BACK MYRRH 7'0m2f The significance of gold, incense and myrrh MOM -- (enters crosses) Oh, there you are, Elizabeth. Our guests from room 107 have checked out. And I've decided to move baby Jesus and his family from the stable into 107. Can you get it cleaned up right away? LIZ -- (enters opposite) Yes, Mother, but... MOM -- ...Mind you, you don't have to do a terrific job of cleaning it. The family is dirt poor. I'm sure they can't afford to pay full price for a deluxe room like 107. LIZ -- Yes, Mother, but.... MOM -- ...I don't know why I'm being so nice to that family. You know, I heard that the mother got pregnant out of wedlock. LIZ -- Yes, Mother, but.... MOM -- Well, don't just stand there, girl. There's work to do. LIZ -- I've been trying to tell that there's a caravan coming. (points to exit) MOM -- A caravan?! LIZ -- Yes. MOM -- You mean camels? LIZ -- Lots of camels. MOM -- Forget about moving the baby into room 107. People in caravans usually have a lot of money. They'll pay full price for a nice room like 107. Maybe even a little extra. (crosses by Liz) You didn't tell them the price of the room, did you? LIZ -- No, mother, but... MOM -- Good. While you're at it. Get the purple bed spreads from the linen closet and put them on the beds in 107. LIZ -- Yes, mother, but.... MOM -- The people in the caravan, they did look like they have a lot of money, didn't they? LIZ -- Yes, mother but.... MOM -- Well, get a move on. We've got paying customers coming. LIZ -- Mother, I think there's something special about that baby. MOM -- Yes, they're all cute and cuddly when they're little. When you were that age, you were just adorable. But we can talk about that later. Now, get moving. I'll bring them up to the room in five minutes. LIZ -- Yes, mother. (exits, reenters with purple cloth over arm) MOM -- (exits, reenters with ornate wooden box) Oh, I'm glad I caught you. The caravan people are even more wealthy than I thought. They brought gold. LIZ -- A gift for the baby? MOM -- How did you know? LIZ -- I told you, mother, he's a special baby. MOM -- Anyway, take this gold and lock it in the safe. (pushes box at Liz) LIZ -- Yes, mother. MOM -- How is room 107 coming? Is it clean yet? LIZ -- I haven't started cleaning it yet, Mother. MOM -- These are very wealthy people, Elizabeth. Get busy. LIZ -- You asked me to fetch the purple bed spreads, Mother. MOM -- Go! Get busy. (turns, exits) We haven't got all day, you know. LIZ -- (turns exits) Yes, mother. MOM -- (reenters with ornate box, shouts) Elizabeth! Where are you, girl? LIZ -- (reenters with cleaning rag) Yes, Mother? MOM -- Here, take this and lock it up with the other gold, would you? (pushes box at Liz) LIZ -- Yes, Mother. MOM -- Those men are must be millionaires. There's more gold in that box. LIZ -- For the baby? MOM -- Yes, for the baby. How did you know? LIZ -- I told you. He's a very special baby, Mother. Gold is symbol of royalty. MOM -- Royalty?! LIZ -- Yes, he's going to be the king of Israel some day. MOM -- How could he be royalty? That family is as poor as a church mouse. LIZ -- He's from the family of King David, Mother. MOM -- How did you know? LIZ -- Everyone who came to Bethlehem for the Roman census is from the family of David, Mother. MOM -- Oh, yes, of course. Well, in that case. When you're done cleaning room 107, move your things out of your room. LIZ -- My room? MOM -- (exiting) Yes, we shouldn't have a descendant of King David sleeping in a stable. Should we? LIZ -- No. (turns exits) I'll get right on it. MOM -- (reenters carrying ornate box, shouts) Elizabeth. Where are you, girl? LIZ -- (reenters) Yes, Mother? MOM -- Here, take this and put it somewhere, would you? It stinks. LIZ -- It's incense, Mother. It's a gift for the baby, isn't it? MOM -- Yes. How did you know that? LIZ -- Incense is a symbol of the priesthood. MOM -- Don't be ridiculous. The baby can't be priest. LIZ -- Sure he can. MOM -- No, he can't. The priests in Israel are from the family of Levi. King David's family is from the family of Judah. LIZ -- I told you, Mother. This is a very special baby. He is a priest on the order of Melchizedek. MOM -- You know, Elizabeth, that's why you're not married. You're too smart. No man likes a woman who's too smart. You should concentrate on the important things of life, like cleaning rooms. Is 107 clean yet? LIZ -- I was working on it, Mother. MOM -- Well, get busy. (turns) We haven't got all day. LIZ -- (turns) Yes, Mother. MOM -- (turns) Oh, I changed my mind. LIZ -- (turns) Yes, Mother? MOM -- Since the baby is both a king AND a priest, instead of putting the family in your room, we'll put them in room 107 and (turns exiting) we'll put the people from the caravan in your room. Got it? LIZ -- Yes, Mother. MOM -- (reenters carrying ornate bottle, shouts) Elizabeth, where are you? LIZ -- (reenters) Yes, Mother? Another gift for the baby? MOM -- I suppose miss smarty pants probably already knows what it is. (pushes bottle at Liz) LIZ -- Yes, Mother. I'll put it with the other gifts. (turns) MOM -- Well, what is it? I asked the people in the caravan what it was and they didn't tell me. They just made this noise like a camel. LIZ -- (turns back) Myrrh. MOM -- Yes, that noise there. LIZ -- It's not a noise, Mother. MYRRH is the name of a burial spice. MOM -- A burial spice? LIZ -- Yes. MOM -- What kind of gift is that for a baby who's going to be a king and a priest? LIZ -- I don't think you want to know, Mother. MOM -- I want to know. Tell me, what is this gift of mooo. LIZ -- MYRRH. It's a symbol that tells us that Jesus came to die for his people. MOM -- I knew it. I knew it as soon as I first laid eyes on them. Nothing but trouble, I said. Those people are going to be nothing but trouble. That's why I told them that there were no rooms left here in the inn. "Sleep in the stable," I told them. Am I good at reading people or what? LIZ -- Mother, I... MOM -- I changed my mind. We'll put the people from the caravan are in room 107 and the trouble makers are going to stay in the stable. LIZ -- Mother, the baby isn't going to die right away. Jesus won't die for his people until he's old enough to be a priest. That's at least thirty years from now. MOM -- Oh. Why didn't you say so? LIZ -- Mother, I.... MOM -- So, how many other gifts are these Caravan people going to give Baby Jesus? LIZ -- No more. Just these three. MOM -- How do you know that? LIZ -- Three is the number of deliverance in the Bible, Mother. Jesus came to deliver his people from their sins. (exits) MOM -- (follows, shaking finger) You know, Elizabeth, that's why you're not married. You're too smart. No man likes a woman who's too smart. You should concentrate on the important things of life, like cleaning rooms. ©2007 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.fea.net/bobsnook email: bobsnook@fea.net BACK |