It is Saturday evening of Passover Week here in Jerusalem. I’m Morris Mayer, your humble correspondent
from JNN—Jerusalem News Network—Pontius Pilate’s most trusted television
network.
This is shaping up to be a Passover like no
other. Just six short days ago, this
town was worked into a frenzy by the arrival of one man—Jesus of Nazareth. Many in the crowd believed him to be the
Messiah—a king to lead them out of the oppression of the Romans.
We showed you video of that donkey ride by Jesus
earlier this week on this very show. We
also showed you how Jesus went into the temple and, with righteous fury, drove
the money changers out.
But that was just the beginning of a tumultuous
Passover celebration.
Beginning Thursday night, things took a surreal
turn. Jesus of Nazareth was arrested in
the Garden of Gethsemane. He was brought before Caiaphas, the head of
the Sanhedrin, then before Pilate himself.
After being sentenced to death by crucifixion, Jesus
was beaten, nailed to a cross, and hung for all Jerusalem to see.
After dying on that cross, His body was laid in a
tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea. To
prevent the curious from getting too close, Roman guards have been stationed at
the stone covering the tomb.
We have three guests joining us today by a remote
feed somewhere in Jerusalem. I cannot tell you the exact location, but it
is an upper room of local residence.
Joining us are Peter, James, and John. All three were disciples of Jesus of Nazareth
and knew Him well. Thank you gentlemen
for being part of our show.
We have eyewitness accounts of events from the last
few days. Audience members, the accounts
are in the books you have with you.
I need an audience member to read the first
eyewitness account on page 42.
Matthew 26:26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed
and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take and eat it; this is My
body.” 27 Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He gave it to them and
said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood that establishes the
covenant; it is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 But I tell you,
from this moment I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when
I drink it in a new way in My Father’s kingdom with you.”
MAYER: Our first guest is James. He was a fisherman. One of the first men called to be a disciple
of Jesus.
Describe
to me, James, the mood of your group on Thursday night.
JAMES: Jesus and our disciple crew have celebrated a couple other Passovers
together. Jesus was more subdued than
usual. Like something was on his
mind. He must have wanted a way to
remember this Last Supper together.
After we ate, Jesus asked everyone to come to one side of the table to
get our picture taken. [Show “Last
Supper” picture to camera] I’ll treasure
this picture forever.
I’m still trying to wrap my brain around what Jesus
said and did at our Passover meal. On
that cross, His body was broken and He did shed His blood. And according to the Scriptures, shedding
blood is a requirement to forgive our sins.
After what happened yesterday, some things just seem
so petty.
I wanted to sit with my brother at a place of honor
next to Jesus when he established His Kingdom.
Well, actually, our mom wanted that.
Only the best for her boys.
But with Jesus gone, he won’t be starting a kingdom
anytime soon. I don’t know if I’ve ever
felt more alone than I do right now.
You know, it was hard to have a bad day when Jesus
was around. He was actually a pretty
funny guy. He laughed a lot. His smile just made me feel better. And when He looked at me, it felt like He saw
every thought I had. I’m going to miss
that.
What do we do now?
My brother, John, and I laid down our fishing nets to follow Jesus three
years ago. What will our dad, Zebedee,
say when we come crawling back? Will we
be the laughing stock of Galilee?
We invested our lives with Jesus. Was it all for nothing?
MAYER: Thank you,
James. Does anyone in the audience have
a comment on anything James said?
Moving on, I
need an audience member to read the second eyewitness account
on page 43.
Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told the disciples, “Sit here while I
go over there and pray.” 37 Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He
began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul
is swallowed up in sorrow—to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake
with Me.” 39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father!
If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You
will.”
MAYER: Our next guest is Peter. Please fill us in on anything left out of the
story.
PETER: That eyewitness account is accurate but not
complete. Yes, Jesus asked James and
John and me to go up to Gethsemane with
him. Yes, Jesus asked us to pray for
Him.
But
my sorry butt fell asleep. And not just
once, but three times. Here’s Jesus,
praying his heart out and the three of us were cat-napping. We’re supposed to be his best friends and we
can’t even stay awake to pray for Him.
You
want see a total screw-up, just look at me!
I
always thought of myself as Jesus’ protector, his bodyguard. But when men came to arrest Jesus, did I
attack one of the Roman soldiers? No, my
crappy self cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave. An ear, did you hear me? An ear.
Jesus
told me to lower my weapon, and I did.
Then, Jesus healed the slave’s ear.
I
had to follow the men who took Jesus. I
had to know what was happening. People
recognized me as one of Jesus’ followers.
But what did I do? Did I stand up
bravely and say, “Yes, Jesus is my friend”?
Not my lousy hide. Oh no! Three times people asked if I was in Jesus’
group. And three times I denied it. After the third time, a rooster announced the
morning by crowing. Jesus told me Thursday
evening I’d deny him three times before daybreak on Friday. At the time, I told Him he was crazy. I told Him I’d die for Him before I denied
Him. I can’t believe how dumb I am.
Do
you know that not long ago, Jesus said I was the rock He would build His church
upon? More like a stumbling block if you
ask me. This “rock” is crushed. There’s nothing I can offer Jesus, even if He
was here. I feel like a shell of a man.
But
you know what? I’m holding out hope for
a miracle. I was there when Jesus called
Lazarus from the grave. If anyone can
return from being dead, it’s Jesus.
If
He does what He said He would, my mission in life will be to do everything he
taught. With God’s help, I’ll be an
instrument for Him. I decided to follow
Jesus three years ago; I’m not going to stop now.
MAYER: Thank you, Peter. What say you, audience, about what you just
heard?
I need an
audience member to read the final eyewitness account on page 44.
Mattew 27:45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness
came over the whole land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with
a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, My God, why have
You forsaken Me?”
.............................................
50 Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave
up His spirit. 51 Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from
top to bottom; the earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were
also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53
And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city,
and appeared to many.
54 When the centurion and those with him, who were
guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were
terrified and said, “This man really was God’s Son!”
MAYER: Next up is John; he’s actually James’
brother. They are known by their friends
as the “Sons of Thunder”. John, tell us
about what happened at the cross.
JOHN: Did you know I was the only one of our group
who actually went to the cross? I’ve
never before seen anything as gruesome.
And all I could do is stand there.
Watching. Hoping. Crying.
I
hope you never have to see someone you love hanging on a cross. You start wishing they would die quickly to
spare them more pain. It hurt me just
seeing it.
Before
he died, Jesus asked me for a huge favor.
Jesus’ mother, Mary, was there next to me at the cross. Jesus looked at His mom and said, I’ll never
forget His words; Jesus said to Mary, “Dear woman, here is your son”. Meaning me.
Then he said to me, “Here is your mother”.
If
I do nothing else in my life, I swear I will take care of Mary. She is now just as much family as my own
mother is.
I’ve
seen Jesus do and say so many great things.
I could write a book with all the stuff I saw. But who would read it now that he’s gone?
I
watched as they took his lifeless body from that cross. Oh, how I wish I could see Jesus just one
more time.
MAYER: Thank you,
John. Thank you, James. Thank you, Peter.
Now we come to the portion of our show where I give
my view of the issue.
So, let’s summarize the last two days. Jesus of Nazareth, the man many believed to
be the answer to centuries of prayers, was arrested, beaten, died on a cross,
and was buried in a tomb. Roman soldiers
guarding the tomb as we speak.
Jesus’ followers have scattered like cockroaches
when the lights come on. I met
off-camera with the 12, excuse me, 11 disciples before our broadcast. Let me say I was not that impressed with the
motley crew.
Jesus must have been the glue that held everything
together. Even accounting for the grief
they all showed, none seemed like the kind of man that could take the torch
that Jesus lit.
For example, Peter kept asking if I heard a rooster
crowing. He’s really gone off the deep
end.
Wait a minute.
My producer says that a tape was just delivered to the studio. The clip was put together late last night
according to the time stamp. It contains
a message and scenes from the past 48 hours.
Wait a second.
I thought we had the only cameras covering this Jesus thing. OK, OK.
Roll tape!
Maybe
this story isn’t over yet. This clip
suggests that something big will happen tomorrow. This correspondent and his team will cover
whatever happens.
Join
us this time next week for an update on the twists and turns this Jesus saga
takes.
I
am Morris Mayer, your host on JNN.
Copyright 2012 by Darren Bayne
***EDITOR’S
NOTE*** Morris Mayer is the name of my
character in this skit. But Morris Mayer
is also the name of a dear friend and mentor.
Dr. Mayer was my Faculty Advisor while I was in college. I worked for him for my four years of
undergraduate studies. He genuinely cared
about people. He taught me about “civic
rent”—paying back the community for the blessings I’d received. I cherish the time I spent with him. Dr. Mayer died a few years ago but his legacy
will live through me and others he touched.
