Church Skits & Plays
A Good Friday monologueThe Man Who Held the Hammer1 actor · 4–5 min

Easter · 1 actor · 4–5 minutes · One adult man

The Man Who Held the Hammer

Years later, a Roman soldier tells the congregation about his work on the execution detail, the prayer he heard the day there were three crosses, and the one tool he ever kept. A serious Good Friday monologue for one man, for a Good Friday or Tenebrae service.

$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 time4–5 minutes
Cast1 role · One adult man
PrepMemorized, with one or two rehearsals; the part is about 460 words. In a service of readings such as Tenebrae, he can read from a lectern set beside the stool.
Best forGood Friday service, Tenebrae, Holy Week program
ScriptureLuke 23:33–34, 47; John 19:23–24 (KJV)
ThemeRight after they crucified Him, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” and that prayer took in the man with the hammer.
FormatPrintable PDF

About the skit

“I don’t remember faces. I remember the tool.” Years later, a Roman soldier talks about his work the way a carpenter talks about a job: four men to a detail, one to hold, one to strike, and lots cast afterward for what the man was wearing. He was the one who struck. He didn’t hate them, and he never looked at their faces. On the stool beside him sits a bundle tied with string that nobody touches.

That day there were three, and the one in the middle didn’t curse or beg. The soldier tells exactly what he heard, the prayer of Luke 23:34, and the one time in twenty years he looked up. When he finally unties the bundle, he explains why it holds the only tool he ever kept.

One adult man, about 4–5 minutes, memorized or read from a lectern in a service of readings such as Tenebrae. There is no humor, no weeping and no wound detail. The staging notes cover the bundle as the clock, reading it without hiding the stool, and a candle for a dim Tenebrae service; a hymn follows as he walks off.

Read the first page

(The SOLDIER walks in and stops beside the stool. He doesn't look at the bundle. He stands at ease, feet apart, hands behind his back, and faces the congregation.)

SOLDIER: I don't remember faces. I remember the tool.

SOLDIER: Twenty years a soldier. Six of them in Judea. You learn the work the way you learn anything. You watch. You do it wrong. Somebody shouts. You do it right. After a while your hands know it, and you don't have to think.

SOLDIER: A detail is four men. One holds. One strikes. One puts up the sign. One keeps the people back. When it's done, the four of us cast lots for whatever the man was wearing. That's the pay nobody writes down.

SOLDIER: I was the one who struck. I was good at it. Quick. In that work, quick is the only kindness there is.

The script continues in the full PDF.

Characters

  • The Soldier, a Roman soldier, now older and out of the army; plain, exact and unsentimental, and never gives his name

Props

  • An old hammer with a wooden handle
  • A plain cloth and string to wrap it in
  • A tall stool or small side table, about waist high

What you get

  • The full script with stage directions
  • Cast list, props list and simple staging notes
  • Three 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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