BACK SACRIFIC 6'1m*f RT: Abraham sacrifices Isaac (RT == Readers' Theater: requires little or no memorization, little or no rehearsal. An indefinite number of reporters are salted throughout the audience.) ABRAHAM -- (enters wearing tunic, headdress and sandals, crosses) REPORTER -- Excuse me, sir. Are you Abraham the son of Terah? ABRAHAM -- (stops, turns) Yes. What's this all about? Why this crowd of people? REPORTER -- We are the press corps from the newspapers here in Philistia. We heard about your upcoming sacrifice. ABRAHAM -- The sacrifice? You heard about the sacrifice? REPORTER -- Yes, could you answer a few questions about it? ABRAHAM -- (steps to podium) Yes, I suppose I could answer a few questions. REPORTER -- So, it was your god who commanded you to make the sacrifice? ABRAHAM -- That's right. REPORTER -- And it was your god who commanded you to sacrifice your youngest son? ABRAHAM -- That's right. REPORTER -- It is common practice in Philistia to sacrifice the OLDEST son to the gods. Why do you think your god commanded you to sacrifice your YOUNGEST? ABRAHAM -- My God is not like the other gods, so he doesn't do things like other gods. And on this particular occasion when he commanded me to sacrifice my youngest son it was probably for good reason. REPORTER -- Can you tell us your son's name? ABRAHAM -- His name is Isaac. REPORTER -- Isaac means "LAUGHTER" in your native language, does it not? ABRAHAM -- That's right. REPORTER -- Why did you decide to name him LAUGHTER? ABRAHAM -- That was what God commanded me to call him. REPORTER -- Why would God name your son Laughter? ABRAHAM -- I think it has something to do with my wife's reaction to God's prediction that she would have a baby. REPORTER -- Your wife laughed when your god told her she was going to have a baby? ABRAHAM -- That's right. REPORTER -- Why would she laugh at that news? ABRAHAM -- Because at that time my wife was 30 or 40 years BEYOND child bearing age. She thought God was joking. REPORTER -- But he wasn't? ABRAHAM -- No. God wanted everyone to know that Isaac was the result of God's intervention. And just to emphasize it, he waited for ten years after making the promise before making my wife pregnant. REPORTER -- Was your oldest son also a miracle baby? ABRAHAM -- No. My wife and I grew impatient waiting for a miracle baby, so we decided to have a baby the normal way with my wife's maidservant. The miracle baby wasn't born until well after that baby was born. REPORTER -- Do you favor one child over the other? ABRAHAM -- Obviously. We waited ten years for the miracle baby to be born. God promised that Isaac will be a blessing to countless millions of people. REPORTER -- You'll pardon me for saying so, but you don't seem terribly sad to lose your favorite son. ABRAHAM -- Oh, I won't lose him. REPORTER -- Why? Have you decided to call off the sacrifice today? ABRAHAM -- No. I will carry it out exactly as commanded by God. REPORTER -- I'm sorry. I'm lost. How is it that you will sacrifice your son but not lose him? ABRAHAM -- You know what? I have no idea. All I know is that God promised us years ago that Isaac would be the father of multitudes. And Isaac hasn't had any children yet. Now one thing I'm absolutely sure about is that God cannot lie. If he promised us that Isaac will be a father, Isaac will live to be a father. REPORTER -- You'll forgive me for being a sceptic, Abraham. But there is no way you can have your cake and eat it too. If you sacrifice your son, there is no way he'll be around in the future to have children of his own. It just can't happen. ABRAHAM -- But it will. If God can get my wife pregnant 30 or 40 years after her child-bearing years, he can do ANYTHING. REPORTER -- How do you think your god will pull this off? ABRAHAM -- Well, I've thought about this and it seems to boil down to two possibilities. Either God will provide a substitute sacrifice in place of my son, or He will let me kill Isaac on the altar and bring him back to life. REPORTER -- Are you saying that your God could bring a dead body back to life?! ABRAHAM -- God created the universe out of nothing. I would think that for a god who could do that, putting life back into a lifeless body is trivial. I'm confident he'll do it. One thing I'm absolutely sure of, God will keep his promise. REPORTER -- Rumor has it that this sacrifice will not be done here in Philistia. Is that true? ABRAHAM -- That's right. The sacrifice will be done on a hill known as Mount Mariah near Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives. REPORTER -- Why did you choose to make the sacrifice on Mount Mariah? ABRAHAM -- I didn't. God commanded me to make the sacrifice on Mount Mariah. REPORTER -- Did your god tell you WHY he wanted the sacrifice to be done on Mount Mariah? ABRAHAM -- No, he didn't say. But God usually repeats history so that everyone will know that the event was supernaturally controlled. I suspect that some time in the future God will call for another sacrifice on that very spot. And if I know my God, he will not only repeat the sacrifice of a son, but the son will also be born by miraculous means. Whatever God decides to do in the future, he will not leave any doubt that it was God himself who controls history. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a schedule to keep. If you have any more questions, I'll answer them when my son and I return from Mount Mariah. (exits) �2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. 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