PILATE

PILATE

GOOD EVENING
MY NAME IS PONTIUS PILATE
AND I WELCOME
AND THANK YOU
FOR COMING TO HEAR
MY SIDE OF THE STORY
OF THE EXECUTION
OF THE CRIMINAL
JESUS OF NAZARETH.

NOW YOU MAY ASK
WHY A MAN OF MY IMPORTANCE
CARES ABOUT THE DEATH
OF ONE GUILTY OF TREASON.

LET ME GIVE YOU MY REASONS,
LET ME EXPLAIN MYSELF
IF I MUST.

EVERY SUNDAY
IN YOUR CHURCHES
YOU SAY TOGETHER THESE WORDS
OR WORDS QUITE SIMILAR.
THEY ARE,

I BELIEVE IN GOD
THE FATHER ALMIGHTY,
MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.
AND IN JESUS CHRIST
HIS ONLY SON OUR LORD,
WHO WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT,
BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY,
SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE....
AND THERE'S THE RUB.

NO MATTER
WHAT ELSE I MAY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED
I AM ONLY REMEMBERED
AS THE ONE UNDER WHOM JESUS
SUFFERED.

BUT FIRST
YOU MUST UNDERSTAND
THAT THOUGH THE WORDS OF THE CREED
ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU,
THEY MEAN NOTHING TO ME

FOR I AM NEITHER JEW NOR CHRISTIAN
I AM A ROMAN
WITH ROMAN BELIEFS
LET ME TELL YOU MY STORY. ***LIGHT FADE***




I WAS IN A BAD MOOD TO BEGIN WITH.
MY NORMAL RESIDENCE WAS AT CAESAREA
WHERE THE COOL BREEZES BLOW OFF THE MEDITERRANEAN

BUT EVERY YEAR
AROUND MARCH OR APRIL
WHEN IT'S THE HOTTEST IT CAN BE
WE MUST GO TO JERUSALEM
TO KEEP THE PEACE

SO WE TAKE THE ARMY AND GO,
KNOWING IN ADVANCE
THAT THERE WOULD BE TROUBLE
THERE ALWAYS WAS.

IT SEEMED THEIR FESTIVAL
CALLED THE PASSOVER,
A TRIBUTE TO AN ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY
AROUSES NATIONALISTIC FEELINGS
AND THERE WERE OFTEN RIOTS BREAKING OUT
PROTESTING ROMAN RULE

I SHOWED THEM ROMAN RULE
THE TIME I MARCHED MY SOLDIERS INTO THE TEMPLE
AND ERECTED MY ROMAN FLAGS AND STATUES
AGAINST ALL THEIR CHURCH LAWS

CAESAR APPROVES OF STRONG ACTION.
HE WANTS PEACE
NOT THIS CONSTANT BICKERING.

A LEADER IN HIS EYES
IS JUDGED BY THE KEEPING
OF THE PEACE

AND THAT WAS MY WISH ALSO
WHEN I MARCHED OUT TO JERUSALEM

THE JOURNEY WAS STARTED
IN OCEAN COOLNESS
BUT WE WALKED
INTO INCREASING HEAT
INTO AN OVEN
IN WHICH WAS BREWING
NATIONALISTIC FRENZY,
RELIGIOUS FERVOR
AND A MAD MAN
WHO THOUGHT HE WAS
GOD'S SON ***LIGHT FADE***




WHEN WE GOT THERE
THINGS WERE QUIET FOR A WHILE.
NOTHING LIKE A SHOW OF FORCE
TO KEEP THE RABBLE QUIET

THEN THERE CAME A REPORT
OF A KIND OF SPONTANEOUS PARADE
INVOLVING THIS FELLOW JESUS
RIDING ON A DONKEY

THE PEOPLE WERE LAUGHING AND SINGING,
SPREADING THEIR CLOAKS
AND SPREADING PALM BRANCHES
FOR THE DONKEY TO WALK ON
SORT OF A JEWISH RED CARPET TREATMENT

IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD NATURED JOLLY CROWD
SO WE ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN
EVEN THOUGH THE CHURCH LEADERS
WANTED US TO BREAK IT UP

THIS HAPPENED ON THE DAY
YOU CALL PALM SUNDAY.

THEN THE NEXT DAY
THIS JESUS FELLOW MAKES A WHIP
AND GOES INTO THE TEMPLE
AND CLEARS HOUSE

I MEAN HE CLEARS HOUSE.
HE BEATS THE MONEYCHANGERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE;
HE SCATTERS THEIR COINS ALL OVER THE GROUND.

HE LETS ALL THE ANIMALS GO.
HE SAYS TO THE KEEPERS OF BIRDS
TAKE THEM OUTSIDE.
A NICE GESTURE THERE
NOT FRIGHTENING THE BIRDS.

AND ONCE AGAIN THE CHURCH LEADERS PROTESTED
BUT I LET THEM STEW.
HE HADN'T BROKEN ROMAN LAW.
JUST ANGERED THE CHURCH LEADERS
AND THEY WERE A THORN IN MY SIDE
AND NO FRIEND OF MINE

BUT THE CHURCH LEADERS
KEPT GETTING ANGRIER AND ANGRIER
THE MORE
HE TALKED
HIS SILLY LITTLE MESSAGE
OF LOVE
THE MORE THEY HATED HIM,



THE MORE
HE SPOKE OF FORGIVENESS
THE MORE THEY WISHED TO DO HIM HARM.

THEY WERE IN CHARGE OF THE TEMPLE
THEY WERE THE LEADERS
AND AFTER PALM SUNDAY
THEY HAD HIM ARRESTED
AND CHARGED
WITH BEING AGAINST THE CHURCH

AND SO THEY BROUGHT HIM TO ME
TO BE JUDGED. ***LIGHT FADE***







P) WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT THIS MAN TO ME

V) BECAUSE HE CALLS HIMSELF A KING
AND WE HAVE NO KING BUT CAESAR

P) NO KING BUT CAESAR
IF ONLY THAT WERE TRUE
IS THAT ALL HE IS GUILTY OF

V) HE CALLS HIMSELF
SON OF GOD
WHICH IS A BLASPHEMY

P) THAT IS A CHURCH PROBLEM
TEND TO IT YOURSELF

V) THE PENALTY FOR BLASPHEMY IS DEATH
AND WE CANNOT
BY ROMAN LAW
PUT ANYONE TO DEATH

P) BUT WHY
WHAT EVIL HAS HE DONE

V) HE CALLS HIMSELF KING
AND SON OF GOD


P) JESUS ARE YOU
THE KING OF THE JEWS

J) IS THIS YOUR QUESTION OR SOMEONE ELSE'S

P) AM I A JEW
WHO WOULD WASTE MY TIME ON SUCH NONSENSE

NO YOUR OWN PEOPLE
AND YOUR OWN HIGH PRIESTS
HAVE HANDED YOU OVER
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE

J) MY KINGDOM
DOES NOT BELONG TO THIS WORLD
IF MY KINGDOM BELONGED TO THIS WORLD,
MY FOLLOWERS WOULD FIGHT TO PROTECT ME
FROM THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES
NO,
MY KINGDOM DOES NOT BELONG HERE.

P) YOU ARE A KING THEN

J) YOU HAVE SAID IT.
I WAS BORN
AND CAME INTO THE WORLD
FOR ONE PURPOSE,
TO SPEAK THE TRUTH
WHOEVER BELONGS TO THE TRUTH LISTENS TO ME.

P) AND WHAT IS THE TRUTH.
THAT WAS MY QUESTION
AND HE NEVER ANSWERED IT.
HE JUST STOOD THERE.
SHOWING ROUGH USAGE
HIS FACE RED FROM SLAPPING
TIRED
HE'D BEEN UP ALL NIGHT.
PROBABLY HUNGRY

BUT HIS EYES
HAD THE SOFT LOOK OF A LAMB
A LAMB ALL RIGHT
HE WAS LIKE A LAMB
BEING LED TO SLAUGHTER




I THOUGHT.
I'LL TRY TO SAVE HIM.
I FELT A KIND OF PITY FOR HIM.
MOST OF THE MEN I'VE CONDEMNED
EITHER CURSE ME
FOR REPRESENTING ROME
OR BEG FOR MERCY.
HE DID NEITHER.

P) I FIND NO REASON
TO CONDEMN THIS MAN
RATHER I WOULD LIKE TO SET HIM FREE
AS A PASSOVER GIFT TO YOU

V) DO NOT GIVE US THIS MAN.
WE WANT NO PART OF THIS MAN.
GIVE US BARABBAS.
BARABBAS IS OUR CHOICE.


I THOUGHT
I SHALL HAVE HIM WHIPPED.
PERHAPS THAT WILL SATISFY
THEIR NEED FOR BLOOD
SO I TOLD MY SOLDIERS
TO WHIP HIM
AND BRUTALIZE HIM
BUT NOT TO KILL HIM

WHEN THEY BROUGHT HIM BACK
HE HAD BEEN WHIPPED SEVERELY.
MY SOLDIERS HAD ALSO WRAPPED HIM
IN A PURPLE ROBE
THEY HAD WOVEN A CROWN
OF THORNY BRANCHES
AND FORCED IT DOWN UPON HIS HEAD

A FITTING GARB FOR A KING
BUT WHEN I LOOKED ON HIM
I SAW NO BEAUTY,
I SAW NO DIGNITY.
I SAW NOTHING ATTRACTIVE ABOUT HIM AT ALL.
CERTAINLY NOT A KING
I WAS REPELLED BY HIS VISAGE
SO THAT I DESPISED HIM
AND REJECTED HIM
AND CONSIDERED HIM UNWORTHY OF NOTICE
I CONSIDERED HIM NOTHING.

THIS HORRIBLE CREATURE THEN
I TOOK BEFORE THE CROWD
AND CRIED OUT
BEHOLD THE MAN
THEY CRIED GIVE US BARABBAS

THEY WERE GETTING UNRULY
SO I SENT HIM TO GOLGATHA

BUT I WAS NOT HAPPY WITH MYSELF.
IN SPITE
I HAD A SIGN MADE
THAT READ
JESUS OF NAZARETH
KING OF THE JEWS
BUT I FELT NO PLEASURE
IN THE SIGN
OR IN HIS DEATH


I FELT NO PLEASURE IN HIS DEATH
HE DIED FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS
HE WOULDN'T HELP ME
HE REMAINED SILENT
HE WOULDN'T TELL ME WHAT WAS TRUE
WHY ARE GOD'S ALWAYS SILENT
WHEN YOU NEED THEM MOST

I USED WATER TO RID MYSELF OF HIM BUT HE WOULDN'T GO AWAY

TRUTH AND WATER I NEED THEM BOTH

TRUTH AND WATER
I NEED THEM
DO YOU NEED THEM
DO YOU HAVE THEM
DO YOU KNOW THE TRUTH
DO YOU HAVE THE TRUTH

DO YOU NEED WATER (SPRINKLE WATER)
HERE IS WATER
HERE IS WATER

BUT WILL SOMEONE TELL ME
WILL ANYONE TELL ME
BEFORE THE NIGHT COMES ON
BEFORE THE DARKNESS FALLS
WILL ANYONE TELL ME
WHAT IS THE TRUTH
WHAT IS THE TRUTH
WHAT IS THE TRUTH

****LIGHT FADE**





A PLAYLET
BY
FRANK A VOLLMER