Heart Squeezer Guaranteed

 Heart Squeezer Guaranteed

      Throughout much of the World this coming Sunday will be the most celebrated Sunday of the entire year.  It is known as Easter, Resurrection Day or Pascha.  The customs, festivals, fasts and childrens’ and adult happenings are plentiful.  But too many of these have scrambled the horrible Crucifixion and incredible Resurrection and cast them aside.  How sad.  How sad indeed!

     About 20 years ago the Holy Spirit filled my soul with a heart-tugging story with an unforgettable twist ending.  We performed it on Resurrection Day to a full-house church audience.  The cast included Joseph of Arimathea, Joseph’s Attorney, four Temple guards, the Mayor of Jerusalem, and three Sadducees.

     There are two scenes.  Scene one begins with the three Sadducee madder than a nest of yellow-jackets.  Their outrage is overheard: “I can’t believe he has said,  Yes.  We can’t allow this.  There may be only three of us but he needs to be stopped.  Surely the Temple Guards will help us.  Better yet let’s go to the Mayor.  He’ll have to do what we want or we’ll have him arrested.”

     Then we have some scurrying around.  Temple guards haul Joseph of Arimathea into the Courtroom accompanied by his Attorney who indignantly snaps at the Guard “Unhand me you uncouth fool!"  The three complaining Sadducees are smirking and quietly chuckling under their beards.  Yawning, the Jerusalem mayor enters and looks furiously at the Sadducees.

     “Well, what has you all with skintight skullcaps again?” sneers the Mayor.

     “It’s this Pharisee ~ ~ Joseph.  He is selling his tomb to bury that lying, blaspheming Jesus who just got crucified by order of Pilate.  As you know, so very well Mr. Mayor, city law says “No criminal may be buried in a city tomb or grave but must be flung into the fiery Gehenna garbage dump.”

     “Well surely there can be some exceptions, aren’t there?” responds the Mayor.

     “No, there are no exceptions.  If you don’t do as we say we’ll go inform Pilate and also Herod, who is in town.  They’ll drive you out of office and we hope into a camp of lepers.”

     Joseph’s Attorney leaned closely to Joseph and whispered.  Joseph got a smile on his face and nodded.  The Attorney spoke to the Mayor, “Excellency, please hear from my client as he has something very crucial.”

     Joseph, eyes focusing on the distressed Mayor and glancing at the smug Sadducees said, “They’ve got this all wrong.  I’m not selling my tomb at all. I’M JUST LOANING IT TO JESUS FOR 3 DAYS.”

     Mayor: slams the gavel saying, “We’re done here.” 

     One of the most fitting Easter songs ever is a completely rewritten lyrics to Hallelujah sung by two 9 year old Canadian sisters.  I promise you’ll never forget it.

 

 

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