Description

A monologue about the man who nailed Jesus on the cross.

A fiend or someone simply doing his job?
A lifelong “believer” in God, His plan and provision for salvation through the life, and death, of His only Son, Jesus Christ, I have, largely unconsciously, divided Bible characters into two camps: the Good People and the Evil People. Mostly that is relatively easily done: God, Jesus are obviously in the “Good” category. Satan the card carrying leader of Evil People. Beyond that we rate disciples, King David, Queen Esther, and others who, although sometimes failing, getting a pass. People like Judas, certainly a “bad” person, a traitor, and even though he was a person hand picked by Jesus and therefore had to have some positives, but virtually everyone would claim him Evil. What about “bit players”: the man who nailed Jesus to the cross, another who built that cross . .  . what of them? As an author I couldn’t not “give them their “day in the court of public opinion.” The result is this drama.

Cast:  1, monolog, he who nailed Jesus to the cross.

Bible Reference:   Matthew 27

Set:    bare, with cross or graphic

Lighting:    spot would be useful

  Sound:   wireless mic if available

Song:   none

SFX:  sound of hammer hitting nail

Costumes:    likely though not necessarily traditional

Props:  rope, hammer and large nails

Special Instructions:   none

  Time:   12

Sample of script:

Next!
Step right up!
Who is the next candidate for my superb workmanship?
Adrastos, the Greek! At your service! Efficiently and meticulously facilitating the public disgrace of slaves and nobodies, high up on a tree for all to see!
Adrastos the crucifier they call me. It is my function to securely fasten the hands and feet of my clients to tree or timber.
Adrastos. My Greek name means “undaunted”. And so I am.
The Romans first secured my services to do this function, rather than have the soldiers be required to do so. I was told that many of the soldiers were having . . . dreams, nightmares after performing the fastening of bodies to the cross. I suspect that many more Roman soldiers were enjoying this duty much too much.
For my good work I receive sweet Roman gold.
Roman gold, yes, and Jewish currency too, often delivered to me in the dead of night and by hooded couriers who do not want their identity disclosed.
laughs
The Jews, an interesting lot!
Pious and virtuous! Yet blood-thirsty and vengeful like no zealot I have ever known!
What matter? Their habit of turning crucifixion into sending forth a political statement fills my purse to overflowing, and that’s all that matters to me!
You have to understand the custom and purpose of crucifixion.
Just yesterday a foreigner stopped me here on the street in Jerusalem, asking about, as he put it, “death by crucifixion.”
“Death by crucifixion?”
Obviously knew not the first thing about crucifixion!
Crucifixion was not designed as a method of ending life. There were much better means of ending a life. In this even the Jews had it right; Jews never used crucifixion as a death penalty, they used only strangling, stoning, burning and beheading, all of these exceptionally efficient in causing death.
looks out into audience, listening, as though to a question
Why then crucifixion you ask?
There are only two reasons for crucifixion: First and foremost as a public humiliation, usually, of course, happening after death had already been effected by strangling, stoning, burning or beheading.
looks out into audience, listening, as though to a question
Yes, yes, of course, normally the one on the cross was already dead when my time came to affix them there.
We, the Greeks, and even the Romans for that matter, a more cultured society, we believe that crucifixion of the dead is the one way of stamping the condemned man as being utterly without significance at all. He did not even have the right to be buried. He, a mere thing, was left to rot, or to have his body picked apart by birds, animals and insects.
laughs
Oh my, my! My words offend your tender sensitivities, do they?
laughs
Yes, of course I said rot! Why else do you suppose that . . that . . (sneering) tourist destinations such as, (waves his hand to indicate the area), Golgotha here are placed well back from the city? Let me repeat myself!
The body is left to rot on the cross! The obnoxious smell!
shrugs shoulders, waves the thought off
Whatever, the dwellers of the cross are, as I said, no-bodies.