Nazarene Prophet Watch 3 - Breaking News: Jesus Seen With Sinners!

Part 3 of 5

Scandal hits the newsroom as JNN reporters dive into the biggest headline in Jerusalem: Jesus ben Joseph is seen eating with known sinners! Tensions rise as rumors swirl, temple insiders whisper, and the news team argues whether this so-called prophet should be rubbing elbows with society’s outcasts.

But Jesus has His own response—not a rebuttal, but a parable. Actually, two.
One about a lost sheep.
Another about a runaway son.
Both pointing to a radical kind of love the temple elite aren’t ready for.

Perfect for youth drama teams and VBS skit rotations, this fast-paced, satirical sketch invites kids and audiences to explore God’s heart for the lost—and challenges us all to rethink what grace really looks like.

Use as a standalone or continue the 5-part series for an unforgettable VBS experience.

•  For Segment I – Builders/Rich Man & Lazarus 1 Cor 3:11, Matt 7:21-27, Lk 16:19-31
• Segment II – Stilling Storm/Good Samaritan Jn 20:31, Mk 4:35-41, Lk 10:30-37
• Segment III – Lost Sheep/Prodigal Son Is 53:6, Lk 15:1-7, 15:11-24
• Segment IV – Great Supper/Raising Lazarus Jn 11:25, Lk 14:16-24, Jn 11:1-46
• Segment V – Second Coming Rev 22:7, Jn 14:1-6, Acts 1:1-11, 1 Thes 4:13-18, 1 Cor 15:51-58, Matt 24:21-31, Rev 19-21

Bible Reference:
For this Segment – Stilling Storm/Good Samaritan Jn 20:31, Mk 4:35-41, Lk 10:30-37

Cast: 6 (male or female)
Wolf ben Benjamin, Situation Room
Elizabeth, news anchor
Andrew ben Eli, co-news anchor
Simon ben Thomas, onsite reporter
Lydia, weather reporter
OV, offstage voice

Set: JNN (Jerusalem News Network) TV studio with desk and backdrops to indicate a studio.
On one side of the set is a sign, “SITUATION DESK” where Wolf sits.
Have a lighted sign (ON AIR) or simply a sign that is put up and taken down at appropriate time.
The set can be as elaborate or plain as you desire, example, TV cameras and lights, directors, studio workers, etc.

Costumes: either traditional or contemporary

Props: papers for reporters to refer to

Sample script:

JNN Studio. Elizabeth, Andrew, Lydia, Wolf, and Simon are at the desk.

Elizabeth: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to JNN, the Jerusalem News Network. I am your anchor, Elizabeth, and here are some of the stories we are following for you tonight.
All Jerusalem has enjoyed the story in this morning’s edition of the Jerusalem Enquirer.
Seems the popular prophet of Nazareth is seeking out friends among this town’s . . less desirable citizens.
Lydia, I believe you received some inside information about this news story?

Lydia (confused): Well, yes Elizabeth, but it was you who gave me the information . . and the pictures . . .

Elizabeth (embarrassed, angry): Well . . yes . . I . . but, . . it doesn’t matter. Just give the details, please, Lydia.
(gives Lydia a dirty look as she begins to speak)

Lydia: In their early edition this morning, the Jerusalem Enquirer printed a story regarding the social life of Jesus ben Joseph, the itinerant preacher and prophet from Nazareth.
It seems that some of his closest associates may have a history of crime and corruption.

Elizabeth: Really now, and just what sort of crime and corruption are we speaking of here, Lydia?

Lydia: The report alleges that the offenses range from petty theft and vagrancy to murder and prostitution.

Elizabeth: Hardly the type of people one would expect to be involved with the self-proclaimed Son of God.
Let’s bring in Wolf ben Benjamin at the JNN Situation Desk.
Wolf . . . what do you hear about this scandal?

Wolf: Well, Elizabeth, not sure it could be called a scandal.
There has been no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Jesus ben Joseph, and associating with people who may have made mistakes in their lives is hardly a crime.

Elizabeth: Not a crime, perhaps, but hardly the kind of action one would expect from someone who seems anxious to stand up in the temple and say his piece.

Wolf: Interesting is that although no one has publicly taken responsibility for starting this story, some individuals we spoke with indicate the source is inside the temple.

Andrew: That is what my sources tell me as well.
And one can expect that was the case—after all, the Nazarene has long been a thorn in the side of Ananias.

Elizabeth: Andrew ben Eli! . . Surely you are not accusing the Sanhedrin of concocting a story.

Andrew: Well, I didn’t say that, but Caiaphas and his friends have been relentlessly looking for a way to discredit Jesus.

Wolf: Simon ben Thomas, I believe that you were speaking with Jesus ben Joseph earlier today.
Did he deny the references to those around him?

Simon: No, not at all . .

Elizabeth: Then that just proves that the allegations are correct, doesn’t it?

Simon: In the mind of Jesus—and perhaps in the minds of most of the people in the streets of Jerusalem—whether those with whom Jesus associates are models of respectability is of little consequence.

Elizabeth: One would hope that the citizens of Jerusalem would have more regard for what is right.

Simon: While I was interviewing Jesus today, a top-ranking priest in the Sanhedrin walked by, shouting out to me,
"How dare you talk with him? He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends!"

Want to see how the story unfolds? DramaShare members get this complete script— and access to our entire library—free! Not a member? You can still grab this individual script and bring it to life.