The Last Temptation of Christ Page #5

Judas stands in front of him, panting, his dagger in his

hand.

JUDAS:

I hissed and you came.

JESUS:

I'm ready.

JUDAS:

Ready? You think we're going to a

feast? I'm going to kill you.

JESUS:

Good. I'm relieved. I'm happy to see

you. You're just in time.

Judas is startled.

JESUS:

God purified me tonight. I thought

it was so I could go out and preach.

But now I see. It's so I could die.

And you're God's instrument. He

brought us together.

Jesus opens his tunic.

JESUS:

Here's my neck. Cut it. Come on, cut

it. What's the matter? Is there

anything wrong? I was purified, you

got your permission, it's all arranged

by God. So what are you waiting for?

They stare at each other.

JESUS:

You can't do it, can you?

JUDAS:

I can if I want.

JESUS:

Why don't you want?

JUDAS:

I do want.

JESUS:

Fine.

He positions himself for killing again. There is another

pause.

JUDAS:

Did you work some magic on me? When

I go to kill a man, I kill him.

JESUS:

(thinking it out)

Maybe God doesn't want me to die. If

God really wanted me to die, you

wouldn't hesitate. You'd just kill

me.

JUDAS:

No, you should die. What good are

you living? Why should God want you

alive? What good are you for Israel?

Do you have some secret?

JESUS:

I have no secret. I know that I have

pity, though.

JUDAS:

Pity! How far will that get us? What

good is that for Israel?

JESUS:

It's good for men.

JUDAS:

Men! The Greeks who killed us were

men. So are the Romans. Don't pity

men, pity Israel. The rest can go to

hell.

JESUS:

I feel pity for everything. Donkeys,

sparrows, grass.

JUDAS:

And ants? I suppose you feel pity

for them too?

JESUS:

Yes. Everything's a part of God.

When I look into the ant, into his

shiny black eye, I see the face of

God.

JUDAS:

What do you see when you look in my

face?

JESUS:

(matter of factly)

I see God too.

JUDAS:

You see God everywhere, don't you?

Maybe that's why you don't fear death.

JESUS:

Why should I fear death? Death isn't

a door that closes, it's a door that

opens. It opens and you enter.

JUDAS:

(pause)

If I don't kill you, what happens?

JESUS:

I don't know. Whatever God decides.

I'll speak to others. I can't think

of anything else.

JUDAS:

What are you going to say?

JESUS:

I'll just open my mouth and God will

do the talking.

JUDAS:

See. I told you. You're not crazy at

all, are you? If God does talk through

you, then you're the messenger of

God and I can't kill a messenger of

God, can I? You've got my hand

stopped.

JESUS:

I didn't stop your hand, God did.

JUDAS:

He's the only one who could.

JESUS:

God didn't send you to kill me. Maybe

he sent you here to follow me.

JUDAS:

The one's I follow are the ones who

follow Israel.

Judas puts his knife away.

CUT TO:

EXT. GALILEE - DAY

Judas and Jesus walk across the plain toward Magdala.

CUT TO:

EXT. MAGDALA - DAY

Mary Magdalene is hurled into a shallow pit, her knees and

elbows bloody from being dragged down the street.

Jesus and Judas enter the village. They hear a commotion and

hurry toward the crowd.

The crowd, in a festive mood, hurl insults and spit at her.

JUDAS:

It's Magdalene. She deserves it.

Jesus steps into the center of the pit as the crowd starts

to throw stones. One of them hits Jesus on the chest. He

looks over at the man who threw the stone. We have never

seen Jesus like this before: neither has anyone in the crowd.

Two little KIDS take one look, giggle nervously, and run

away. Judas is riveted. On the other side of the small crowd,

PHILIP, PETER, ANDREW and JOHN watch this unexpected

confrontation with fascination.

MAN IN CROWD:

Get out of here. This isn't your

business. You want to get hurt?

More stones are thrown. Jesus doesn't move. Magdalene, has

grabbed his leg for reassurance.

ZEBADEE pushes his way through the crowd.

ZEBEDEE:

You heard what he said, idiot. Move.

JESUS:

No. I don't want this.

ZEBEDEE:

Oh, listen to this. He doesn't want

this. Well, we want it.

JESUS:

Why?

ZEBEDEE:

(livid)

We don't have to tell you why...

Peter, in the crowd, interrupts angrily.

PETER:

Bad enough we live in a whorehouse.

But does it have to be a Roman

whorehouse? Our women can't even

look in a mirror on the Sabbath, and

this one goes with Romans on the

Sabbath. She broke Moses' law. So

she dies.

Jesus picks up two stones from the ground.

JESUS:

Who's never sinned? Which one of you

has never sinned? Whichever one of

you's never sinned should come up

here and throw these.

Zebedee steps forward immediately, carrying his own small

stone.

ZEBEDEE:

I've got nothing to hide.

JESUS:

Good. Take one of these. They're

bigger. You're not going to do much

damage with the small one.

Zebedee hesitates.

JESUS:

Be careful, Zebedee. There is a God.

He's seen you cheat your workers.

He's seen you with that widow, what's

her name...

WOMAN IN THE CROWD

Judith!

JESUS:

...Judith. Aren't you afraid God

will paralyze you if your lift that

stone? That your hand will wither

and hang at your side?

Zebedee drops the rock and moves back. Several MEN start

toward Jesus, but Judas steps between them, braced for action.

They stop.

Jesus helps Mary to her feet. Judas calls to the crowd:

JUDAS:

Follow us, follow the Rabbi. He wants

to talk to you.

Judas, Jesus and Magdalene walk away from the pit. A large

segment of the crowd follows.

WOMAN IN CROWD:

Who is he?

MAN:

It's Jesus. From Nazareth.

SECOND MAN:

Nothing good can come out of Nazareth.

Even the scriptures say it.

They start back, away from the crowd, toward the town.

CUT TO:

EXT. HILLSIDE IN MAGDALA - DAY

The nearby summit of the hill which was the site of some

ancient pagan temple, probably Mesopotamian. Fragments of

several carved capitals of columns lay on the ground along

with pieces of pagan Gods (winged lions with women's heads,

etc.).

Magdalene sits near Jesus' feet; Judas stands in the

background. The crowd waits to hear what Jesus has to say.

Jesus looks out over the poverty-stricken villagers, the

peaceful country-side:

JESUS (V.O.)

This is what I've always been afraid

of. There's so much to say. God has

so many miracles.

A pause. The words start to come.

JESUS:

Come closer everybody. My brothers.

My sisters. I'm calling you that

because we're all a family. A little

closer. My voice isn't very strong,

and I've got something to tell you.

The crowd gets closer, still more curious than anything else.

JESUS:

I'm sorry if I have to tell you

stories. But is seems to be the only

way I can tell you what I have to.

(pause)

A farmer was planting in his field.

Some seed fell on the ground and the

birds ate it. Some seed fell on rocks

and dried up. But some seed fell on

rich soil, grew into wheat and fed a

lot of people.

Long silence. No one has any idea what the hell he's talking

about.

JESUS:

Didn't you hear me? Are you people

deaf?

ZEBEDEE:

(indignant)

We can hear fine. It's not us. Can't

you be more... clear.

Jesus thinks for a moment. He is also hiding annoyance.

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