Church Skits & Plays
A Road to Easter readers’ theater in five partsLord, Is It I?7 actors · 10 min

Easter · 7 actors · 10 minutes · Teens and adults (the Voice an adult)

Lord, Is It I?

Peter, the sons of Zebedee and their mother, the disciples at Bethany and Judas each take a part of Matthew’s road to Jerusalem, and every part comes back to the same table and the same question. A readers’ theater in five short parts, one a week through Lent or all five on Maundy Thursday.

$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 time10 minutes
Cast7 roles · Teens and adults (the Voice an adult)
PrepRead from scripts on music stands; nobody memorizes. One read-through together before the first week, then a few minutes before each service.
Best forSundays in Lent, one part a week; Maundy Thursday, all five; a Road to Easter series in a small church. Not written for a Good Friday service: the first parts have a little humor.
ScriptureMatthew 16:13–23; 20:17–24; 26:6–16, 20–30 (KJV)
ThemeJesus went to the cross knowing every one of the people at that table. He gave them the cup of His blood, “shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
FormatPrintable PDF

About the skit

Peter says Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and he’d like you to remember he was called blessed for it, before he takes Jesus aside to rebuke Him. When you read it like that, he admits, it sounds bad. James and John’s mother asks for the seats on His right and His left while her boys stand right there, and at Bethany the disciples all agree that the ointment was a waste.

Every part comes back to the Passover table, where Jesus says one of them will betray Him and each of them asks, “Lord, is it I?” Same words every week, and the congregation hears them get heavier. Part four belongs to Judas, and Matthew’s own wording carries the turn. Part five gathers everyone at the table for the bread and the cup from Matthew 26:20–30, read, not acted.

Read one part a week through Lent, or all five together on Maundy Thursday in about 10 minutes, ending with “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” Seven readers in all, three to six on any one week, and nobody memorizes. The staging notes cover who reads in which part, how to say the refrain, and why there’s no bread or cup on stage.

Read the first page

Part One: Peter

(The readers open their folders together.)

NARRATOR: The road to Easter. Part one: Peter. (beat) Near Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples who they said He was.

PETER: And I answered. "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

VOICE: "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

PETER: (to the congregation) Blessed. I'd like you to remember that part.

NARRATOR: "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."

PETER: So I took Him aside.

NARRATOR: "Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him."

PETER: (wincing) When you read it like that, it sounds bad. (to the congregation) I meant well. I said, "Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee."

VOICE: "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

(Pause.)

PETER: (quietly) "Blessed." And then that. (beat) I didn't want Him to die. I wanted to keep Him safe. I thought that was the right thing to want.

NARRATOR: Later, at the Passover table in Jerusalem, "as they did eat, he said,"

VOICE: "Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me."

NARRATOR: "And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him,"

PETER: "Lord, is it I?"

(The readers close their folders. When you read one part a week, this is the end of the week's reading.)

The script continues in the full PDF.

Characters

  • The Narrator, reads Matthew’s account and keeps the road moving; a man or a woman
  • The Voice, an adult who reads only the words of Jesus, exactly as Matthew gives them, standing a little apart
  • Peter, quick to speak and sure of himself, and honest about it afterward
  • James, a son of Zebedee and a fisherman; he and his brother finish each other’s thoughts
  • John, his brother, also a fisherman
  • Their Mother, proud of her boys; reads only in part two
  • Judas, one of the twelve; speaks plainly, says “I” and is not played as a villain

Props

  • Seven music stands, or six and a lectern
  • Scripts in black folders, with the closing hymn in the back

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.

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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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