012. The Lord Frees a Lady from Twelve Years of Suffering

Â	The Lord Frees a Lady from Twelve Years of Suffering About 5 minutes, from a reading by Paula Gamble, based on Mark 5: 21-43 Participants (No need to memorize lines; the aim is to relive sacred events, not to perform) Â Â Mrs. Griever Â Â Mrs. Grumble Â Â Voice (of Jesus) Â Â Jairus Â Â Â Prompter.Â Â Â Â Shout a brief line, and Echoes repeat it. Â Â Â Echoes.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Children and adults who want to take part. Echoes need no script.		Â
Mrs. Griever		Look, Mrs. Grumble. Our rabbi Jairus is racing after that crowd!
Mrs. Grumble		He is chasing after that rebel rabbi from Nazareth. I dare say! Look how our rabbi is carrying on! Disgraceful! Listen to him.
Jairus		Master! My little daughter is dying! Come lay your hands on her!
Prompter & Echoes		Quickly!
Mrs. Griever		Look at Jairus fling himself down on this rocky road, scraping his knees!
Mrs. Grumble		It is not proper conduct for a learned synagogue leader! Groveling before that infamous, wandering rabbi! Shame!
Mrs. Griever		Isn’t Jesus a prophet or something?
Mrs. Grumble		Oh, he is something all right! He hangs out with drunken tax collectors! Why does Jairus fuss so over a mere 12-year-old girl?
Mrs. Griever		Twelve years? The girl was born the same year my sickness started. My dreadful flow of blood has been going on since then.
Mrs. Grumble		Well! Then you are unclean by our Law! (Step away) Get away from me!
Mrs. Griever		Twelve years not sleeping with my husband, unable to bear children, unable to cook lest I infect my family! No hugs from my children.
Prompter & Echoes		Twelve years!
Mrs. Grumble		Now I know why you never chat with the ladies at the well; you’d pollute the entire town.
Mrs. Griever		I am so lonely! Bitter at times, but it won’t help to spread it around griping. I gave all I had to doctors; but they made me worse. I heard that Jesus heals the sick.
Mrs. Grumble		They say he touched a leper! Touched the filthy beggar, mind you! No respectable Rabbi would ever touch a leper, making himself unclean!
Mrs. Griever		But the leper became clean and joined his family again. I heard that Jesus once cured a man’s shriveled hand.
Mrs. Grumble		Well, he did that on the Sabbath day, so it had to be by Satan’s power.
Mrs. Griever		Oh, no! How can you say such a thing? It is beautiful the way Jairus cares for his daughter! I wish someone cared for me. I have no hope. I heard that people merely touched Jesus and got healing. Maybe I can sneak through this throng to touch his robe; I dare not touch him; I would make him unclean, but I must!
Prompter & Echoes		Just touch his robe.
Mrs. Griever		I hope no one notices me! It is hard to move through this crowd. There! I did it. I touched the hem of his robe!
Jairus		Why have you stopped, Master? Why look around? My daughter is dying.
Mrs. Griever		What is happening? Oh! Dried up? My hemorrhage is dry. I felt it dry up! Dry and whole, in an instant!
Voice		Who touched my robe?
Mrs. Grumble		How can he ask who toughed his clothes? Many are pressing against him!
Mrs. Griever		How did he feel me touch the fringe of his robe? I am in trouble now! Oh, my knees are shaking! Please walk on, Jesus! Go heal Jairus’ little girl. Please, just go on! Do not let them know that an unclean woman touched you! You would not dare lay hands on the girl if they knew I defiled you!
Voice		Power went out from me. Who touched me?
Mrs. Griever		He is waiting; I must go to him. More shame and cruel words! I go forward on my knees as Jairus did. I fall at his feet, weeping. Lord! I confess! I touched you! I defiled you!
Jairus		You did what? You touched Jesus? You meddler! My daughter is dying, and you interrupt us!
Mrs. Griever		The crowd is silent, shocked. I wait for Jesus to scold me.
Voice		Daughter, your faith has healed your affliction.
Mrs. Griever		What? What did he say? No condemnation? Before this leering, jeering mob that ostracized me, Jesus says I am whole!
Voice		Rise.
Prompter & Echoes		Go in peace!
Mrs. Griever		Peace! No one has spoken so kindly to me. Whyâ€¦ I feel young again! Jesus has restored me to my community.
Jairus		Oh! It’s no use now, teacher. They have come to tell me my daughter has died.
Prompter & Echoes		Too late!
Mrs. Griever		(Groan) Oh, no! Jesus stopped for me and did not get to her in time.
Voice		Do not fear, Jairus. Just trust me.
Prompter & Echoes		Trust him!
Mrs. Griever		Jairus, trust Jesus! He healed me after twelve years of living death. He can bring your little girl back. He must be the promised Messiah!
Prompter & Echoes.		Our blessed Messiah!