"Dawn of the Living" an Easter skit

(based on Matthew 27: 50 – 53)

Cast: Father (Rueben)
Mother (Sarah)
Daughter (Ruth)
Grandfather
Boarder (Thad)

Scene opens with Father in chair and daughter playing on the floor. All wear “Biblical” dress.

(KNOCK ON THE DOOR)

Reuben: Ruthie, could you see who’s at the door?

Ruth: Dad…It’s Grandpa!

Reuben: Ruthie, tha isn’t funny. You know it can’t be Grandpa, because Grandpa is… (GRANDPA ENTERS) Grandpa!

Grandfather: Hello, Ruthie! Hello, Son!

(RUTH RUNS TO HUG GRANDFATHER, REUBEN STANDS ASTONISHED)

Ruth: I’m so glad to see you, Grandpa! Hey, you don’t smell funny. Daddy, you said Grandpa would smell funny!

Reuben: Well, this is quite a surprise. I thought you were, um, somewhere else.

Grandfather: Why don’t you just say it, Son? You thought I was dead. You can say it.

Reuben: Yes, well, weren’t you…aren’t you…dead?

(MOTHER ENTERS CARRYING TRAY WITH PLATES…SCREAMS…DROPS TRAY.)

Grandfather: Oh, I’m sorry, Sarah! If there had been any way to let you know I was coming, I would have told you!

Sarah: Reuben, is it…a ghost?

Grandfather: No, dear, I can assure you I’m not.

(GRANDFATHER APPROACHES MOHTER AND SHE STEPS BACK)
Ruth: He’s not, Mom! I can hug him and smell him.

Reuben: But I don’t understand. I was there. You stopped breathing. There was not a sign of life. I helped bury you five weeks ago. We had dozens of mourners for your service.

Grandfather: Oh, yes. How was my service?

Ruth: It was pretty boring.

Sarah: No, dear, I thought it was very nice… What am I saying? How can you be here? What’s going on?

Grandfather: Yes, dear, I’m sorry. Explanations are in order, at least as much of an explanation as I can give. I remember lying in my bed and felling my life slipping away. I remember you were at my side, Son. Then all went black. I assume time passed, and I opened my eyses to see a bright, glorious Creature. He told me not to be afraid, but that he had come to give me great news. That Jesus is indeed the Messiah, and I was to go out and tell others that Jesus had risen from the dead. The Creature vanished, and I realized I was in the family tomb. Then the stone at the entrance shattered into pieces, so I came here.

Ruth: That is so cool!

Sarah: Ruthie, go outside. (DAUGHTER LEAVES.) That is simply amazing. I can’t say how happy we are for you and your… ah…undeadness. But if you were planning to come back to stay here, there may be a problem…

(BOARDER ENTERS.)

Thad: Hey, Reuben, Sarah… What’s going on?

Sarah: Oh, Thaddeus. I’d like to introduce you to Reuben’s father, Elijah. Elijah, this is Thaddeus. He’s been renting your old room.

Thad: Oh, you can call me, Thad. It’s strange, somehow I got the impression that you were…Oh, what do you call it?

Grandfather: Dead?

Thad: Bingo! That’s it.

Grandfather: I was dead.

Sarah: Yes, you were. And it wasn’t cheap to bury you. We had bills for the myrrh and the mourners. I couldn’t believe the charges. And then the Romans are charging what they call an “estate tax”. We had to sell your things. And take it Thad, here, as a boarder. We couldn’t have managed otherwise. And I don’t think it would be fair to Thad to kick him out because you didn’t stay…like you were.

Grandfather: Don’t worry, Sarah. I know it’s not convenient for you to have me alive again. Your boarder can stay, and I can certainly do without my former possessions. Those things are nothing compared to what I now have. I know the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, and I know that he has power over death itself. And I have been charged with sharing that news.

Reuben: Yes. And that, Dad. Lately, there hasn’t been a very positive sentiment about this Jesus. I know when you went to hear Him speak, there were throngs of enthusiastic followers, but things have changed. The religious leaders, and the Romans, too, came to see His message as a dangerous one. So they crucified Him. Now, I’m not in a place to make a judgment about the man one way or another. But it doesn’t seem like the safest time to go around proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. Who knows what the authorities may do? Why, even His disciples are in hiding!

Grandfather: And what exactly will these authorities do to me if they find our I’m proclaiming Jesus as Lord? Kill me? I don’t know whether I can die again, or if God will simply take me to Himself. I do know I don’t fear anything now but God alone.

Reuben: The authorities might not just go after you. You must consider what might happen to Sarah and Ruthie. And me.

Sarah: Reuben has a point. How do you know this isn’t just some freak occurrence? Maybe your resurrection is a an act of the evil one to fool us all. How do you know that Jesus is who He said He was?

Grandfather: May God forgive you for even suggesting such a thing! I know Jesus was the Messiah long ago. When I heard Him speak, I knew He had the authority of God Himself. I tell you, this is not the first time Jesus raised me from the dead. I was dead in my sin before I met Jesus. And He forgave my sin. Only God can do that.

Reuben: But that has nothing to do with us.

Grandfather: It has to do with you. It pains me to say it, Son, but you and Sarah are more dead to God than I was in the tomb. You must trust in Jesus as your Lord if you want to know eternal life.

Reuben: This is sedition.

Sarah: And madness. I’m sorry, Father…or whoever you are. I can’t let you stay here and allow Ruth to be exposed to this wild talk. I’m not even sure you are my father-in-law, or if you’re something that has taken over his body. I don’t want to hear anymore. I must ask you to go.

Grandfather: As you wish, dear, I’ll go.

Reuben: She’s right, I’m afraid. You must go. We don’t need to hear anymore.

Thad: I’d like to hear more. Can you tell me more about Jesus?

Grandfather: Certainly, young man. Come with me, Reuben, give Ruthie my love.

Reuben: Yes, I will. Goodbye, again, Father.

Grandfather: Goodbye, Son. Sarah. Consider what I said.

(GRANDFATHER AND THAD LEAVE. RUTHIE ENTERS.)

Ruth: Dad, Mom! I heard people saying Jesus is alive again, too! Do you think it’s true?

Sarah: Of course not, dear. If it were true, we would have to change our lives completely. That just can’t happen.