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STONES

You will need four stones and a large foam or cardboard rock to attach to the shoulder of one of the men. Read the play to see what sort of stones to use.

As the play opens, there should be rather large pile of boxes near the left side of the stage. The woman is hidden behind the boxes. On the right side of the stage sits Jesus with a small goup of people. They can seem to be quietly talking as the play opens. Jesus and the group with Him should ignore the action by the boxes as they are a long way away from it. Five men come onstage as if they were walking past the pile of boxes. Man #1 looks behind the boxes. Man #1 (To people behind the boxes) - Hey, what is going on here? Man, you get on home to your wife and family. You know better than this. And you, you sorry, good for nothing! We've caught you this time. Get your clothes on and get out here! Man #2 - Bring her back to the temple for stoning. Everyone needs to learn a lesson from this. Man #3 - Yes they do. Especially the ones who have been following after that new teacher, Jesus. They're getting some strange ideas. Man #4 - That gives me a good idea. Jesus is always hanging around with her kind. Feeling sorry for trash like her and talking about second chances. Let's just see where he stands on this. Man #5 - Good idea? That's a great idea! If he gives this sorry creature a second chance, he'll be breaking Moses' law. Lets see how popular he is after he does that! Men come to Jesus pushing the women ahead of them. She's sobbing and stumbling. They push her down near Jesus. She kneels on the ground with her head in her hands. Man #3 - (Speaking to Jesus) Teacher, we caught this women in the act of adultery. I mean we caught her in the very act. Man #5 - There is no doubt about it! She is guilty, guilty, guilty. Man #3 - Now, Moses' law says that she should be stoned. What do you say? Jesus looks at the ground where he begins writing in the dust with his finger. After a moment or two, the men look at each other as if they do not know what to think. The men begin to talk to each other. He continues to write throughout the time the men are talking. Man #1 - (Holds up Stone of Accusation) - Man, I am all set to use this little beauty! I wish he'd stop wasting time and let us get on with it. Man #2 - That is a beautiful stone. Where did you get it? Man #1 - I made it - I've made lots of them. You can use any old stone. It does not matter what is inside. Just cover it with white wash and give it a good coat of polish. It kind of reminds me of life. It does not matter what you have inside of you as long as the outside looks good. Man #3 - It does look good but how well does it work? Man #1 - It's called a Stone of Accusation. Just be sure to tell everything bad you can come up with about the person you throw it at and it cannot miss! I can't wait to get started on her! What a great target! I know all her sins for the past 10 years. Man #2 - (Points at Jesus) What's He writing anyway? Let's get on with this. My Stone of Bitterness is getting heavy. It's hard to carry around all this weight but when I need to lay someone out in a hurry, a chip off of my old pal bitterness is good for the knockout. Man #1 - Stone of Bitterness? Is that what you call that big rock there on your shoulder? Why there must be 100 layers of rock in that thing. Man #2 - The best way to build a Stone of Bitterness is to hold on to every hurt that ever happens to you. Sure they get heavy but the bad feelings that they bring inside you really make you a good rock thrower. Look at these layers. I've got some that go clear back before I was born. For example, if my grandfather had held onto his money like he should have, I'd be rick right now. And my mother... Don't get me started on all the ways she let me down. Man #3 - That thing is too heavy for me to carry around. If you ask me, the Stone of Criticism has always been the best one to throw. No one can easily stand up again after being hit with a few of them. Look at this baby. Sharp as they come. Man #5 - It is sharp. How do you keep it that sharp? Man #3 - Practice, practice, practice. I use the Stone of Criticism at least once a day. If I get home from work and haven't used it yet, I can always practice on my family. Man #4 - All of your stones are o.k. but if you really want to go for the knockout, use the Stone of Destruction. See how it's shaped to fit my hand. Pounding works better than throwing any day. Man #1 - Pounding? What do you mean? Man #4 - Use your head for something besides a hat rack! Think for a change. You are so dumb you probably couldn't even hold this stone, let alone pound with it. What an idiot. Your IQ is somewhere between a blond and a slug. If's stupid people like you who make it difficult for the rest of us to get anything done. Man #1 - O.K., O.K. I see how you use it. Enough already. Man #5 - Those stones are fine for everyday use but for something like this, you really need a Stone of Exclusivity. Man #2 - Exclu-what? Man #5 - Exclusivity! We've got to show how that women and all her kind are not welcome here with us. If we start letting people like her hang around with us there will be all sorts of trouble. Man #4 - Accusation, Bitterness, Criticism, Destruction, Exclusivity. We've got our A,B,C's all in order and ready to go. What is the holdup? Man #3 - Let's get on with this, Jesus. What are we waiting for? Man #1 - Jesus, what do you say? Do you want us to break Moses' Law and let her go free? Or do we keep the law and cut loose with the stones? Jesus finishes writing and then looks up at them. Narrator - No one knows what Jesus was writing. Some say it was the whole law of Moses regarding adultery. The whole law said that the man and woman should both have been brought in for stoning. Jesus stands, still looking at the men. Jesus - He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone. Jesus stoops down again and writes on the ground. One by one, the men drop their stones, hang their heads and walk away. Jesus looks around and then looks at the woman. Jesus - Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Is there no one to condemn you? Woman looks around. Woman - No one, Lord. Jesus - Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.