The Darkest Hour
Drama
SUNDAY MORNING READERS' THEATER
Cast: NARRATOR (the only speaking part), JESUS, two SOLDIERS, PILATE, a PRIEST, three WOMEN, and a MAN
Length:
8 minutes
NOTE: Due to the scope of the Passion Readings and the fact that the readings are the same for all cycles, the Good Friday skits have been arranged as a series. Cycle "A" covers John 18:1-12, Cycle "B" covers John 18:13-40, and Cycle "C" covers John 19:1-30. Each skit is complete in itself, but the three may be strung together to cover the entire Passion in one presentation. Or they may be spread throughout the service, one skit during each of the three hours.
In order to maintain the ease of preparation inherent in Readers' Theater, there will be only one Reader, the NARRATOR. All other characters will mime the words spoken by the NARRATOR as well as performing the actions that suit those words. With so many scenes and locales to cover in the Passion drama, it would be difficult to restrict the action to seated actors. If the drama director wishes, the actors may memorize their parts and speak them themselves.
The NARRATOR is sitting on a stool, alone on the stage.
NARRATOR: The worst of all possible things has happened: Jesus has been arrested and condemned to death. He was taken from the high priest's stronghold into the presence of the Governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, the only person with the authority to put any person in Judea to death. And so he did, after asking the crowd to make that decision for him. Jesus' disciples were thrown into confusion. They knew that if the priests had their way, they would also be hunted down and sent to Golgotha. One Jewish troublemaker was about to be disposed of, any others who showed their faces in town would be asking for similar treatment. At this moment, the priests were triumphant, the people had lost interest in their failed Messiah, and all Jesus' high-sounding plans had turned to dust. At least that's how it seemed on Friday morning.
JESUS enters dressed in a purple robe and a crown of thorns, his hands tied before him, his eyes on the ground.
NARRATOR: Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe, mocking his claim to be king.
Two SOLDIERS enter, go up to JESUS and start pushing him around. They will pantomime the words (in quotes) spoken by the NARRATOR.
NARRATOR: They kept coming up to him saying:
1ST SOLDIER: (Miming the words spoken by the NARRATOR) "Hail, King of the Jews!"
NARRATOR: And striking him in the face.
PILATE enters and takes JESUS by the arm, dragging him downstage toward the audience. The SOLDIERS stand at attention.
NARRATOR: Pilate went out again and said to them:
PILATE:
(Miming the words but speaking to the audience) "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him."
NARRATOR: So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them:
PILATE:
(Miming) "Here is the man."
A PRIEST enters and stands between the SOLDIERS.
NARRATOR: When the chief priests and the temple police saw them, they shouted:
At this point it would be effective to have not only the PRIEST and SOLDIERS reply, but a number of people seated in the audience.
ALL: (Aloud) "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
NARRATOR: Pilate said to them:
PILATE:
(Gesturing toward the audience, miming) "Take him yourself and crucify him. I find no case against him."
NARRATOR: The chief priests answered him:
PRIEST:
"We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God."
As the PRIEST speaks, PILATE turns and stares at him.
NARRATOR: Now when Pilate heard this he was more afraid than ever. He asked Jesus:
PILATE:
(Turning to JESUS, miming) "Where are you from?"
NARRATOR: But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him:
PILATE:
(Miming) "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have the power to release you and power to crucify you?"
JESUS: (Miming) "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
NARRATOR: From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the priests cried out:
PRIEST:
(Miming) "If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor."
NARRATOR: When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judges' bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for Passover. And it was about noon. He said to them:
PILATE:
(Miming) "Here is your King!"
NARRATOR: They cried out:
Again, it would be good to have members of the audience join in.
ALL: (Aloud) "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!"
NARRATOR: Pilate asked them:
PILATE:
(Miming) "Shall I crucify your king?"
NARRATOR: The chief priests answered:
PRIEST:
(Miming) "We have no king but Caesar."
NARRATOR: Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
JESUS is taken out by the SOLDIERS. The PRIEST follows. PILATE leaves furtively in the opposite direction. The stage darkens.
NARRATOR: So they took Jesus and, carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him. And with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am the King of the Jews.' " Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what the scripture says, "They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots." And that is what the soldiers did.
The lights come up on stage. JESUS enters and takes his place on a low platform near the back of the stage. It would be preferable if he could stand with outstretched arms during this final scene, but if this is too difficult, he might stand with his hands together, as if bound, and his head bowed. Three WOMEN and one MAN enter a moment later and stand looking up at him.
NARRATOR: Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother:
JESUS: (Miming) "Woman, here is your son."
NARRATOR: Then he said to the disciple:
JESUS: (Miming) "Here is your mother."
NARRATOR: And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture):
JESUS: (Miming) "I am thirsty."
NARRATOR: A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said:
JESUS: (Aloud) "It is finished."
NARRATOR: Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
The stage is darkened and JESUS, the WOMEN and the MAN leave the stage.
NARRATOR: The darkest hour has arrived. Jesus is dead. There was only one among the twelve present at his death, he and the women. The others were in hiding, fearful for their lives. The one person they had counted on to keep them safe, to fulfill their dreams, to be there for them when things went wrong, was dead. He had promised them he would be with them always, and he had broken that promise. Who could they turn to now? The world must have seemed a very cold and empty place that day.
Their basic error, so easy to see from our vantage point, was that they assumed that Jesus' primary objective would be to save his own life and to establish a kingdom on earth. Why, they asked, if Christ wanted to save others, could he not come down from the cross? They wanted some "Superman" exhibition of power, whereas to die on the cross was his whole purpose. (Pause) Let us bow our heads for a moment in sorrow that we, too, have been quick to believe that Jesus has broken his promises to us and in gratitude that he does not always give us what we pray for.
Length:
8 minutes
NOTE: Due to the scope of the Passion Readings and the fact that the readings are the same for all cycles, the Good Friday skits have been arranged as a series. Cycle "A" covers John 18:1-12, Cycle "B" covers John 18:13-40, and Cycle "C" covers John 19:1-30. Each skit is complete in itself, but the three may be strung together to cover the entire Passion in one presentation. Or they may be spread throughout the service, one skit during each of the three hours.
In order to maintain the ease of preparation inherent in Readers' Theater, there will be only one Reader, the NARRATOR. All other characters will mime the words spoken by the NARRATOR as well as performing the actions that suit those words. With so many scenes and locales to cover in the Passion drama, it would be difficult to restrict the action to seated actors. If the drama director wishes, the actors may memorize their parts and speak them themselves.
The NARRATOR is sitting on a stool, alone on the stage.
NARRATOR: The worst of all possible things has happened: Jesus has been arrested and condemned to death. He was taken from the high priest's stronghold into the presence of the Governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, the only person with the authority to put any person in Judea to death. And so he did, after asking the crowd to make that decision for him. Jesus' disciples were thrown into confusion. They knew that if the priests had their way, they would also be hunted down and sent to Golgotha. One Jewish troublemaker was about to be disposed of, any others who showed their faces in town would be asking for similar treatment. At this moment, the priests were triumphant, the people had lost interest in their failed Messiah, and all Jesus' high-sounding plans had turned to dust. At least that's how it seemed on Friday morning.
JESUS enters dressed in a purple robe and a crown of thorns, his hands tied before him, his eyes on the ground.
NARRATOR: Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe, mocking his claim to be king.
Two SOLDIERS enter, go up to JESUS and start pushing him around. They will pantomime the words (in quotes) spoken by the NARRATOR.
NARRATOR: They kept coming up to him saying:
1ST SOLDIER: (Miming the words spoken by the NARRATOR) "Hail, King of the Jews!"
NARRATOR: And striking him in the face.
PILATE enters and takes JESUS by the arm, dragging him downstage toward the audience. The SOLDIERS stand at attention.
NARRATOR: Pilate went out again and said to them:
PILATE:
(Miming the words but speaking to the audience) "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him."
NARRATOR: So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them:
PILATE:
(Miming) "Here is the man."
A PRIEST enters and stands between the SOLDIERS.
NARRATOR: When the chief priests and the temple police saw them, they shouted:
At this point it would be effective to have not only the PRIEST and SOLDIERS reply, but a number of people seated in the audience.
ALL: (Aloud) "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
NARRATOR: Pilate said to them:
PILATE:
(Gesturing toward the audience, miming) "Take him yourself and crucify him. I find no case against him."
NARRATOR: The chief priests answered him:
PRIEST:
"We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God."
As the PRIEST speaks, PILATE turns and stares at him.
NARRATOR: Now when Pilate heard this he was more afraid than ever. He asked Jesus:
PILATE:
(Turning to JESUS, miming) "Where are you from?"
NARRATOR: But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him:
PILATE:
(Miming) "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have the power to release you and power to crucify you?"
JESUS: (Miming) "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
NARRATOR: From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the priests cried out:
PRIEST:
(Miming) "If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor."
NARRATOR: When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judges' bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for Passover. And it was about noon. He said to them:
PILATE:
(Miming) "Here is your King!"
NARRATOR: They cried out:
Again, it would be good to have members of the audience join in.
ALL: (Aloud) "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!"
NARRATOR: Pilate asked them:
PILATE:
(Miming) "Shall I crucify your king?"
NARRATOR: The chief priests answered:
PRIEST:
(Miming) "We have no king but Caesar."
NARRATOR: Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
JESUS is taken out by the SOLDIERS. The PRIEST follows. PILATE leaves furtively in the opposite direction. The stage darkens.
NARRATOR: So they took Jesus and, carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him. And with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am the King of the Jews.' " Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what the scripture says, "They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots." And that is what the soldiers did.
The lights come up on stage. JESUS enters and takes his place on a low platform near the back of the stage. It would be preferable if he could stand with outstretched arms during this final scene, but if this is too difficult, he might stand with his hands together, as if bound, and his head bowed. Three WOMEN and one MAN enter a moment later and stand looking up at him.
NARRATOR: Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother:
JESUS: (Miming) "Woman, here is your son."
NARRATOR: Then he said to the disciple:
JESUS: (Miming) "Here is your mother."
NARRATOR: And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture):
JESUS: (Miming) "I am thirsty."
NARRATOR: A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said:
JESUS: (Aloud) "It is finished."
NARRATOR: Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
The stage is darkened and JESUS, the WOMEN and the MAN leave the stage.
NARRATOR: The darkest hour has arrived. Jesus is dead. There was only one among the twelve present at his death, he and the women. The others were in hiding, fearful for their lives. The one person they had counted on to keep them safe, to fulfill their dreams, to be there for them when things went wrong, was dead. He had promised them he would be with them always, and he had broken that promise. Who could they turn to now? The world must have seemed a very cold and empty place that day.
Their basic error, so easy to see from our vantage point, was that they assumed that Jesus' primary objective would be to save his own life and to establish a kingdom on earth. Why, they asked, if Christ wanted to save others, could he not come down from the cross? They wanted some "Superman" exhibition of power, whereas to die on the cross was his whole purpose. (Pause) Let us bow our heads for a moment in sorrow that we, too, have been quick to believe that Jesus has broken his promises to us and in gratitude that he does not always give us what we pray for.
