Joanna: They Have To! They Must Let Us Look After His Body

Easter Day

Characters: Narrator, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Angel, Jesus, Thomas, Peter and John

Narrator: It was very early on Sunday morning and Mary and Mary Magdalene were walking slowly to where they had seen Jesus buried. They were carrying a heavy load of spices to put on his body.

Mary: How are we going to manage this? What if the guard won’t let us past?

Joanna: They have to! They must let us look after his body.

Mary: What will be do about that heavy stone they put over the tomb? I don’t think even two soldiers will be able to move it. I’m sure we can’t.

Mary Magdalen; Let’s see if they will try for us.

Joanna: Wait a minute!! There’s the tomb – and the stone is rolled away.

Mary Magdalene: Where are the guards? What’s happening?

Mary: Let us run and see.

Narrator: The three women ran to the tomb and went in. All that was there were the strips of cloth that Jesus’s body had been wrapped in.

Mary: Where have they taken his body? What can have happened to it?

Angel: Do not be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus. He died when he was crucified. But he is not here. He has risen again just like he said he would. Go quickly and tell his disciples this message: “Jesus has risen from the dead.”

Narrator: The three of them ran away to tell the disciples.

Mary Magdalene to the disciples: Listen everyone. We have seen an angel at Jesus’s tomb and his body isn’t there. The angel said to tell you “Jesus has risen from the dead.”

Thomas: You are talking rubbish! People don’t come back from the dead. And Roman soldiers do a really good job of making sure they are dead so he can’t be alive. You are dreaming.

Peter: I don’t know. Jesus always said he would come back alive again. Something about three days, remember.

John: Why don’t we go and take a look? I’ll come with you.

Narrator: Peter and John ran to the tomb and it was exactly as the two Mary’s had said except they didn’t see the angel. They went back to the disciples puzzled by everything. The disciples were all talking about this when something unexpected happened.

Peter (to the other disciples): I can’t explain it. I don’t know what to think.

Jesus: Peace be with you.

Narrator: All the disciples were scared and couldn’t talk – they thought they were seeing a ghost.

Jesus: Don’t be upset. And why do you have all these doubting questions in your mind. Look at my hands and feet – you can see where the nails went through. Touch me – you can see it is really me. A ghost doesn’t have a body like this.

Narrator: They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much, too unexpected.

Jesus: Bring me some food if you like. I will eat it and prove I am not a ghost.

Narrator: So they did that and then they really knew that Jesus was alive again.

Jesus: You are my witnesses. Everything that I told you is coming true. As the Messiah I suffered and died and now on the third day I have risen from the dead so that everyone’s life can be changed.