Jesus Lines Godspell

[start of show]

My name is known: God and King.

I am most in majesty, in whom no beginning may be and no end.

Highest in potency I am, and have been ever.

I have made stars and planets in their courses go.

I have made a moon for the night and a sun to light the day also. I have made All of Nothing for Man's sustentation,

And of this pleasant garden that I have mostly goodly planted,

I will make him Gardener for his own recreation.

John: But He who comes after me is mightier than I. I am not fit to take off his shoes. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Okay!

John: Do you come to me?

Yeah, I wanna get washed up.

John: I need rather to be baptized by you.

No, no. Let it be so for the present. We do well now to conform with all that God requires. [start Save the People]

[end of God save the people]

Now, do not suppose that I have came to abolish the Law and the prophets. I did not come to abolish, but to complete. I tell you this: so long as heaven and earth endure, not a letter, not a stroke, will disappear from the Law until all that must happen has happened. If any man, therefore, sets aside even the least of the Law's demands he will have the lowest place in the kingdom of Heaven. But he who keeps the law and teaches others so, he will have the highest place in the kingdom of Heaven.

I tell you this, unless you show yourselves far better men than the Pharisees and the doctors of the Law...

Joanne: Harrumph, harrumph, harrumph.

...You shall never enter the kingdom of Heaven.

All: Lalalalalalalalalala

There once was a judge

All: Lalalalalalalalalala

...Who cared for nothing for God nor man.

All: La-La

And in the same town there was a widow...who constantly came before him demanding justice against her rival.

All: La-La

For a long time he refused, but in the end he said to himself...

All: Lalalalalalalalalala

You hear what the unjust judge says: and will not God vindicate his chosen, who cry out to him day and night while he sits listening patiently to them?

OTHERS: Will he, Jesus? Will he, will he?

I tell you, he will vindicate them, soon enough.

Others: Yay!

But, when the son of man comes, will he find faith on Earth?

All: Hallelujah! Amen!

And it was this man, I tell you...

Gilmer: Oh, you've got to be kidding!

...and not the other who went off and quitted of his sins. For every man who exalts himself...shall be humbled: but...everyman who humbles himself, shall be exalted. Father in Heaven, shall be exalted. [all cheer] You have learned that they were told; Do not commit murder, anyone who commits murder must be brought to judgement. But what I tell you is this: Anyone who nurses anger against his brother must be brought to judgement. So he who..ABUSES...his brother must answer for it in the court. But, he who sneers at his brother must answer for it in the fires of Hell. Now. What if you are bringing a gift to the altar, and...you suddenly remember your brother has a grievance against you?

Joanne: Hai-yah

No, you leave your gift where it is, before the altar. Leave it!

Joanne: Ok!

First go make peace with your brother. Now go and offer your gift.

Others: Woo Woo woo!

But, what if your brother sues you? You'd better settle with him quickly. Otherwise, he'll hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the constable...and you'll land in jail.

All: Unnh!

And I tell you, you'll not get out of there until you've paid the last penny.

All: Unh-unh-unh

and that is how my Heavenly Father will deal with you, unless you each forgive your brothers from your hearts.[DAY BY DAY STARTS]

[DAY BY DAY ENDS]

Hello! Now, if your right eye offends you, tear it out and fling it away.

Herb: That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard.

It's better for you to lose one part of your body than for the whole of it be thrown into Hell.

Herb: Yeah, but she's...she's so...she's got a week back.

Since when?

Judas: Master, let me chastise the vixen.

Why don't you just...get back there. Now, if your right...hand offends you, I want you to cut it off and fling it away.

Sonia: Oh, c'mon!

Now look, it's better for you to lose one part of your body than for the whole of it to be thrown into hell. Woo Woo woo woo woo woo woo woo! You've heard that they were told: an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth. But what I tell you is this; Never set yourself against a man who wrongs you. So if someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn and offer him your left.

Judas: It's for you. It's your father.

Now, if a man sues you for your shirt...

All: Give him your coat as well! Yay!

Now, if a man in authority asks you yo go one mile with him...

Judas: Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Let's hear it from the Eternal Savior of the Cosmic Consciousness!

Now, if a man in authority asks you to go one mile with him...go with him two!

All: Go with him two!

Give when you are asked to give, and never turn your back on one who wants to borrow

Gilmer: Hey, you wanna see a show?

At these prices?

Sonia: ...And looked after him there. The next day he produced two pieces of silver and gave them to the innkeeper and said, "Look after him and if you spend any more, I will repay on my way back.

You have learned that they were told, "Love your neighbor, hate your enemy." But what I tell you is this...Love...love, love, love your enemies. And pray for your persecutors.

Herb: You don't mean it?

I do! Only so can you be called Children of your Heavenly Father, who makes his sun rise and set on good and bad alike, and sends the rain on the honest and the dishonest. Now if you greet only those who greet you, what reward can you expect? Surely the tax gathers do as much as that. And if you love only those who love you, what is there extraordinary in that? Even the hethen do as much. No, your goodness much know no bounds, just as your Heavenly Father's goodness knows no limit. Be careful not to make a show of your religion before men. Because if you do, no reward awaits you in the kingdom of my Father.

When you do some act of charity, don't announce it with a flourish of trumpets, as the heathen do in the synagogues and in the streets. I tell you they do it just to win admiration from men. No, when you do some act of charity... don't let your right hand know...what your left hand is doing.

One disciple: Did you see that?

Your good deed must be in secret.

Judas: What the good master is telling us is that when God tells a little secret on us, the angels write it down in a big...

No, no, no your heavenly father, who sees what is done in secret...He will what?

[END OF LEARN YOUR LESSONS]

Now, no servant can be the slave of two masters. Either he will love the first, and hate the second, or be devoted to the second, and think nothing of the first. No man can serve God...

All: What!?

...and money!

Joanne: And then I will say to myself: "Man, you have plenty of good things laid by you, enough to last you many years. Take life easy. Eat. Drink. Enjoy yourself." But then God said to man...

"You feel, this very night you must surrender your life. You have made your money. Who will get it now? [O BLESS THE LORD STARTS]

[END OF O BLESS THE LORD]

Therefore I bid you: Put away anxious thoughts of food and clothes to cover your body. Surely life is more than food, and the body more than clothes...

Herb: Her body is more than clothes. Look, I'll show ya!

Consider the lilies of the field. They don't work, they don't spin, and yet I tell you, Solomon in all his splendor was not attired like one of these. Now if that's how God clothes the grass, which is here today...and tomorrow is thrown on the fir, will he not all the more clothe you? How little faith you have! So don't go around anxiously saying, "What am I to eat, what am I to drink?"

all: don't ask that!

Set your mind...where?

All: God

God's kingdom and his justice and all the rest will come to you as well. So don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has problems of its own.

Joanne: Master, master! Blesses are the poor in the spirit...

For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Robin: Blessed are they that mourn...

For they shall be comforted.

Gilmer: Blessed are the meek...

For they shall inherit the earth

Jeffery: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice...

For they shall be filled.

Sonia: Blessed are the merciful...

For they shall have mercy

Lamar: Blessed are the pure in heart...

For they shall see God

Peggy: Blessed are the peacemakers...

For they shall be called the children of God

Herb: Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven!

(Judas) Blessed are you!

...When men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you ... falsely.

Did I ever tell you that I used to read feet? No, it's true. Some people read palms or tea leaves, I read feet. Look what this foot says. It says: "Rejoice!"

Jefferey: It says "Ree-bok"

No, no, rejoice and be exceedingly glad. For great is your reward in Heaven. [ALL FOR THE BEST STARTS}

[ALL FOR THE BEST PAUSES]

Now, how can you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye, when all the time there's this giant plank in your own?

Judas: I don't know. How can you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye when all the time there's this great plank in your own?

Or-how can you take the speck of sawdust out of your brother's eye when all the time there's a great plank in your own?

Judas: I don't know. How can you take the speck of sawdust out of your brother's eye when all the time there's this great plank in your own?

You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your OWN eye so you can see clearly to take the speck of sawdust out of your brother's.

Judas: Wait a minute! That's no answer to the question!

Did I promise an answer to the question? [ ALL 4 THE BEST RESUMES]

[YES IT'S ALL FOR THE________________, yes it's all for the_______]

you must never be distressed. All your wrongs will be redressed.

Sonia: Yes, it's all for the... yes it's all for the...

Judge not, that you yourself shall not be judged. For whatever you deal out to others...will be dealt back to you.

Gilmer: (sings) JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW, CAUSE THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO

A sower went to sow some seed

Peggy: And it grew, and it yielded a hundredfold!

Now, if you have ears to hear, then listen, for this is what the parable means. Do you know what the seed is?

Peggy: A baby!

Uh....no. The seed is the word of God...And that sees which fell along the footpath represents those who hear the Word, but then the Devil comes and carries them off for fear they should believe and be saved.

Joanne: Oy!

And that which fell upon rock, oh, they receive the Word with joy when they first hear it, but they have no root and so in time of testing they desert. And that which fell among the weeds, they hear the Word, but their further growth is impaired by cares, and wealth, and pleasures of the world. Oh no, no, no! They bring nothing to fruit.

Peggy: No fruit, Gilmer.

But, that which fell among good soil...Hey good soil, good soil! They hear the word with a good and honest heart and through their perseverance yield a harvest.

[in the middle of all good gifts]

So don't store up your treasures on earth, where it grows rusty and moth-eaten, and thieves break in to steal it. No, store up your treasure in heaven, where there is no moth, and no rust, and no thief. For where your treasure is, so will your heart be also.

Herb: Right-left! Left-right! Get down! Get up! Get down! Get up! Left-right! Wiggle your ears! Hup two three four! Hup two three four!

Don't give dogs what is holy...

All: two-three

And don't throw your pearls to the pigs for they will only trample on them and then they'll turn and cut you to pieces.

A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three, four

Herb: No, I don't wanna. Please don't make me, Jesus...Oh, alright!

(in rhythm) Is there a man among you who will offer his son a stone when he asks for bread.

All: Is there a man among you who will offer his son a stone when he asks for bread.

A snake if he asks for fish?

All: No!

Well, if you now-bad as you are-know how to give your children what is good for them-How much more will your Heavenly Father-Give good things...

All: Good things! Good things! Good things! Good things! Yeah!

...to those who ask for them? Always treat together-As you would have them treat you!

All: yeah-yeah-yeah!

Well, that is the law and the prophets.

Sonia: Play it , honey.

Stop. This is the beginning.

Herb: Who gave you authority?

Well, I have a question to ask you. Answer it and then I'll tell you by whose authority I act. The baptism of John; was it from God or was it from man?

Robin, Herb, Jeffery: We do not know.

Then neither will I tell you by whose authority I act, but I have a story for you: A man had two sons. He went to the first, and said, "My son, go and work in the vineyard today." "I will go," said the boy, but he never went. Then the father said to the second, "Now go my son, go and work in the vineyard today." "I will not go," said the son, but later on he changed his mind and went. Now which of these did as his father wished?

Robin, Herb, Jeffery: The second.

And I tell you this: Tax gatherers and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of heaven, because when John came and showed you the right way to live, you didn't believe him, but the tax gatherers and the prostitutes did. And even when you saw this, you did not change your minds and follow him.

Judas: You hypocrites!

Show me the money in which the tax is paid. Well, now, whose head is on here, whose inscription?

Herb: Caesar's.

Then pay Caesar what is due Caesar, but pay God what is due God.

Herb: Master, what is the greatest commandment of them all?

Thou shalt love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and all your soul. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. All the rest of the law, and all the prophets have written, is based on these first two. The doctors of law and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses, therefore listen to what they say, pay attention to their words, but do not follow their practice. For they say one thing and do another. They make up heavy packs and pole them on men's shoulders and they don't raise a finger to lift the load themselves. Everything they do is done for show. Oh, they go about wearing broad phylacteries with large tassels on their robes. They like to have their places of honor at feasts and at the synagogues and to be greeted respectfully in the streets and to be called "teacher". But you must not be called, "teacher" for you have one teacher: The Messiah and you must not call any man on earth "father" for you have only one Father and you are all brothers. And you must call no man on earth "rabbi" for you have one Rabbi and he is in Heaven.

[ALAS FOR YOU ENDS]

O, Jerusalem!

All: O, Jerusalem!

City that stones the prophets and murders the messengers sent to her. How often I have longed to gather up your children, as the hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not let me! And so I tell you: You shall never see me until the time when you say, "Blessing on him who comes in the name of the lord! But take care that no one misleads you. For many will come claiming my name and saying, " I am the Messiah!" And many will be mislead by them. For the time is coming when you will hear the noise of battle near at hand. For nation will make war upon nation, kingdom upon kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes in many places, but will all these things...the birthpangs of a new age begin! For as things were in Noah's days...

Herb: Happy Noah's Days!

So will they be when the son of man comes.

Herb: C'mon animals. C'mon. There's a 73% chance of rain!

For in days before the flood, men ate and drank and married and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away.

All: Master, save us! Are you not afraid we shall be drowned? Save us!

Have you no more faith? Peace. Be still. For when son of man comes, there will be men...working in the fields. And of these men working, one will be taken and the others left. Women...grinding at the wheel. And of these women grinding, one will be taken and the others left. So keep awake then, for you do not know on what day your Lord is to come.

All: Hah!

Remember, if the householder had known what time the burglar was coming, he would have stayed awake all night.

All: Ha-cha-cha-cha-cha!

Keep awake, then, for the son of man will come at a time when you least expect him. Now,...who is the trusty servant? The man charged by his master...to take care of his servants and pay them at the proper time. Well happy is that servant who is at his job when the master comes, for I tell you, he will put in charge of all his master's property. But, what of the bad servant...Who sits around saying, "Oh well, the master is a long time coming," and he begins bullying the servants and eating and drinking with his drunken friends. I tell you this, the master will come a day he does not know a time he least expects and will cut him to pieces. Then he'll take his place among the hypocrites, where there is wailing...

All: Wailing!

...and gnashing of teeth

All: G-nash, g-nash, g-nashing!

Remember, he who humbles himself as a little child will find good fortune in the kingdom of Heaven.

Jeffrey: Yeah, what do you say about it, mister?

That the one of you who is faultless shall throw the first stone.

Gilmer: Oh, boy!

Where are they now? Has no one condemned you?

Peggy: No one, sir.

Nor do I condemn you. You may go. Do not sin again.

[END OF BY MY SIDE]

Now, when the Son of Man comes in all his glory, with all his angels with him, he will sit in state on his throne, with all the nations gathered before him. And he will separate the men into two groups, as a shepherd separates the sheep... Maaaa! ...from the goats.... Baaah! And then he will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left....

Lamar: Sheep on his right? Oh, that right!

and then he will say to those on his right; "Baa baa baa baa baa baa"

Sheep: Baaaa!

You have my father's blessing. Come and enter the kingdom that has been ready since the world was made. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, when I was naked and without a home you took me to your house, and when I was ill and in prison, you came to my aid. Hey, hey, hey get back there.

Jeffrey: Baah!

And then they will say to him:

Gilmer: Yeah, or in prison and helped you?

And then he will say to them: Anything you did for one of your brothers here; however humble, you did it for me.

Gilmer: Oh, I get it.

And then he will say to those on his left...

Goats: Yeah?

A curse is upon you!

Goats: Baah!

You go from my sight to the eternal fire, to the eternal fire, that has been ready for you with the devil and all his angels. For when I was hungry, you didn't give me anything to eat; when I was thirsty, you didn't give me anything to drink; when I was naked and without a home, you didn't take me to your house; and when I was ill and in prison, you didn't come to my aid. And they will say to him.

Joanne: Aw, Master, if we'd a known it was you, we woulda taken you out...for a couple of Lamb Chops!

And then he will say to them; Anything you did not do for one of my brothers here, however humble, you did not do for me.

Goats: Baah!

Go take your place in eternal punishment!

Goats: Baah!

But the righteous shall have everlasting life!