The Prophet
Drama
Lectionary Scenes
56 Vignettes For Cycle C
Theme
What is a prophet? How would a person know if he were a prophet? Better than that, how would a person know if he were the Prophet? How could a person be sure it was God speaking to him? How would it sound?
Summary
John is a young man who has a burden to pray for the Prophet of the Lord to appear. But he is not sure when he hears the Lord. His father, Zacharias, knows his destiny and is trying to help young John to discover it for himself.
Playing Time
4 minutes
Setting
At home
Props
None
Costumes
Hebrew of Jesus' time
Time
The time of Christ
Cast
JOHN -- a young Levite who has a burden topray for the coming of the Prophet
ZACHARIAS -- his father, a priest
(JOHN AND ZACHARIAS ENTER IN DEEP CONVERSATION)
JOHN: What we need is the Prophet.
ZACHARIAS: The Prophet will come when the time is right.
JOHN: The time has to be right now.
ZACHARIAS: Have you been praying?
JOHN: Everyone prays for the Prophet. The prophet will announce the coming of the Messiah.
ZACHARIAS: You know what I mean. Have you been praying? Really praying?
JOHN: Yes, you know I have. I pray every morning, at noon and at dusk.
ZACHARIAS: And you pray specifically for the Prophet.
JOHN: Of course I do. That is the one burden the Lord God, may his name be praised, has given to me. I feel the burden so much I cry out to the Lord to send the Prophet to us.
ZACHARIAS: And what does the Lord God say in return?
JOHN: The Prophet has not come, has he?
ZACHARIAS: I asked if the Lord had spoken to you.
JOHN: What do you mean?
ZACHARIAS: If you ask a person something, doesn't he answer you?
JOHN: Most of the time, yes.
ZACHARIAS: Well, what did God say?
JOHN: I don't know. I never thought about it that way.
ZACHARIAS: Are you sure God hasn't spoken to you?
JOHN: I'd know it, wouldn't I, if the Lord God of heaven and earth spoke to me?
ZACHARIAS: What would his voice sound like?
JOHN: Well, I guess I never heard it. I guess I wouldn't know.
ZACHARIAS: If you wouldn't know the Lord's voice if you heard it, you might have heard it already and didn't know it was the Lord. Right?
JOHN: Yes, I guess that's true.
ZACHARIAS: What about Isaiah?
JOHN: Isaiah saw visions. I have seen no visions.
ZACHARIAS: And Jeremiah?
JOHN: God put the words in Jeremiah's mouth. What does that mean, Father?
ZACHARIAS: I'm not sure. It must mean that the words from God were in Jeremiah's mind when he needed them and then he spoke them.
JOHN: Moses, we know, spoke face to face with God in the tent of meeting. That hasn't happened since.
ZACHARIAS: What happened to me was very nearly that.
JOHN: When the angel Gabriel announced my birth.
ZACHARIAS: Yes, son, that's right. (BRINGING HIM BACK TO THE SUBJECT) What about Malachi?
JOHN: Oh, yes, Malachi. How did he hear the word of the Lord?
ZACHARIAS: Malachi had a burden of the Lord.
JOHN: I certainly have that. I have a burden.
ZACHARIAS: That's right. That's what you said. You said you had a burden to pray for the Prophet.
JOHN: What does that mean, Father?
ZACHARIAS: Well, one thing it means is that you have heard from the Lord.
JOHN: Is this true?
ZACHARIAS: It is true.
JOHN: What do I do with a burden from the Lord?
ZACHARIAS: The only thing you can do -- whenever you have a burden from the Lord you must express it in some way. Do that and you will be doing God's will.
JOHN: I'll do that, Father.
ZACHARIAS: I think it might be a great burden. And I think you might be the burden bearer.
What is a prophet? How would a person know if he were a prophet? Better than that, how would a person know if he were the Prophet? How could a person be sure it was God speaking to him? How would it sound?
Summary
John is a young man who has a burden to pray for the Prophet of the Lord to appear. But he is not sure when he hears the Lord. His father, Zacharias, knows his destiny and is trying to help young John to discover it for himself.
Playing Time
4 minutes
Setting
At home
Props
None
Costumes
Hebrew of Jesus' time
Time
The time of Christ
Cast
JOHN -- a young Levite who has a burden topray for the coming of the Prophet
ZACHARIAS -- his father, a priest
(JOHN AND ZACHARIAS ENTER IN DEEP CONVERSATION)
JOHN: What we need is the Prophet.
ZACHARIAS: The Prophet will come when the time is right.
JOHN: The time has to be right now.
ZACHARIAS: Have you been praying?
JOHN: Everyone prays for the Prophet. The prophet will announce the coming of the Messiah.
ZACHARIAS: You know what I mean. Have you been praying? Really praying?
JOHN: Yes, you know I have. I pray every morning, at noon and at dusk.
ZACHARIAS: And you pray specifically for the Prophet.
JOHN: Of course I do. That is the one burden the Lord God, may his name be praised, has given to me. I feel the burden so much I cry out to the Lord to send the Prophet to us.
ZACHARIAS: And what does the Lord God say in return?
JOHN: The Prophet has not come, has he?
ZACHARIAS: I asked if the Lord had spoken to you.
JOHN: What do you mean?
ZACHARIAS: If you ask a person something, doesn't he answer you?
JOHN: Most of the time, yes.
ZACHARIAS: Well, what did God say?
JOHN: I don't know. I never thought about it that way.
ZACHARIAS: Are you sure God hasn't spoken to you?
JOHN: I'd know it, wouldn't I, if the Lord God of heaven and earth spoke to me?
ZACHARIAS: What would his voice sound like?
JOHN: Well, I guess I never heard it. I guess I wouldn't know.
ZACHARIAS: If you wouldn't know the Lord's voice if you heard it, you might have heard it already and didn't know it was the Lord. Right?
JOHN: Yes, I guess that's true.
ZACHARIAS: What about Isaiah?
JOHN: Isaiah saw visions. I have seen no visions.
ZACHARIAS: And Jeremiah?
JOHN: God put the words in Jeremiah's mouth. What does that mean, Father?
ZACHARIAS: I'm not sure. It must mean that the words from God were in Jeremiah's mind when he needed them and then he spoke them.
JOHN: Moses, we know, spoke face to face with God in the tent of meeting. That hasn't happened since.
ZACHARIAS: What happened to me was very nearly that.
JOHN: When the angel Gabriel announced my birth.
ZACHARIAS: Yes, son, that's right. (BRINGING HIM BACK TO THE SUBJECT) What about Malachi?
JOHN: Oh, yes, Malachi. How did he hear the word of the Lord?
ZACHARIAS: Malachi had a burden of the Lord.
JOHN: I certainly have that. I have a burden.
ZACHARIAS: That's right. That's what you said. You said you had a burden to pray for the Prophet.
JOHN: What does that mean, Father?
ZACHARIAS: Well, one thing it means is that you have heard from the Lord.
JOHN: Is this true?
ZACHARIAS: It is true.
JOHN: What do I do with a burden from the Lord?
ZACHARIAS: The only thing you can do -- whenever you have a burden from the Lord you must express it in some way. Do that and you will be doing God's will.
JOHN: I'll do that, Father.
ZACHARIAS: I think it might be a great burden. And I think you might be the burden bearer.
