Song . Hallelujah. What a Saviour
VO. A ruler in Israel. There can be no other king but me. Kill all
male children below one year .... Or make it two years old. Kill them all. Kill
Narrator: At his birth the heavens sang out loud. Choirs of angels sang
alleluia from across the skies. A star led the wise men to a manger
of straw and wood. And mothers wept as their little babies were slaughtered.
Over 30 years later the skies rain terror and the earth shakes as
he is crucified on a simple wooden cross at Calvary. His mother weeps for a
lost son.
But that death on the cross was also the birth of hope, the birth
of our Saviour.
The Mar Thoma Church Choir presents “ What a Saviour” - a musical
journey to Calvary and beyond.
In conversation Herod and a maid in the palace. (He- Herod, G-
Girl)
Song . Tis- midnight
Gethsemane
He. You. Maid. Who is this the people talk of ? Counselor? Wonderful
God?
G. It is about our Saviour- Jesus, your majesty.
He. You are Jewish aren’t you ?? These jews. ha They’ve found a new
king. A Jew of all people, who the Jews don’t accept themselves. These Jews are
... mad. Girl what do you think of this peasant king. This Jesus.
G. He is a most wonderful man.
H. Ah wonderful. Its your
age. Do you think I am wonderful?
You would if you weren’t a
Jew.
G. He’s a loving man, a
simple man.
H. They want simple men as
kings? What is it with these Jews? Simple men ha!
G. He heals the crippled, gives sight to the blind, gives life to
the dead, he’s fed thousands.
H. It’s a political stunt I tell you. Food for your patronage. You
simple people fall for these tricks. I’ve seen enough of these. A
few morsels and he is a king.
But I must admit. He has a good PR team working with him.....
healing people??? Tell me. Is he a Doctor to heal? Which University did he go
to. A healer? A caterer? A king??? Bah!!
G. He teaches us to love one another.
He. Love ...the weakness of
the masses. Ah love. I’ve seen enough of it Love. Tell me... you
tell me, can a Jew ever love another? There is no greater love in all of Israel
than a Jew and his money. Ha ha ha
Do you know my simple girl. They are going to kill your king
G. No!!. For what? What has he done. He promised us salvation. A
life of happiness in his kingdom.
He. Happiness and Life. Immortal thinking from a mere mortal.
I am not going to kill him.
I’ve had my share of killing. It is your own who worship him, it is your own
that will kill him. Ironical don’t you think?
Tonight the Sanhedrin meets
to give life or death to this simple king.
Songs . Hear my cry
He. Maid. Where is that
maid.
G. Your majesty
He. Aaah I have news for you
G. Tell me your majesty. Did
the Sanhedrin listen to him? Did they believe him?
He. Oh they loved him. He
told them he was the Son of God. No Magic. No Miracles. No drum roll. He just
told them straight off.
Poor Fellow Caiphas tore his coat in front of the Sanhedrin. Tore
it, top to bottom. Upset he was with Jesus ... or his tailor.
G. What about his disciples, his friends. There were thousands
He. They have moved.
Actually ran. Vamoosed. His followers, his friends, even his own disciples.
I’ve heard of a king without a crown. But yours has no subjects. No followers.
Nobody. Nobody but you? And he was sold for a kiss and 30 silver pieces. The
price of a kingdom comes fairly cheap don’t you think? And certainly, most
melodramatic. A kiss? A kiss? Aaa...
Song. O sacred head once wounded
G. They hurt him, they spit
on him, and they whip him, my Lord
He. . Must be a new trend in
Royal pageantry.
G. They’ve even put a crown
of thorns on his head
He. Well a king does needs a
crown don’t you think
G. He could have called have
called thousands of angels to help him
He. Ah yes I notice a
flutter in the breeze
G. Why do you mock him? What
has he done? Are you scared of him?
He. Scared??? Fool. Herod
isn’t scared of anyone. Does the lion fear a fly???
Songs : He could have called
ten thousand angels
He. Pilate was not impressed
by Jesus or the Pharisees . He’s packing your friend off and they’re bringing
him to me. He’s my case now. What do you think I should do?
G. Jesus is coming here. We
should prepare a feast for him. Shall I tell the cook to prepare the finest? I
will sing for him. He will tell me stories. He can do miracles?
He. Ah I could do with a bit
of entertainment. But go easy on the redecoration. He comes here with a death
wish.
Is that him? Looks awfully
small for a king.
Herods song. (From Jesus
Christ Superstar) To be read or sung
Ah ! Jesus, I am overjoyed to meet you face to face. You've been
getting quite a name all around the place. Healing cripples, raising from the
dead. And now I understand you're God,
So, if you are the Christ,
the great Jesus Christ. Prove to me that you're divine; change my water into
wine. That's all you need do, then I'll know it's all true. Come on, King of
the Jews.
Here’s another chance, you
can call it an opportunity If you are the Christ, the great Jesus Christ. Prove
to me that you're no fool; walk across my swimming pool. If you do that for me,
then I'll let you go free. Come on, King of the Jews.
Can you do that for me....
for us..... for anyone ??
You're a joke. You're not
the Lord. You are nothing but a fraud. Take him away. He's got nothing to say!
Take him away
G. What was that. Is that
how you treat a king.
He. Girl. Get this straight.
I could have him killed before your own eyes. I don’t want anything to do with
him. Let Pilate decide his fate.
G. I saw his mother Mary.
She was happy ....and.... worried as they brought him into Jerusalem on a
donkey shouting “Hosanna, God bless our king”. She didn’t see a king or god.
She sees her son. Now she sees him tortured and beaten .
He. Ah this king had
parentage. Mere Humans have gods for sons. And gods have donkeys for transport.
What is this world coming to?
G. He wept for Jerusalem,
saying, “ If you only knew today what is needed for peace! But now you cannot
see it. The time will come when your enemies will surround you with barricades,
blockade you, and close in from every side....
Song. Jerusalem
G. They drag him through the streets. They tore the flesh off him.
He’s just blood and bones. My poor king, my Lord. Where are they taking him?
He. To Calvary. To crucify
your king. The King of the Jews.
G. He drags this huge cross
with nobody to help him. Where are his followers? Won’t anyone fight for him? A
simple man. He healed thousands. Many believed him and now....now he is all
alone.
He. The ways of the world
are certainly strange.
Songs ..Via Dolorosa
VO. Saviour was he, in fear and confusion.
The soul thirsty, torn and
stretched,.
Thinking distraught and vision enmeshed.
The
Pharisees stood, proud and happy
The Saviour of the Jews, hung down lowly.
Pilate; his hands had washed; For in Him,
He found no charges of the Sanhedrin.
Song: Weep not for Him who
onward bears Song: O come and mourn with me awhile
VO. A Saviour
for a Son, now nailed and crucified.
The dream of youth, the lovely child
A Son of God? Or had the angels lied?
His mother
stands helpless, watching nearby
His friends and disciples left him alone
A Saviour was fine, but a criminal disown.
No followers or friends around, could be seen
To help him, they could find only Simon of Cyrene.
On
Golgotha, two thieves, on either side
Of the Saviour that day was crucified
One mocked and cried ‘Save us all’
Or... ‘why doesn’t God, hear your call’?
Song: Above
all
VO. The
laughing screams of the mockers grew loud
The Saviour confused, sweat and blood on the ground.
The pain and agony, disappointment and sadness
Aching heart, fear, confusion and madness
And then
with a loud cry he gave up his soul.
The Saviour Dead ? And silence was
whole.
Heaven and earth wept, the curtain
in Jerusalem tore,
Just like Caiphas’s coat, the night
before.
Song: Were you there
VO. The skies
rained darkness. The soldiers ran
The Saviour crucified, the hope of man
Tombs broke and gave birth to their dead
The Son of God, for the world had bled.
But on the
third day they found an empty tomb
Their
Saviour was gone, only cloth in the room
An angel appeared and to them he said
“Why seek ye the living among the dead”?
Song: Dark Calvary
He. Its strange and unusual. Quite upsetting. These Jews bring Jesus
to be crucified..... They kill one of their own? Torture him, beat him and
crucify him. And on that cross he gives up his life without protest or anger.
He even says “ Forgive them?” And then the afternoon turned to dark. Tombs
break open. The curtain in the Temple torn. People scared. I have never seen a
day such as that. Never want to see one again. And after two days no body in
the tomb. Missing ...? Nothing.... ...the king.... of the Jews.......?
G. Or... the king of the
world......?
Song: In Christ Alone
(A Cry of
Victory by Max Lucado)
“It is
finished.”
Stop and
listen. Can you imagine the cry from the cross? The sky is dark. The other two
victims are moaning. The jeering mouths are silent. Perhaps there is thunder.
Perhaps there is weeping. Perhaps there is silence. Then Jesus draws in a deep
breath, pushes his feet down on that Roman nail, and cries, “It is finished!”
What was
finished?
The
history-long plan of redeeming man was finished. The message of God to man was
finished. The works done by Jesus as a man on earth were finished. The task of
selecting and training ambassadors was finished. The job was finished. The song
had been sung. The blood had been poured. The sacrifice had been made. The
sting of death had been removed. It was over.
A cry of
defeat? Hardly. Had his hands not been fastened down I dare say that a
triumphant fist would have punched the dark sky. No, this is no cry of despair.
It is a cry of completion. A cry of victory. A cry of fulfillment. Yes, even a
cry of relief.
It’s over.
Song . Hallelujah. What a
Saviour
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