St Luke's Church Eccleshill, Bradford, UK

This piece of drama was used on Sunday 4th May 2003 during the 10.30am morning service. There was also a song "Jesus is our king" to the tune of "Scooby Doo", which was used in the place of the creed: we hope to publish this in due course.

Is Jesus a ghost?

Luke 24:36-43

(Minister, Professor, Reader and Jesus at the front of the church. The drama follows on from the bible reading, so it's natural for the reader to remain at the lectern and for the minister to explain that some people think Jesus was a ghost, so we've invited a professor to come and explain why.)

Min. Now then, Professor, tell us why you think the risen Jesus was a Ghost.

Prof. Well, it's obvious that dead people don't really come back to life, so he must have been a ghost. Only the disciples didn't realize it was a ghost, they thought it was real.

Min. Well, let's have a listen to the evidence of Luke's Gospel.

Reader. As the disciples were talking about all this, there Jesus was, standing among them. Startled and terrified, they thought they were seeing a ghost.

Prof. There you are. Case proved.

Jesus. Why are you so perturbed? I'm not a ghost.

Prof. Of course you are. Dead people don't come back to life.

Min. Well, hold on a minute. What are ghosts like? How could you tell whether something was a ghost or not? Now at vast expense, I've asked a real ghost to come this morning, so we can ask her a few questions. Let me introduce ...

(Ms Ghost comes to the front, preferably dressed in a white sheet, white gloves and a white veil over her face.)

Min. Good morning, Ms Ghost.

Ghost. Good morning.

Min. Now then, Ms Ghost, are you a real ghost?

Ghost. Of course I am. I'm a fully paid-up member of the Girl Ghosts Association.

Min. I see. And what do you have to do to qualify for membership?

Ghost. Well, for a start you have scare people.

Prof. Well, that proves it, doesn't it? When Jesus appeared the people who saw him were scared. Listen, read that first bit again.

Reader. Startled and terrified, they thought they were seeing a ghost.

Min. Yes, but they didn't stay scared, did they? Because right at the end of Luke's gospel, it says they'd changed their minds. Please would you read that bit for us?

Reader. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and spent all their time in the temple praising God.

Min. Thank you. What else do you have to do to be a ghost?

Ghost. You have to be fuzzy round the edges so that people can't quite make you out. That's why you look white.

Prof. That's because you're dressed up in a sheet, aren't you?

Ghost. No I'm not. It just looks like that 'cos I'm fuzzy round the edges.

Min. I see. Well then, Jesus can't have been a ghost, can he? He asked his disciples to take a close look at him:

Jesus. Why do questionnings arise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet.

Min. That would be because Jesus' hands and feet had the marks of crucifixion on them. A real ghost wouldn't have details like that.

Prof. Oh, that's rubbish. You've been watching too much Scooby Doo.

Min. Well it is true Scooby Doo is one of my favourite programmes. What else does a ghost have to do?

Ghost. You have to be intangible. That means you can walk through things and no-one can touch you or feel you.

Prof. Well now, Jesus was intangible after his resurrection, wasn't he? Didn't he come and go through locked doors?

Min. But listen to what he said to the disciples:

Jesus. Touch me and see: no ghost has flesh and blood as you can see that I have.

Ghost. Well, he can't be a ghost then, because a ghost can't choose to become tangible. You can't ever touch and feel a ghost.

Prof. Well, I'm still not convinced.

Min. Neither were the disciples, because listen to the reading:

Reader. They were still unconvinced, still wondering, for it seemed too good to be true.

Min. So we'd better hear, what's the last thing about being a ghost?

Ghost. You can't eat or drink or move objects in the material world.

Prof. You've been watching that film - the one called "Ghost"!

Min. Well, that's the next test they used. Listen to what Jesus said:

Jesus. Do you have anything here to eat?

Reader. They offered him a piece of fish they had cooked, which he took and ate before their eyes.

Min. So that proved that Jesus was not a ghost: he didn't scare them, he had detailed marks on him, he could be touched, and he could eat real food. Jesus was real, and really alive again.

John Hartley