In place of the Good Friday sermon, a Passion Drama was put together by Pastor Samuel & Rosemarie Grabs, based around an unpublished work entitled "Who Killed Jesus?" by Eleanor J. Filyer. This work was submitted as completion of an assignment in studies at the Baptist Leadership Education Centre (BLEC) on March 29, 2000. Permission was obtained for the use of this work during the service, but has not yet been obtained for its publishing on the Web. Therefore, only sufficient excerpts to give you the flavour of how the piece fits into the total work are cited below
Narrator (Creation)
In the beginning….God created the universe
The earth was formless and desolate.
The raging ocean that covered everything
was engulfed in total darkness,
and the power of God
was moving over the water.
THEN GOD commanded: Let there be light.
And light appeared.
God was pleased with what he saw.
Then he separated the light from the darkness,
and he named the light: Day
Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life:
domestic and wild, large and small.
And it was done.
So God made them all,
and he was pleased with what he saw.
It was done.
God looked at everything he had made,
And he was very pleased.
After Jesus had spoken these words,
he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley
to a place where there was a garden,
which he and his disciples entered.
Judas brought a detachment of soldiers
together with police from the chief priests
and the Pharisees,
and they came there with lanterns
and torches and weapons.
Judas, who betrayed him,
was standing with them.
What have I done?
Three years...
I thought I knew him.
I thought he was the answer.
I thought he would save us from all Rome...
(Section Omitted)
...As though I ever deserved his love. How could I have done it? I can't live with myself. I kissed him.
I killed him.
Narrator Part 2 (Introduction to Peter)
Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him,
came forward and asked them,
"Whom are you looking for?"
They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,
struck the high priest's slave,
and cut off his right ear.
Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath.
Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?"
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.
Since that disciple was known to the high priest,
he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest,
but Peter was standing outside at the gate.
So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest,
went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate,
and brought Peter in.
The woman said to Peter,
"You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?"
He said, "I am not."
Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire
because it was cold,
and they were standing around it and warming themselves.
Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.
They asked him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not."
One of the slaves of the high priest asked,
"Did I not see you in the garden with him?"
Again Peter denied it,
and at that moment the cock crowed.
What have I done? I didn't believe him. I didn't listen.
But I believed what I said.
I would lay down my life for him. Yeah, sure...
(Section Omitted)
...I have to live for him. But I denied him. I killed him.
Narrator Part 3 (Introduction to Pilate)
First they took him to Annas,
who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
the high priest that year.
Then the high priest questioned Jesus
about his disciples and about his teaching.
Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas
to Pilate's headquarters.
It was early in the morning.
They themselves did not enter the headquarters,
so as to avoid ritual defilement
and to be able to eat the Passover.
So Pilate went out to them and said,
"What accusation do you bring against this man?"
They answered, "If this man were not a criminal,
we would not have handed him over to you."
Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law."
The Jews replied, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death." Then Pilate entered the headquarters again,
summoned Jesus, and asked him,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own,
or did others tell you about me?"
Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests
have handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world.”
Pilate said to the Jews, "Here is your King!"
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
What have I done?
An innocent carpenter? A treasonous criminal?
A subversive religious leader? Who was this man? I had to make the call. Go against my conscience. Go against the crowd. Who is right?
Who is wrong? What is truth?...
(Section Omitted)
...How could I have done it? I need to know the truth. But I condemned him. I killed him.
Narrator Part 4 (Introduction to Roman Soldier)
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,
they took his clothes
and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier.
They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece from the top.
So they said to one another,
"Let us not tear it,
but cast lots for it to see who will get it."
This was to fulfill what the scripture says,
"They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots."
And that is what the soldiers did.
Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
A jar full of sour wine was standing there.
So they put a sponge full of the wine
on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
When Jesus had received the wine,
he said, "It is finished."
Then the soldiers came and
broke the legs of the first and
of the other who had been crucified with him.
But when they came to Jesus
and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs.
Instead, one of the soldiers
pierced his side with a spear,
and at once blood and water came out.
(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe.
His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.)
What have I done?
I twisted together the crown of thorns. I spit on him.
I laughed.
I held the whip.
I held the hammer. I held the spear...
(Section Omitted)
...Surely, this man was the Son of God. But I nailed him there.
I killed him.
Narrator Part 5 (Introduction to Mary)
Standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother,
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple
whom he loved standing beside her,
he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Here is your mother."
And from that hour the disciple
took her into his own home.
What have I done?
My baby.
I watched him grow and learn. I bandaged scraped knees And kissed bruised elbows.
I smiled the first time he said, "I love you, Mama."...
(Section Omitted)
...My baby died for me.
But I should have been the one. I killed him.
Narrator Part 6 (Introduction to the Crowd)
There was a custom that the
Romans may release a prisoner
for the Jews at the Passover.
Do you want to have the King of the Jews released?"
They shouted in reply,
"Not this man, but Barabbas!"
Now, Barabbas was a bandit.
They kept coming up to him,
saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
and striking him on the face.
They shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
It was about noon.
They cried out,
"Away with him! Away with him!
Crucify him!" So they took Jesus;
and carrying the cross by himself,
he went out to what is called
The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew
is called Golgotha.
There they crucified him,
and with him two others,
one on either side,
with Jesus between them.
When Jesus had received the wine,
he said, "It is finished."
Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
What have I done?
I've read the story so many times.
Half the time I don't even stop to think. You gave me more that I could imagine. You hurt more than I could bear. Because of me....
(Section Omitted)
...My sin is worse than theirs Lord - I knew. How could I have done it? I betrayed him.
I denied him.
I condemned him.
I nailed him there.
I should have been the one. I was the reason.
I killed him.
Narrator Part 7 (Introduction to Jesus)
"My kingdom is not from this world.
For this I was born, and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.
He was handed over to be crucified.
The inscription was written; it read,
"Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
It was put on the cross.
Jesus was thirsty and the Roman soldier
held a sponge full of sour wine
on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
When Jesus had received the wine,
he said, "It is finished."
Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
What have I done?
I suffered for you, leaving you an example, That you should follow in my steps.
You love because I loved you first.
This is how you know what love is:
I laid down my life for you...
(Section Omitted)
...You should have been the one but I chose to take your place. You were the reason; you needed me.
You did not kill me - I gave up my life.