The Last Temptation of Christ Page #10

NATHANIEL:

Water.

JESUS:

No. It's wine.

NATHANIEL:

No, no. It's water.

JESUS:

Go over there and make sure. It's

wine, I'm telling you.

Nathaniel, still unconvinced, goes over to a vat and tastes.

NATHANIEL:

You're right. It is wine.

JAMES:

(as a joke)

It's another miracle.

CUT TO:

LATER:

Jesus, a little drunk and very happy, dances with men and

women. Magdalene watches him, a mixture of reverence and

longing on her face.

CUT TO:

EXT. NAZARETH - DAY

Sabbath. The faithful, fresh from synagogue, mill about under

the date palms in the manner of churchmen over the centuries.

These are not common people. On the contrary, they represent

the Jewish hierarchy: the severely moral Pharisess, Saducees,

in collusion with the Romans; and the landowners and

shopkeepers who supported the synagogue.

Jesus calls out:

JESUS:

Brothers! Sisters! My old friends!

Listen to me! Listen to me.

THe churchmen, curious, gather around.

JESUS:

(continuing)

The prophet was talking about me.

God talked to me in the desert. He

gave me a great secret and told me

to bring it to you -- didn't you

hear me coming? I ran here first --

to Nazareth -- where I grew up -- to

give you the news. The Lord's Kingdom

is here.

VILLAGER #1

(taunting)

You do miracles. Do a miracle for

us, make us believe in you. Otherwise,

go away!

JESUS:

(impassioned)

The Messiah doesn't need miracles.

He is the miracle. The Day of the

Lord is here. Are you ready? I've

come to tear down the world around

you. The old world will be replaced

by the new world. The Kingdom of

Heaven! The Kingdom of God! So call

the poor and give them your food.

What do you care about your

possessions? Your gold and silver

will rust and their rust will eat

your flesh like fire. Flood and fire

will come down, and the new Ark will

float above the flames. I hold the

keys and I open the Ark and I select.

My brothers of Nazareth, you're the

first I invite. Come and enter.

The villagers boo and laugh. Some children put stones in

their hands.

VILLAGER #1

A boat. We're in the desert and he

tells us about a boat.

VILLAGER #2

Aren't you the son of Mary? Right?

Who are you to tell us about God.

VILLAGER #3

You made better crosses than speeches.

(to companion as he

walks away)

Go get somebody from his family.

This is embarrassing.

JESUS:

What are you laughing at? Everything

you have will burn!! Soon! Leave

your homes! Come with me to Jerusalem!

VILLAGER #2

This is what happens when a man

doesn't marry. The semen backs up

into his brain.

Someone throws a stone; it grazes Jesus' head, drawing blood.

VILLAGER #4

Go home! You're full of devils.

JESUS:

(wiping blood from

his brow)

This is my home!

Peter and Judas rush to Jesus' defense. Judas puts his hand

to his dagger.

VILLAGER #2

Kill him!

He throws another rock.

PETER:

What are you doing that for? That's

a shame.

VILLAGER #2

He's a sorcerer. He's calling the

fire to come down on us!

POOR VILLAGER:

Don't touch him! God's Kingdom is

for the poor. It's our Kingdom!

The rich and poor scuffle. Judas, Jesus, Peter and the others,

all disgusted, break free from the brawl. Jesus looks back,

confused and angry.

JESUS:

(yelling back at crowd)

If I could touch every stone, breathe

on every twig, they would rise up

and join me! Come with me! Jerusalem

is falling. I can feel it!

CUT TO:

EXT. OUTSIDE NAZARETH - DAY

Jesus and his followers head across the plain toward Samaria.

He turns to Judas who walks at his side:

JESUS:

See these misfits. They're crippled,

they're blind, they're poor. That's

our army. They shout and the Old

Jerusalem will fall.

JUDAS:

We'll need more men than this.

JESUS:

God will provide them. We're going

to build a New Jerusalem.

Mary comes out of the crowd near him and grabs Jesus' arm.

MARY (MOTHER OF JESUS)

Son. Please. Come back with me.

JESUS:

Who are you woman?

MARY (MOTHER OF JESUS)

You know who I am. Don't you recognize

me? I'm your mother.

JESUS:

I have no mother. I have no family.

Only my father who's in heaven. Get

away from me.

He shakes off her arm. She trips, Jesus keeps walking,

followed by the disciples. Peter and a WOMAN help Mary to

her feet. Peter walks on as Mary and the woman turn back to

town.

WOMAN:

Mary... why are you crying? Didn't

you see them?

MARY (MOTHER OF JESUS)

See what?

WOMAN:

When he spoke to you, thousands of

blue wings, behind him, I swear to

you Mary, there were armies of angels.

MARY (MOTHER OF JESUS)

I didn't see anything. What good are

angels to me? I wanted children and

grand-children behind him, not angels.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALONG THE JORDAN RIVER - DAY

Jesus and his ragtag "army" continue their southward march.

Martha and Mary, dressed in black, approach Jesus.

MARTHA:

Rabbi, forgive us. Our brother Lazarus

is very sick.

MARY:

We heard you've healed the sick,

made cripples walk, that you preformed

miracles...

JESUS:

(interrupts)

Take me to him.

CUT TO:

LAZARUS' TOMB - SUNSET

Jesus, Mary, Martha and the disciples stand before the tomb,

which is sealed by a large boulder. There is a small crowd

of mourners nearby.

JESUS:

When was he buried?

BETHANY WOMAN:

Three days ago.

JESUS:

Roll the stone away.

Judas and Peter elicit the help of two others and lean their

shoulders to it.

JESUS (V.O.)

What can I do? How much can I do?

The stone moves:
a hideous stench gusts from the tomb. Some

disciples turn their faces: others put handkerchiefs to their

noses.

Jesus stands at the entrance of the tomb and yells. His voice

echoes:
a wild, strange cry, like something from another

world.

JESUS:

Lazarus! In the name of the prophets,

in the name of Jeremiah and my Father,

in the name of most Holy God, I demand

that you rise and come out!

At first, nothing. Then we begin to hear a soft rustling

inside the tomb. Jesus is apprehensive. He stares at the

tomb's entrance. Suddenly a decomposed skeletal human hand

reaches out. The crowd gasps. Jesus, startled, jumps. Slowly,

Jesus reaches out, moves a bit closer and clasps the corpses'

hand. He is terrified. Suddenly, the corpse pulls back as if

to yank Jesus into the tomb. Jesus is more frightened. He

stands his ground. Then, Jesus decides to pull and the corpse

comes out. The disciples and the crowd are stunned. The

desicated figure, Lazarus, is covered head to toe in white

burial cloth. His free hand slowly unwraps the cloth from

his face. Strips of rotting flesh hang loose. Lazarus embraces

Jesus.

LAZARUS:

Adonai.

Jesus is shocked by his own miracle.

JESUS (V.O.)

Is the power of God so strong? If it

can raise the dead, can it also move

mountains? Can it destroy Rome? Tear

the world in half? God help me.

Jesus embraces Lazarus.

CUT TO:

EXT. TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM - EARLY MORNING SUNRISE

Jesus and his companions are walking along the ruins.

("Excavations in Jerusalem") The city wall is behind them.

Then from above, ("St. Steven's Gate") they enter the Roman

ruins. An arch towers above them, a pool below them. some

inhabitants of the ruins watch.

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