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WEEPING  5'2m1f Jesus weeps over Jerusalem on Palm Sunday

(Ethel and Maury have Bronx accents, dress in tunics, sandles)

ETHEL -- (enters carrying a wicker basket full of clothes, 
shouts) Maurice honey, I'm home.

MAURY -- (enters opposite, sewing leather harness) Hello, Ethel, 
how are all the gossips?

ETHEL -- Maurice! We don't gossip! We just scrub our laundry. 
That's all.

MAURY -- Sure.

ETHEL -- Maurice, (points over shoulder) what did you do with 
Daisy?

MAURY -- (busy) Daisy.

ETHEL -- Yes, our donkey. She's not tied up. She's gone.

MAURY -- Oh, I loaned her to some men.

ETHEL -- Maurice, she just a colt! She's not ready for hard work 
yet!

MAURY -- I don't think she's going to do much work, Ethel. They 
said the Lord needed her.

ETHEL -- Who said the Lord needed her?

MAURY -- Some men.

ETHEL -- You don't even know who they were? You don't know 
anything about them?

MAURY -- Well, I know a little bit about them. They both had a 
hillbilly accent. So, I assume they were from way out by Galilee 
somewhere.

ETHEL -- And you just gave them our colt, no questions asked?!

MAURY -- They said they just needed to borrow her. I'm sure 
they'll bring her right back.

ETHEL -- For all you know our poor Daisy could end up as dog 
food!

MAURY -- Ethel! You're so suspicious!

ETHEL -- (turns back to exit) Come on, we've got to find those 
guys before they do something awful to our little Daisy. (exits)

MAURY -- (follows) Ethel, you're making a mountain out of a 
molehill.

ETHEL -- (reenters, without basket) Do you remember which way 
they went? (stops, points to opposite exit) Maurice! There she 
is! That's our donkey, isn't it?

MAURY -- (follows without harness, looks at opposite exit,
dumbstruck)

ETHEL -- Maurice! Is that our colt or not?

MAURY -- Well, I'll be....

ETHEL -- That's her, isn't it? Who's that man riding on her? Is 
that one of the men who borrowed her?

MAURY -- No. No, that's... That's Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth. 
Well, I'll be....

ETHEL -- (charges forward) Well, I'm going to get our donkey 
back.

MAURY -- (grabs Ethel's arm, whispers) Ethel, no! You mustn't.

ETHEL -- Why, not? He's getting down off of Daisy's back. He's 
probably done with her. Right? (tries to break free)

MAURY -- (ponders, whispers) No. I don't think so.

ETHEL -- What's the matter with you, Maurice? You're acting 
strange.

MAURY -- Ethel, what day is today?

ETHEL -- What day? It's Sunday. Maurice, are you feeling 
alright? 

MAURY -- I know it's Sunday, Ethel. But what's the date?

ETHEL -- It's the tenth of Nisan. Why?

MAURY -- I have a vague recollection that something important is 
supposed to happen on the tenth of Nisan this year.

ETHEL -- (points to opposite exit) He's crying, Maurice. That 
man is crying. 

JESUS -- (enters crying, faces audience) Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

ETHEL -- Why is he crying?

MAURY -- (whispers) I don't know. Listen.

JESUS -- If you, even you, had only known on this day what would 
bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days 
will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment 
against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They 
will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your 
walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did 
not recognize the time of God's coming to you. (exits sobbing)

ETHEL -- Maurice, we have to stop him before he gets back on our 
donkey.

MAURY -- No. (holds Ethel) Let him go, Ethel.

ETHEL -- Let him go?! Maurice, you don't know what he's going to 
do with our little baby.

MAURY -- Yes, I do.

ETHEL -- (points to opposite exit) He's up on Daisy's back 
again, Maurice. He's riding into Jerusalem! You don't suppose 
he's going to sacrifice our little colt in the temple, do you?

MAURY -- Ethel! They only sacrifice sheep and goats in the 
temple, not donkeys. Don't you see what's happening?

ETHEL -- Actually, Maurice I don't. Explain it to me.

MAURY -- Today is the day predicted by the prophet Daniel five 
hundred years ago that our Messiah ride into Jerusalem. And the 
prophet Zechariah predicted our messiah would ride into 
Jerusalem on a donkey colt. Now do you see?

ETHEL -- If he was the messiah, this would be a happy occasion. 
That man was crying like a baby!

MAURY -- Didn't you hear what he said?

ETHEL -- Actually, I was too worried about my little Daisy to 
pay much attention. It sounded like he said that all the 
buildings in Jerusalem would be torn down.

MAURY -- That's right. And do you know why?

ETHEL -- How should I know?

MAURY -- Because the Pharisees and the Temple leaders weren't 
out here on the Mount of Olives to greet him. They didn't 
remember that he was coming today. They didn't take all those 
prophecies seriously.

ETHEL -- Well, maybe they have a good point. How do we know this 
Jesus guy is the messiah? How do we know he's not a common 
donkey thief?

MAURY -- I heard him preaching in the temple, he amazed even the 
teachers of the Law with his preaching. I saw him healing all 
kinds of sicknesses. I hear he even raised a man from the dead 
a couple of days ago. 

ETHEL -- Well, that's the kind of thing a messiah would do.

MAURY -- Besides, it's noon on the tenth of Nisan. Have you seen 
any other messiah's riding into Jerusalem on a donkey colt?

ETHEL -- Well, no.

MAURY -- (follows Jesus) Come on. (pulls Ethel)

ETHEL -- Where are we going? I thought you said we weren't going 
to take back the donkey.

MAURY -- We're not. We're going to cut some palm branches and 
welcome our long awaited messiah.

ETHEL -- Maurice, did the prophecies say anything about getting 
our donkey back?

©2007 Bob Snook. Conditions for use:
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