Church Skits & Plays
A readers’ theater for EasterFour Witnesses6 actors · 9–10 min

Easter · 6 actors · 9–10 minutes · Teens and adults

Four Witnesses

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have ten minutes to tell the last week of Jesus’ life, and the only thing they argue about is who goes first, while Theophilus tries to fit it all into one very small notebook. A readers’ theater for Easter, funny and then solemn, with no memorizing.

$8USD, tax included
  • Instant PDF download, yours to keep
  • Performance rights for your whole church
  • 30-day refund if it doesn’t fit your church
Running time9–10 minutes
Cast6 roles · Teens and adults
PrepRead from scripts on music stands; nobody memorizes. One rehearsal to set the pace and practice the four places where readers overlap.
Best forEaster Sunday, an Easter program or a Holy Week evening service (not a Good Friday service: the first half is funny); small churches, since it needs no costumes or set
ScriptureThe last week in all four Gospels: Matthew 21; 26–28; Mark 11; 14–16; Luke 19; 22–24; John 12–13; 19–20. Key verses: Luke 1:1–4; Matthew 28:6; John 20:18, 30–31; 21:25 (KJV)
ThemeGod didn’t give us one account of His Son’s death and resurrection. He gave us four. Each writer tells it his own way, and all four bring us to the same empty tomb.
FormatPrintable PDF

About the skit

The Timekeeper has ten minutes for the last week of Jesus’ life and four witnesses who all want to start at the beginning. Matthew brought forty-two generations. Luke goes back to Adam. John goes back further than that. Mark gets everyone to Jerusalem in one breath, and Theophilus, the man Luke wrote his Gospel to, would just like one version, because he has a very small shelf.

They talk over each other all the way into Jerusalem and the supper, but they never correct one another’s facts: each reads his own Gospel and the others let it stand. In Gethsemane the jokes stop, and at the cross nobody competes at all. Then, on Sunday morning, the Timekeeper asks who got to the tomb first, and the answer settles the argument about who goes first, on the way to John 20:30–31.

It suits Easter Sunday, an Easter program or a Holy Week evening service, though not Good Friday, since the first half is funny. Six readers on music stands, no costumes or set, and one rehearsal for the pace. The staging notes cover the four places where readers overlap, the long pause after the cross, and answers to two questions your congregation may ask afterward.

Read the first page

(The TIMEKEEPER steps forward and holds up the clock.)

TIMEKEEPER: Four witnesses are going to tell you about the last week of Jesus' life, from the day He rode into Jerusalem to the morning the tomb was empty. We have ten minutes.

(The four writers open their folders. MATTHEW clears his throat.)

MATTHEW: "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob—"

TIMEKEEPER: Matthew. How long is that?

MATTHEW: Forty-two generations.

TIMEKEEPER: We have ten minutes.

MATTHEW: They're very good generations.

LUKE: Mine go all the way back to Adam.

TIMEKEEPER: Nobody's going back to Adam.

JOHN: (calmly) "In the beginning was the Word."

(Everyone turns and looks at JOHN.)

MARK: Well. That's before Adam.

TIMEKEEPER: (firmly) Jerusalem. The last week. (to MARK) Mark, you're quick. Get us there.

MARK: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (fast, barely breathing) John baptized Him. Straightway, the Spirit. Immediately, the wilderness. Then Galilee, the sea, the twelve, the crowds, (one breath) and straightway: Jerusalem.

TIMEKEEPER: (to the congregation) I like Mark.

(THEOPHILUS raises his hand.)

THEOPHILUS: Sorry. Before we start. I'm Theophilus.

LUKE: (warmly) Most excellent Theophilus.

THEOPHILUS: Luke wrote me a whole book, "that thou mightest know the certainty of those things." (gesturing at the other three) And now three more showed up. I just want to know what happened. One version. (holding up his little notebook) I have a very small shelf.

The script continues in the full PDF.

Characters

  • Matthew, wants you to see it all happened just as the prophets said, and brought all forty-two generations
  • Mark, fast; loves “straightway” and “immediately,” and is the Timekeeper’s favorite
  • Luke, careful and orderly, and never fails to call Theophilus “most excellent”
  • John, calm, and always has one more thing to tell
  • Theophilus, the man Luke wrote his Gospel to; wants one tidy version and has a very small shelf
  • The Timekeeper, holds the clock, has ten minutes for the whole week and means it

Props

  • Four music stands with name signs, plus a fifth for the Timekeeper
  • Scripts in black folders
  • A tall stool for Theophilus
  • A small notebook and a pen
  • A big clock face (a paper plate with paper hands works)

What you get

  • The full script with stage directions
  • Cast list, props list and simple staging notes
  • Four discussion questions for a small group, youth group or Sunday school class
  • Performance rights for your church: perform it as often as you like and print copies for your cast

Performance rights

One purchase covers one church or ministry. Perform it as many times as you like, make copies for everyone in the cast and crew, adapt the lines and include it in your livestream. Please don’t resell the script or share the file publicly. Read the full license.

More for your Easter program

Questions

Can I change the names or lines?

Yes. Change names and genders, trim lines for time or adapt a joke for your church. The script is yours to fit to your people.

Can we record and stream the performance?

Yes. You can include it in your livestream and post the recording on your church’s own channels.

How do I get the file after I buy?

Right after checkout you get a download link on the confirmation page and by email. It works for up to 20 downloads, and each copy is marked with your order so it stays licensed to your church.

Who is the seller on my receipt?

Payments are processed by Link, Stripe’s checkout, which acts as the reseller. Your card statement shows LINK.COM* CHURCHSKITS. Questions about the script itself come to us at hello@churchskits.org.

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