Church Skits & Plays
A Good Friday skitThe Heel and the Head3 actors · 5–6 min

Easter · 3 actors · 5–6 minutes · Adults (the officer can be an older teen)

The Heel and the Head

On the night of His arrest, as Jesus waits bound at the high priest’s door, a polite adversary in a good suit steps up beside Him, and Jesus answers him only with Scripture, as He did in the wilderness. A serious skit for Good Friday or 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 time5–6 minutes
Cast3 roles · Adults (the officer can be an older teen)
PrepMemorized, with two rehearsals. The pace matters: unhurried, and nobody ever raises their voice.
Best forGood Friday service, Maundy Thursday evening service, Tenebrae, before a sermon on Genesis 3:15 or Colossians 2:15
ScriptureGenesis 3:15; Isaiah 53:10; Luke 4:13; John 13:18; Mark 14:27; Matthew 26:53–54; John 10:18; Luke 22:53; John 18:11 (KJV)
ThemeNobody took Jesus’ life from Him; He laid it down. The death the enemy counted as his victory was the blow to his head that God had promised in Genesis 3:15.
FormatPrintable PDF

About the skit

Late at night, after the arrest in the garden, an officer brings Jesus bound from Annas to the high priest’s gate, knocks and waits with his back turned. A man in a good dark suit walks up beside the prisoner, and the officer can’t see or hear him. He is polite, unhurried and very pleased with himself: the season he waited for is over, one of the twelve came with a kiss, and the other eleven have run.

Every answer Jesus gives is Scripture, word for word, the way He answered in the wilderness. The adversary has his own reading: a folded paper he carries everywhere, “the oldest agreement in the world,” and he always skips to his part. It all turns on Genesis 3:15.

Written for Good Friday, Maundy Thursday or Tenebrae, with no humor and no raised voices. Three adults, memorized, with two rehearsals. The staging notes cover making the adversary the most polite man in the room and never a cartoon, where Jesus looks, and practicing the last walk through the door.

Read the first page

(The OFFICER comes in leading JESUS by the rope, the lantern in his other hand. JESUS's wrists are tied in front of Him. They cross to the door. The OFFICER knocks.)

OFFICER: (through the door) From Annas. The prisoner, for the high priest.

(No answer. He knocks again, sets down the lantern, blows on his cold hands and waits with his back to JESUS, the rope wrapped around his fist. THE ADVERSARY walks in from the side they came in by, unhurried, and stops at JESUS's shoulder, a little too close.)

THE ADVERSARY: Evening. (beat) You look tired. It's been a long night, and it's hardly started.

(JESUS looks straight ahead.)

THE ADVERSARY: You remember me. The wilderness. Forty days, and the stones, and the pinnacle of the temple, and the mountain. When I left you, it was only "for a season." (He glances up at the dark sky.) The season's over.

(He walks slowly around JESUS.)

THE ADVERSARY: And I didn't come back empty-handed. One of your twelve brought them to you tonight. With a kiss. I hardly had to ask him.

JESUS: He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

The script continues in the full PDF.

Characters

  • Jesus, an adult man, arrested an hour ago, His wrists tied; every word He says is Scripture
  • The Adversary, never named; well dressed and well mannered, like a man closing a deal he’s sure of
  • The Officer, a temple officer on duty, tired and cold, who can’t see or hear the adversary; a man or a woman

Props

  • A rope six to eight feet long
  • A lantern
  • A folded sheet of old-looking paper
  • A side door, or a dark sheet between two coat racks
  • Plain robes for Jesus and the officer
  • A good dark suit and tie for the adversary

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.

More Easter scripts