Jesus Drove Greedy Merchants From God’s Temple: Luke 19

 

POY! SKIT GUIDELINES:

  • In a small group, participants might simply read their lines, or glance at their lines to get the idea so they can speak in their own words.
  • Most POY! skits require no practice in advance.
  • Have any small children play a brief part. Most scripts have an optional part for children, listed last under Participants.
  • Most scripts have a Narrator who should read the script beforehand to see how to keep moving the story along.
  • It is not necessary to employ costumes and objects, unless the skit recommends such.
  • It is not required to have an audience watch the skit. All present may participate.
  • Scripture and paraphrases, if any, usually appear in bold.

PARTICIPANTS:

Pharisee, who also serves as Narrator
Merchant
Voice (of Jesus) Stand to one side, read slowly and loudly.

Prompter (Optional). Prompter shouts a brief line and Companions repeat it.

Companions (Optional): children and all adults that want to take part. Make sure Companions know who the Prompter is, and that they are to repeat Prompter’s words.

SCRIPT:

Pharisee Jesus of Nazareth startled all of us when He came to our grand Jewish temple during His last trip to Jerusalem. He found merchants inside it, dealing with money and selling animals to be sacrificed, which made Him angry.
Merchant

Look! There’s that imposter from Galilee. How dare He intrude in our sacred temple! Hey! What is he doing? Look, guys, He’s swinging a whip! Look out! Oh, He turned over my table! My coins are rolling all over the floor! Hey! Stop that!

Prompter & Companions

Stop it! You’re spilling our coins!

Voice

It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a robbers’ den.

Pharisee

Jesus is teaching the people daily in the temple, and that makes me angry. Folks never listen to my teaching that attentively. This is causing a stir among our chief priests, scholars and political leaders.

Merchant

(Defiantly) We’d better stop that man! We must figure out a way to destroy Him.

Prompter & Companions

Destroy him! Destroy him!

Pharisee

We’ve tried, but we can’t find anything we might do, because all the people keep hanging on every word that Jesus says.

DISCUSS:

Why was Jesus so concerned with what went on in God’s temple?

(Good answer: People were using God’s dwelling place on earth (at that time) to make money.)

In what ways do people misuse religion that anger God in our days as much as they did in Jesus’ time?

(Good answer: Instead of glorifying God, confessing their sins and repenting, some people use religion for selfish purposes; these include to make money, gain prestige, lead rebellion, or to boost their pride by thinking that they are better than other people.)

In our days, where is God’s temple on earth, in which He dwells?

(Good answer: in believers, or in their hearts)

 

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