Staging
Table and chairs for monopoly game, bean bag, another chair
Dress
Job, his wife and friends should be well dressed, suit/tie. To make
it more interesting Job’s friend can take different characters eg. Christine
Rankin, oil tycoon. Elihu can be dressed casually.
Bildad : Ok, I'm buying houses for Trafalgar Square and Fleet Street.
Narr : A long, long time ago, there lived in the Middle East a man named Job (Narr. pronounces it the same as the English word 'job’.)
Job : That's 'Job' (pronounced correctly, to rhyme with robe)
Narr : It looks like job.
Job : Well it's my name, and I say it's pronounced Job.
Zophar : Oh, no, Bond St ! How much do I owe you, Job?
Job: $450, (pause) and it's pronounced Boned St.
Narr: Job was one of those people who played Monopoly in real life. He was absolutely loaded, one of the richest people around. He had 10 wonderful children and a wife who ... (they all turn to look at her as she takes another chocolate) ... who was very fond of chocolate.
Wife: We've got a great deal going. He gives me chocolates, I give him children.
Narr: But what was most remarkable about job (glare from Job), sorry, Job, was how good he was. He was blameless in all his doings, he feared God and shunned evil and was respected by all who knew him.
Eliphaz: Round the corner. $200 please.
Narr: And then, suddenly, things started to go wrong for Job.
Job: Community chest. Aaarrggh, street repairs, $40 per house, $115 per hotel (he hands over a big wad of cash to Zophar, the banker).
Zophar: That was a double, roll again.
Job: Seven. Oh no, Mayfair.
Bildad: With a hotel on it! I'm afraid that's $2000 you owe me, Job. (Job hands over all his money and property).
Narr: And it wasn't just his business dealings that went wrong. (Pulls out cell phone) Word arrived that all his children, who had been driving up to see him, had died when they swerved off the road to avoid a drunk driver. Job was grief-stricken, and turned aside from his friends to be alone with God. (Friends continue playing not noticing)
Eliphaz: Finally! Fenchurch St Station! That completes the set.
Narr: And then Job lost his health. (Rips off suit top and shirt to show old ripped shirt with welts and sores painted on his arms) He was afflicted with painful sores from head to foot, which ran, and bred maggots. At this point his wife and friends noticed something was amiss.
Wife: Where's my next box of chocolates? Hey, you, revolting person, where's my husband gone? Oh, you are my husband. Well, you always say God's in control, so he must have done this to you. Why don't you just curse him and die? (She goes back to her magazine)
(The friends and Elihu gather around Job so that all 5 are in a semi-circle facing the congregation. Pause.)
Job: Yes, I am sure God’s in control, but I always thought he was fair. I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong, so why is he picking on me? Why did he give me life if it’s going to be such torture?
Eliphaz: I’ve got it! God must be punishing you for something you've done wrong! (Like the next two friends, this is said as if it’s a startling new thought).
Job: I know what you're thinking, but I haven’t had a fair go. I’m sure God would let me off rather than kill me if he treated me fairly.
Bildad: I’ve got it! God must be punishing you for something you've done wrong!
Job: It's so easy for you to talk. I had everything so good, and then he shattered me. What point is there in godly living if God's punishment falls equally on good and bad?
Zophar: I’ve got it! God must be punishing you for something you've done wrong!
Job: I served God faithfully, he blessed me, and everyone respected me. I wish those days were still here. Now even those I love hate me. But I’m convinced that one day I will see God and he will hear me.
Elihu: How dare you, Job? God has already said to you all that he needs to say - he has spoken by causing you to suffer. People are nothing before God and he pays no attention to people like you who are too big for their boots.
Narr: And so Job learnt the lesson his friends were telling him ...
(Lights go off, except for strong spotlight, which shines on Job alone. (Can use also tornado sound track) The friends all turn their backs to audience leaving Job alone with God. Gradually Job lifts his eyes to the light. His face is transformed by the time the light is off (i.e. the other lights are on).
(His friends turn around and his wife steps forward puzzled still holding the chocolate box.)
Wife: What happened?
Lights off
.............................................
© Greg (Dunedin City Baptist) 2001
All rights reserved
This play may be performed free of charge, on the condition that copies
are not sold in any medium, nor any entrance fee charged. In exchange for
free performance, the author would appreciate being notified of when and
for what purpose the play is performed. Our drama group can be contacted
at the following address: brook@clear.net.nz