Promised Land Theater:
“What Do You Do With A Lazy Brother?”

Randolph Purinton
First Church of South Hadley, U.C.C.
South Hadley, MA

A drama of the death and resurrection of Lazarus
John 11:1-44

Characters: The Holy Bible or a puppet
Martha
Mary, Martha’s sister
Lazarus, Martha and Mary’s brother
A rabbi (a Jewish minister)
Jesus
Additional helpers: Video expert
Listeners and people who follow Jesus around


Props:
Paper plates and plastic food
Beard for Lazarus
Shawls for Mary and Martha and the rabbi
Tunic or robe for Jesus
Table for dinnertime
A plate of shellfish for Lazarus’ dinner
Plates and cups
Blue body sock to wrap Lazarus in
Tomb: Promised Land stage

In the beginning of the play, which takes place in the space between the Promised Land Stage and the Puppet Theater, Martha is preparing dinner for Mary and Lazarus. Lazarus and Jesus are off-stage and Mary has her chin on her elbows as she waits for her dinner to be served to her. The Holy Bible enters through the curtains of the Promised Land Stage and says:

The Holy Bible: “Welcome to the Promised Land Stage. Today we present the play “What Do You Do With A Lazy Brother?” written by Holy Cow. It’s the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus as found in the gospel of John chapter 11, verses 1 through 44. The play begins in the house of Martha, Mary (not Mary the mother of Jesus, just a Mary) and Lazarus. It’s dinnertime in the small town where they live.

Martha: “Mary, when are you going to learn that it’s a mitzvah to help somebody?”

Mary: “As soon as I learn what a mitzvah is, I guess.”

Martha: “It’s the Hebrew word for a good deed. We’re Jewish so we should do mitzvahs for each other. You could do a mitzvah for me by helping me prepare the table.
To do a mitzvah brings a blessing upon you from God.”

Mary: “OK. That sounds good. What can I do to help?”

Martha: “You can go to the Nazareth Farmer’s Market and buy some shellfish for Lazarus’ dinner. He likes shellfish.”

Mary: “But Martha, we’re Jewish! We’re not supposed to eat shellfish. Remember what the rabbi said…”

Camera moves to left to show rabbi, standing and teaching the Listeners

Rabbi: “You may eat any fish that has both fins and scales. It has to have both fins and scales and not just fins or just scales. You can eat trout. You can eat swordfish. You can eat flounder. But you can’t eat any type of shellfish because
shellfish have neither fins nor scales. They eat dirt, muck and gross things that settle to the bottom of the sea. They will make you sick and you will turn green, throw up and die. And stay away from cheeseburgers because you are not to mix dairy products with meat. It’s not fair to mix something that you get from an animal as a gift with something that you have to kill an animal to get. Bon appetit, my little flock. Do mitzvahs and bring blessings upon yourselves from God.”

Camera returns to dinner table, where Martha and Mary are sitting side-by-side. Listeners exit room stage left and return to room by way of the door across from the Promised Land Theater and wait to follow Jesus onstage.

Martha: “Yes, Mary, I also remember that you had a cheeseburger the other day at the Milk and Honey Café. I won’t tell the rabbi about that if you don’t tell the rabbi about Lazarus and his taste for shellfish.”

Mary: “It’s a deal. I’ll go to the Farmers Market now and buy the shellfish.” Exit Mary, leaving Martha alone.

Martha (to herself): “Now where is Lazarus, that lazy brother of mine? He never helps around the house and he’s always far away when I want to serve dinner. Lazarus! Lazarus!

Lazarus (offstage) “I’m coming! I’m coming!”

Martha: “Well, hurry! Mary has gone to market to buy shellfish for you.”

Lazarus, sitting down at table: “Here I am.”

Martha: “Finally. We should call you Lazy-rus because you move so slowly. Please thank Mary for getting shellfish from the Market when she returns.”

Mary returns from Market, hands the shellfish to Martha and sit at the table next to Lazarus.

Lazarus: “Mary, my favorite sister! Thank you for getting your lazy brother shellfish!”

Mary: “You’re welcome. I got the last of the bunch. There were a lot of flies on them but the merchant gave me a discount and said that after we boil the shellfish they should be OK. Isn’t that right, Martha?”

Martha: “ Huh? Sure! Oh sure! Here, let me boil them.”
Martha turns around once, pretending to boil the shellfish, and then places the shellfish on Lazarus’ plate.

Lazarus: “That didn’t take very long.”

Martha: “Eat, you lazy brother!”

Lazarus: “These don’t taste very good…”

Martha: “Eat them or you’ll have to do the dishes!”

Lazarus: “I feel sick…”

Mary: “I knew we should’ve listened to the rabbi! Look! Lazarus is turning green!”

Lazarus vomits and falls off his chair.

Martha: “Oh, no! Now I’ve made my brother sick! All because I was a little mad that he was lazy! Why did I wish for him to get sick ? Why did I feed him those old, rotten shellfish? I wish I could make him healthy again! It’s not right that he should be at death’s door just because I was a little mad at him!”

Mary: “It’s not right that he should be at death’s door even if you were a lot mad at him…”

Martha: “Be quiet, Mary. I repent my sin and ask God for forgiveness. We need to think about what to do next. Send a listener to ask Jesus to come and heal Lazarus!”

Mary: “What’s a listener?”

Martha: “It’s one of these church school students that doesn’t have much to do.”

Mary (pointing to a Listener): “You! Listener! Go find Jesus and tell him is sick and needs to be made well.”

Listener: “I will but I’m not supposed to have a speaking role because I’m too shy. (Walks stage right to Jesus and followers) You Jesus?”

Jesus: “These people say I am.”

Listener: “Who do you say you are?”

Jesus: “I say I’m Jesus.”

Listener: “Why didn’t you say that to begin with?”

Jesus: “I like word games.”

Listener: “We’re wasting time. Martha and Mary want you to come to their house and heal Lazareth. He ate some bad shellfish.”

Jesus: “Shellfish. Bad stuff. Return and tell them not to worry. I’ll be there in a couple of days.”

Listener returns to Martha and Mary at dinner table.

Listener: “He said not to worry and that he’ll be here in a couple days.”

Martha: “It’s too late. He died just as you entered the door. Had Jesus been with you he could have saved him. Why didn’t Jesus come?”

Listener returns offstage to sit again.

Mary: “I know Jesus will come but Lazarus is now dead. Our tradition says we must wrap his body in linen cloths and lay him in a tomb.”

Two Listeners take table away stage right while Martha and Mary kneel next to each other. A blue body sock is brought and Lazarus is tucked within. After Lazarus
is placed within the tomb the curtains are shut. Martha and Mary continue to kneel.

Martha: “He was lazy but he never did anything bad to me or anyone else. I was angry at him because I lost my patience. He was a good man and I regret that I knew that I was feeding him rotten shellfish. I beg for God’s forgiveness.”

Mary: “And I should never have listened to that cheating merchant at the Farmer’s Market. I know better now.”

Jesus enters scene stage right, with followers.

Jesus: “Martha. Mary. You have been good sisters to Lazarus. Do not mourn for him. Now it’s time for me to show you who I am. Open the tomb.”

Martha: “Open the tomb?! Lord, Lazarus has lain in the tomb four days already. His body will be stinky and gross like the shellfish that he ate. You should have come earlier to heal him when he was still alive. Why didn’t you come earlier? What do you think you can do now? Raise him from the dead?!”

Jesus: “I tell you now that if you believe then you will see the glory of God. Martha and Mary, open the tomb.”

Martha and Mary rise and each open a curtain, exposing the corpse of Lazarus.

Jesus: “Father, I thank you that you listen to me. I know you always hear me but I say this for the people here, that they may believe that you sent me here. (In a loud voice) Lazarus, come out!”

Lazarus arises slowly and walks out of the tomb.

Jesus: “Unbind him, and let him go!”

Lazarus emerges from body sock, is handed a staff and walks away stage right.

Martha (from JOB 42:1-6): “I know now that you can do all things, that I have spoken what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. I had heard of you but now my eyes see. So I repent in dust and ashes.”

The End



Topic title edited by Exchange VOlunteer for clarity.