I didn't want to hear that kind of stuff, so I said, "God forbid," and that's when he called me "Satan."
I'm sorry, I don't see the connection. Why would he call you "Satan" for not wanting him to suffer?
"Get behind me, Satan," is what he said. "You're thinking like people think, not like God thinks." Turns out that he was right about that, just like he was right about everything else.
You mean about your being Satan?
No, no. Gee, I hope not. No, he was right about the suffering and dying part, and the rest of it, too. That's just what happened.
You said that you weren't with Jesus at the very end. What happened?
Well, we were sitting down to dinner together, leaning down to dinner really, you know how people do. It was Passover, the Seder. It's the last meal we had together (well, until recently) and Jesus said that one of us was going to betray him. We all wanted Jesus to know it wasn't going to be us. I said, "Even if I have to die for you, I'm not going to betray you, ever." Everybody else said that, too. But Jesus told me that I would let him down three times, right then, before the next morning. Like stabbing me in the heart with a knife. That hurt worse than being called Satan. I couldn't believe he didn't trust me better than that, after all that time. Then we all went for a walk in this little park called Gethsemane.
But you were still with Jesus.
So far, yeah. Jesus went off on his own for a little while, and we all had trouble staying awake. He had to keep coming over and waking me up, but yeah, we were all still with him then, even when the mob arrived.
Tell us about the mob.
Well, there was this whole pile of soldiers with armor and javelins and torches, the whole bit -- like they just walked off some movie set. And leading the bunch up the hill was Judas Iscariot. I thought at first that Judas had gotten some of the soldiers over to our side. It would've been great to have some bodyguards; things were getting pretty tense. And Judas was smart like that, good at organizing. He was our treasurer, you know. But as soon as Judas gave Jesus a hello kiss (we do that kind of thing over here), the mob went on the attack. Turns out Judas was some kind of double agent.
And then this is the point at which you left Jesus.
Did worse than that, if you must know, but not yet. I was all gung-ho at first. I had a sword with me. You don't go walking around Jerusalem at night unarmed, especially around Passover time. Too many out-of-towners, and too many Romans. So I pulled out the sword and took a swipe at this guy Malchus who works for the High Priest. Great aim, too, if I must say so myself. Cut his ear right off.
I wasn't aware that the arrest of Jesus involved violence.
Not much. That was it, really. Jesus told me to put the sword way and I did. Then he told the soldiers that he'd go peacefully if they let all of us go, so they put the cuffs on him and drug him off.
And then you ran away.
Most of the guys did. I didn't. And John didn't either. We faked like that's what we were doing, but then we snuck along behind the soldiers, hiding in the bushes, waiting to see where they took him. If Judas can play double agent, then John and I could do some spying of our own.
So where did you end up going?
We went to the High Priest's house -- Caiaphas. John ran up ahead and caught up with Jesus, and they let John in, because he knew some of the people there. I think he even met the High Priest himself a couple of times. John talked to one of the maids later, and she let me into the courtyard.
I don't understand why you say you let Jesus down. It sounds like you were as supportive as you could have been.
I'm getting to that. The maid says to me, "Oh, you're with that Jesus guy they just drug in here." And I'm still into the spy thing, didn't want to blow my cover, so I lied, and said I didn't know what she was talking about. And then I'm standing in the courtyard after she lets me in, warming myself by the fire, and the soldiers keep at me. One guy said, "You gotta be with that troublemaker Jesus. You have the same accent like he does." And another one goes, "Yeah, didn't I see you in Gethsemane?" And I know he did, 'cause I definitely saw him there. But I keep saying, "No, no, I never even heard of Jesus," and then the rooster crows, and the sun comes up, and it's morning and Jesus was right. Again. I turned my back on him, over and over.
That's certainly understandable.
No, it's not. John stayed with him. Some of the women were there. Even his mother stood by him. As hard as it would have been for us, it would have been a million times worse for her. But nine of the others who were with Jesus on that last night and I ran and hid. We're still hiding.
Yet you called us this morning to set up this interview.
Things have changed. I don't think we're going to be hiding out much longer. This morning we woke up to a frantic pounding on the door. We thought it was going to be the police coming to get us, but it was Mary Magdalene, who stayed with Jesus the whole time. She had just run like a maniac back from the tomb. She went there as soon as the Sabbath was over so she could finish embalming Jesus, but when she got there, the body was gone. Then she said that Jesus was alive. We thought she was hallucinating. You know, wishful thinking, anxiety attacks, something like that.
Could she prove what she said?
We didn't wait around for that. John and I took off like a shot and headed for the tomb. John got there first, he's a lot younger you know, but he got to the door of the tomb and froze. I pushed him aside and went in and, sure enough, it was empty.
The Roman authorities are claiming that their guards fell asleep, and that the body was stolen.
Didn't happen. The body wasn't stolen. Jesus is alive.
You told our producer on the phone this morning that you weren't sure if that was true.
I wasn't sure this morning. But just before I left to come here and meet your cameraman, we had a visit. Jesus came to us. Don't know how he did it. The doors were locked tight, but there he was.
Is he still there, and might he be available for an interview?
Don't know where he is now. After a while, he just wasn't there anymore.
Pardon my saying so, but are you sure that this isn't just a hallucination brought on by anxiety or wishful thinking?
Jesus pulled up a chair and ate with us. Hallucinations don't move furniture. Wishful thinking doesn't chew fish. Jesus is alive.
This is astounding news. This must be a very confusing time for you. What will you do now?
This isn't a confusing time at all. Things have never been clearer. I didn't understand half of the things Jesus said to me at the time. It's all coming together now. He once said he'd make us fish for people, and I'm thinking, "What's up with that? Are we supposed to put a sandwich on the end of a line and cast it out into the street?" But I understand how. The hook is the cross, and Jesus is the bait. What am I going to do now? I'm going to go back to work. I've got some fishing to do.
Thank you, Peter. A truly fascinating story.
You're certainly welcome.
Incredible developments this morning. We will continue our coverage as we interview one of the more colorful characters in this affair, and one whose role has apparently just gotten larger than we expected -- Mary of Magdala. Good night.
