“JESUS IN COURT”

CAST
PILATE
PRIEST 1
PRIEST 2
JESUS
CLAUDIUS
GESTAS
DISMAS
COURT CLERK
3 GUARDS
AUDIENCE
SAPPHIRA
BARABBAS
SCENE 1

(Scene opens in a modern court room setting, with a seat behind a table for the judge (Pontius Pilate) to SL
is the witness stand, to the SR is the desk for the prosecution. A clerk is standing by the seat of the judge. All
seated as lights brighten on stage, except for Pontius Pilate)

Court Clerk: Shall we rise as we receive the Governor, Pontius Pilate.

Pilate: To what do I owe this unusual trial? Who are the accused?

Priest 1: (Gets up) Your Honor, it is a necessary evil, that we present wrongdoers to your Lordship, to
be given their deserved atonements for their wrongs.

Pilate: Very well, who are the accused?

Priest 1: My Lord, we present to you, Gestas and Dismas. (Beckons on Priest two to bring them in…the
two criminals, all chained are brought into the witness stand by a guard. Priest 1 Hands over
a scroll to the court clerk as he hands it over to Pilate. Pilate takes a glance at the scroll and
sighs.)

Pilate: I see…your resume is quite impressive, Dismas and Gestas. Multiple counts of armed robbery,
terrorism, and petty theft. Robbing of the temple too? Stealing of Temple cups and jugs?
Seriously, who does that? What do you have to say for yourself? Dismas and Gestas?

Gestas: Your honour, we are not the only thieves in Galilee, if you let me, I can show you hundreds of
them, besides, we just borrowed them, for personal use; we haven’t murdered….

Dismas: Shut up Gestas!! Have you no shame? Is there no shred of remorse in your heart? We are at
the verge of losing our lives, and you are priding yourself in harming other innocent people.
My Lord, we are sorry for our actions, if there is any possibility of pardoning us, please do.

Gestas: Coward!! I always knew you were not worthy of this job, pray we do not get out of here,
because if we do, I would have your head. You are a disgrace to armed robbers all over
Galilee.

Pilate: Enough of the banter you ingrates!! Your case has been tried already…I have nothing more to
say. You are both sentenced to death by crucifixion.

Dismas: (breaks down in tears) Your honor, have mercy on our souls, we would take any punishment
you give, and be your slaves till eternity, but please do not condemn us to death.
Pilate: Take them away, get it done as fast as you can, I do not want any more cases pending before
the Passover.
(Gestas and Dismas are led away amidst cheers from the audience, and wailing and tears
from the thieves.)

Pilate: I suppose that should be all for the day?

Priest 1: Not at all your entire Honor, we have another criminal, for your judgment. His name is Jesus,
of Nazareth. (Priest 1 beckons on the guards to bring Jesus, he is brought, looking all bloody
and dirty, to the witness stand.)

Pilate: Jesus of Nazareth. That is a familiar name

Priest 1: Of course your honor, criminals always have a reputation that precedes them.

Pilate: Very well then, what has this man done, to deserve this treatment? What are the charged
against him?

Priest 1: He violated the Sabbath….

Pilate: Go on….

Priest 1: He has seduced the people, taught foul, disgusting doctrines; that he is the bread of life, that
the only way we could have eternal life was if we ate his body, and drank his blood, an
insinuation that we are cannibals!! Blasphemy!!! He also refers to us, Galileans, as branches of
a vine, and he, being the true vine!! What impudence, your honor, he refers to himself as the
good shepherd, meaning we are all sheep and goats!! Me, you, and all the people, goats, and
sheep. He deserves to die for such libel and slander!!

Pilate: Is he not the prophet you welcomed into Jerusalem only a few days ago? And now you want
him dead? Can you explain this madness to me?

Priest 2: He is the leader of a very dangerous sect, who hail him Son of David. We all know David’s
sons, and he surely is not one of them.

Pilate: I see. So because he calls himself son of David, he deserves to die? (Priest 2 responds) this is
just a clear case of madness. What crime does a madman commit if he calls himself sane and
others mad?
Priest 2: My Lord, this is no ordinary madman; this is Jesus, the son of a carpenter, who calls himself
the Chosen Messiah, the King of the Jews. He even ordered his followers not to pay taxes to
the emperor.

Pilate: Really?
Priest 1: Your honor, he practices sorcery in the open, and getting the masses to follow his crafts, and
hail him their messiah. He works with powers from satan, and drives out satanic demons!! He
raised the dead with satanic tricks, and healed the sick through sorcery!!

Pilate: Jesus of Nazareth, is what they are saying true? Are you really the King of the Jews?

Jesus: (Softly) did this question come from you or do you ask because others have told you that is
what I am?

Priest 1: (Gets up and interjects angrily) See, such arrogance, and disrespect for authority!! How dare
you speak to the emperor in such malicious and disdain manner!!

Pilate: Enough High Priests!! Jesus, why would I ask you if you are king? Your high priests and your
own people delivered you up to me. They want me to have you executed. Why? What wrong
have you done? Are you truly a king?

Jesus: My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, do you think my followers would have let them
hand me over to you?

Pilate: So you are a King?

Jesus: That is why I was born, to give testimony of the truth. All men who hear the truth hear my
word.

Pilate: Truth!! What is truth? (Jesus remains mute and stares at him quietly) would you not speak?

Priest 1: He said he is the way the truth and the life, that no man comes to the father except through
him. In other words, your Lordship, he is the only guarantor of eternal life, that all theat Moses
taught was all nonsense!! Blasphemy!!!

Pilate: Enough!! Jesus, is it true that you restored sight to the blind, raised men from the dead, where
do you get your power? Are you the one whose birth was foretold? (Jesus remains silent)

Pilate: I see no wrong with this man, after all I have heard; this is just a typical case of utter madness.
I see no equity between his claims and the offence of the thieves or the murderers. Therefore, I
would not condemn him to death.

Pilate 1: He needs to die your honor!! So it would deter other madmen like him. You cannot set him
free, he is as guilty as charged. Even his followers gave him out; they were apparently tired of
his nonsense. His own treasurer voluntarily gave him out and reported him!!

Pilate: I see no concrete evidence of his guilt. I would not condemn him.
Priest 2: I beg to differ your honor. Is this Jesus man in any way better than all those criminals who
have lost their lives to their crimes? If the laws of this land are anything to go by, then he is as
guilty as charged.

Pilate: Indeed. Do you have any personal interest in the death of this man High Priest?

Priest 1: Of course not my Lord!! Why would another man’s death be of importance to me? I am only
defending the law of our forefathers, the very Law of Moses, which we inherited.

Pilate: Very well. Have him flogged and set him free.

Priest 1: Speaking of flogging. This man Jesus Christ went about flogging traders in the temple. We
have a witness to attest to the fact.

Pilate: a witness? Bring him in

Priest 1: My Lord I present to you Claudius. (Claudius, a short and cunning character, joins the Priest)

Pilate: Claudius, do you know the accused?

Claudius: Yes, your honor. I know him very well

Pilate: Tell this honorable court your involvement with the accused, and any other eventuality you
deem appropriate.

Claudius: My Lord, I am a business man, mainly I deal in money lending, changing of currency, and
selling of fowls, particularly, pigeons, and guinea fowls; akonfem. Not long ago I went to the
temple; to join other traders sell our merchandise. Shortly after, this man came in, all angry. At
first we thought he was mad, but it got worse than that. He together with his followers dragged
all our goods and wares on the ground, and beat us up mercilessly, saying the Temple was his
father’s house. But we all know his father is a carpenter, Joseph. My Lord, he particularly beat
me up, I had sores all over my body, I lost all my wares that day, and I run out of business. I
have since been jobless, poor, and out of sorts. All thanks to this pathetic excuse of a man
called Jesus!!

Pilate: And so you believe he should be condemned to death?

Claudius: My Lord, that is not all, this man was feeling free and he was expressing himself in confidence
like AirtelTigo. He said he could give power to anybody, like Vodafone, and had people
following him everywhere he went like MTN edey beeee keke!!

Pilate: Very well…. I still find nothing wrong against this man.
Priest 1: With all due respect honor, I am beginning to believe you have a personal interest in this
matter, that you have been dazed with an appreciable level of the nonsense this man has been
preaching!!

Pilate: I shall not have you disrespect me High Priest!!

Priest 1: I am utterly sorry your honor

Pilate: You better be. I would not tolerate any more of your outburst. I still feel this man deserves not
more than a good flogging. Whichever demon he has should leave his body by the flogging I
believe.

Priest 1: Speaking of demons, my Lord we have yet another witness to back our claims.

Pilate: Witness? Bring him in

Priest 1: Very well… (he beckons on the guards to bring in Sapphira. She speaks in a local dialect,
preferably Ga. She takes the witness stand)

Priest 1: Please state your name and occupation.

Sapphira: Shouldn’t I swear on something?

Priest 1: (Through gritted teeth) we’ve been over this already. Just do

what I tell you. (Normal) Your name and occupation.

Sapphira: Sapphira. I’m a pig farmer.

Priest 1: How long have you been in the business of pig farming

Sapphira: As long as I can remember. My mother was a pig farmer, and so was by mother before her,
and the one before her, and so on. It’s a family business.

Priest 1: And you do good business as a pig farmer, you and your family?

Sapphira: Well we used to

Priest 1: How do you mean?

Sapphira: Well, we did fine, my family and I until this one came around (murmurs some vulgar insults to
Jesus) came around.

Priest 1: By “he,” I’m sure you’re referring to the accused?

Sapphira: Yes.

Priest 1: What did “he” do?

Priest 1: Why do you keep them so far away from your house?

Sapphira: Ever smelled a pig? Anyway, at that time there were these two crazy guys. I mean crazy. They
used to yell at people who walked by and cut themselves with rocks. The town tried chaining
them down once, but they only broke the chains, so everybody just tried to leave them alone.
So one day he, Jesus, he and some other guys showed up in a boat, and the moment they’re on
shore these two guys ran up and knelt before Jesus.

Priest 1: So you’re saying that they knew him. They even showed him honor by kneeling to him.

Sapphira: Yes.

Priest 1: Go on.

Sapphira: Well, next thing you know, kah-boom, the two guys are right as rain, and now my pigs’re
acting crazy.

Priest 1: How do you mean?

Sapphira: Well, they were biting each other and trying to trample each other. Everything got so crazy
they ran themselves off of the cliff and drowned in the sea.

Priest 1: And you witnessed this yourself?

Sapphira: No. My servants they came and told me what… I mean yes! Yes, sir! I saw the whole thing.

Priest 1: An eyewitness! And now you have no pigs?

Sapphira: I got nothing. And it’s all his fault.

Priest 1: How do you think he was able to do this?

Sapphira: I do not know, all I know is that he made all my pigs rain into the sea, not even one of them
was left, and now I am jobless, with nothing to leave for my children, to continue the pig
tradition (starts cursing Jesus and breaks into a loud wail. She is led away)

Priest 1: My Lord, you have heard her testimony, this man cast demons into the poor woman’s pigs,
and now she is jobless. He deserves the highest punishment ever!!

Pilate: Hmm…Jesus of Nazareth, you sure are a trouble causer. But I still believe he is not so guilty
as to warrant any higher form of punishment than flogging.

Priest 1: I believe crucifixion was our original claim your honor.

Pilate: Shall I crucify your King?

Priest: We have no King but Caesar. Away with this one, crucify him!!
Pilate: Speak to me Jesus!! Should I have you crucified? I have the power to crucify you or to set you
free!!

Jesus: You have no power over me; except that which is given to you from above. Therefore, it is he
who delivered me to you who has the greater sin.

Pilate: Very well…I still find no fault with this man, I shall have him flogged and freed, as was my
earlier verdict.

Priest 1: If you free him, Governor, it means you accept that he should be King of the Jews, an
attestation to the fact that you are no friend of Caesar’s; and you know what that means.

Pilate: Are you threatening me High priest?

Priest 1: Not at all your honor, I’m only telling you the truth. Besides, my Lord, we brought him up
here, because we felt it would be unfair if we the priests and the Sanhedrin tried him alone, we
found him guilty as charged

Pilate: I shall not authorize the crucifixion for this man. Every year before the annual Feast, I grant
amnesty to one criminal. On this day, there is King Jesus, your Jewish Savior, accused of
blasphemy and other crimes, and Barabbas, a notorious terrorist. Who should I pardon? Jesus
or Barabbas?

(The Priest, Sapphira, Claudius and some of the crown folk shout; “Free Barabbas, Crucify
Jesus!!!! Repeatedly)

Pilate: Release Barabbas. Since you have made up your mind, deal with him as you deem fit. I wash
my hands off his blood.

Priest 1: Take him away, crucify him.

(the guards rush to arrest him amidst slow motioned flogs and beatings. Sapphira and co
step up to insult him more as they exit. Christ is led out of the court room. Drama ends.)