At the Foot of the Cross by Marvellous Ayodeji Adekola

 

AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS


Written by
Marvellous Ayodeji Adekola
[email protected]
07011133749



A Drama Movie script on
Partakers of Grace
(New Man Gospel writing contest)

©2025



Logline
Haunted by doubt, Matthew finds transformation at the foot of the Cross, becoming a partaker of God's divine nature through grace as promised in 1 Peter 1:4, and awakening to unshakable faith.



1. INT. MATTHEW’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
(The room is dark except for the faint glow of a streetlight filtering through the window. The clock on the wall reads 12:00 AM. A storm rumbles in the distance, sending faint flashes of lightning across the room.)
(MATTHEW, in his late 30s, lies awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. His face is tense, eyes hollow with exhaustion. He breathes heavily, his mind racing. Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder shakes the room. He flinches. He turns to his nightstand where his Bible is closed. He hesitates, then reaches for it, but his hand stops midway. He exhales sharply and pulls his hand back.)
MATTHEW
 (whispers, frustrated)
Why do I still feel this way?
(Silence. The storm outside grows louder.)
(He pushes the blanket off and sits on the edge of the bed. He grips his hair, his fingers digging into his scalp. His body is tense, his shoulders rising and falling with every breath.)
MATTHEW
 (muttering to himself)
I know the promises. I preach them. I hope for them. But why does it seems impossible?

(He clenches his fists. The wind outside wails through the window cracks.)
MATTHEW
 (to himself, bitterly)
I am just tired and weak of waiting, struggle upon struggle, Why am I still controlled by my evil desires?

(The wind outside suddenly stops. Dead silence. A shiver runs down his spine. His breath catches.)
(Then, a voice speaks.)
ACCUSER VOICE
(O.S.)
(chilling)
You were never chosen.
(Matthew stiffens. His hands clutch his knees. His heartbeat pounds in his ears.)
ACCUSER VOICE
(O.S.)
(mocking)
You think you belong to Him? Look at yourself. A man who preaches faith but lives in fear. A man who speaks of grace but drowns in doubt.

(Matthew shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut. His breathing quickens.)
MATTHEW
(whispering)
No. No, I know His promises. I am saved.
(The voice laughs. A dark chuckle that slithers through the air.)
ACCUSER VOICE
(O.S.)
 (taunting)
Then why are you not free? I bound you! You have not escaped.
(Matthew’s eyes snap open. He looks around wildly, searching for the source of the voice, but the room is empty. Shadows stretch unnaturally across the walls. The candle on his desk flickers violently then goes out. The darkness is suffocating.)
(And then he falls.)
(The bed beneath him vanishes. The floor disappears. He is plummeting into an abyss of nothingness. He gasps, but there is no ground, no walls, no end. Just an endless void swallowing him whole.)

2. EXT. GOLGOTHA – VISION REALM – NIGHT
(Michael wakes up on hard, rocky ground. The sun is blood-red. THis body aches, his breath is ragged. He pushes himself up, dazed.)
(The sky above is blood-red, swirling with black clouds.  In the distance, a single, looming hill stands against the sky. At the top is a wooden cross.)
(A sudden cry of agony pierces the silence. Matthew’s blood runs cold. His eyes snap to the source.)
(JESUS Hanging on the Cross. His body is torn, bloodied beyond recognition. His arms stretched, nailed. His face, swollen, bruised, stained with blood. His breaths are ragged, weak.)
(Matthew staggers back, horror washing over him. This is not an image from a painting. This is real. The smell of sweat, of blood, of suffering, it’s real.)
(Jesus groans in pain. His head lifts slightly. His swollen eyes open and lock onto Matthew.)
(Matthew’s breath catches. He stammer.)
MATTHEW
(shaking)
Lord!
(And then, a voice, booming, thundering, splitting the sky.)
VOICE OF GOD
(O.S)
Son, look at the cross where the price was paid.
MATTHEW
(Looks down)
I am not worthy Lord.
VOICE OF GOD
(O.S)
This is the cost of grace, Michael. The escape you seek… is here.
(Matthew gasps, clutching his chest. His knees weaken. His head spins.)
MATTHEW
(Pleading)
Jesus, save me.
VOICE OF GOD
(O.S)
I save by Grace through faith. Not by strength. Not by your works or perfection.

(Matthew trembles, tears slipping down his face. He stares at Christ, who heaves another painful breath. The weight of sin crushes Him, yet He does not resist. He endures.)
MATTHEW
God, you are weak for me.
VOICE OF GOD
(O.S)
That I might be your strength.
MATTHEW
Lord I am weak too
VOICE OF GOD
(O.S)
This is your power. Embrace my cross. Take this grace.
(And then, another voice. One he hoped was gone.)
ACCUSER VOICE
 (O.S.)
You can never be free.
(Matthew clutches his head. His mind is a battlefield and he moves farther from the cross.)
ACCUSER VOICE
(O.S.)
(mocking, laughing)
This grace is not for you.
VOICE OF GOD
(O.S)
Your mind needs Renewal, you don't walk with me by fear but faith.
MATTHEW
(breathless, trembling)
I have faith but why do I still feel unworthy?
(Suddenly, chains shoot from the ground, wrapping tightly around his wrists and ankles. He gasps, struggling as they pull him down. His knees crash onto the cracked ground.)
(From the shadows, dark figures emerge, hooded and faceless whispering. Their voice slither through the air, filling Matthew’s mind with doubt.)
ACCUSER VOICE
(O.S.)
You are not enough.
You will never escape
(Matthew clenches his teeth, his body trembling under their weight. He tries to pull free, but the chains tighten, digging into his skin. He grits his teeth. His breath is ragged.)
MATTHEW
 (straining, desperate)
No…
(A figure steps forward from the shadows. Unlike the faceless entities, this one is clear—elegant, composed. A man with piercing eyes and a deep voice. The TEMPTER. He stops before Matthew, tilting his head, studying him with an amused smile.)
TEMPTER
I can set you free.
(Matthew glares up at him, chest heaving.)

MATTHEW
(through gritted teeth)
No I belong to Christ.
(The Tempter chuckles, shaking his head. He kneels beside Matthew.)
TEMPTER
Then why are you still bound?
(Matthew stiffens. The words hit deep. The chains remain. The weight is still there. The Tempter leans in.)
TEMPTER
(whispering)
Maybe… just maybe… His sacrifice wasn’t enough for you.
(Matthew’s eyes widen. His heart pounds. The chains tighten.)
TEMPTER
(nodding, satisfied)
That’s right. Feel it. The weight of your own unworthiness cause by your doubt.
(Matthew gasps, his body growing weaker. The shadows creep closer. The Cross feels farther away. His vision blurs.)
(A single tear slips down Jesus’ bruised face. His lips part. He speaks—not in rebuke, but in sorrow.)
JESUS
 (weak, yet unwavering)
My grace is sufficient for you.
(The words pierce through the lies. A sudden warmth floods Matthew’s chest. His breath steadies. The chains tremble.)
MATTHEW
(whispering, realization dawning)
His grace… is sufficient.
TEMPTER
You can't enjoy what you don't believe.
(The whispers turn into laughter, low, mocking, circling him like vultures. The shadows dance around him, feeding on his doubt. The chains grow heavier.)
(Jesus, still on the Cross, groans, lifting His head slightly. Blood drips from His brow. His eyes remain locked on Matthew.)
VOICE OF GOD
(O.S)
Do not fear, only believe.
MATTHEW
(panting, realization dawning)
I believe in the Cross.
(But the chains do not break. The darkness still lingers. The struggle is not over.)
(Matthew squeezes his eyes shut. He takes a slow, deep breath. His heartbeat steadies. His mind clears.)
MATTHEW
(firm, resolute) I am a partaker of His grace. (The chains crack. A spark of light ignites around him. The darkness hisses, recoiling. The Tempter steps back, eyes narrowing.)
TEMPTER
(snarling, desperate)
No! You still.....
MATTHEW
 (stronger)
I am forgiven. I am redeemed. His blood was enough! I have escaped the corrupt world.
(A blinding surge of light explodes from the Cross, rushing toward him. The chains shatter, disintegrating into dust. The whispers scream as the shadows are consumed by divine fire.)
(The Tempter’s face twists in fury. He steps backward, his form flickering. The ground beneath him cracks. His scream is swallowed by the radiance light as he vanishes. Silence follows.)
(Matthew gasps, falling to his knees. The weight is gone. The chains are gone. The darkness… is gone. He looks up at Jesus, still on the Cross. Their eyes meet, then Jesus speaks. His voice, weak yet powerful.)
JESUS
It is finished.
(Tears stream down Matthew’s face. He bows his head, overwhelmed.)
(A mighty wind rushes through the land. The ground shakes. The Cross glows with an unearthly light.)
(Matthew gasps, eyes flying open. The words pierce through him. He stares at Jesus whose gaze is not of condemnation, but victory. The final blow to darkness. The finished work.)
(The blinding light from the Cross surges forward, clashing against the darkness. The accuser Voice shrieks in agony as it writhes, recoiling from the radiance.)
(Matthew shields his face, his heart pounding. The words still echo in his ears—“It is finished.”)

3. INT. MATTHEW’S ROOM – NIGHT
(With a gasp, Matthew jolts awake. He is back in his bed, drenched in sweat. The clock reads 4:33 AM.)
(His hands shake as he touches his wrists. No chains. No marks. But he knows… something has changed.)
(He looks at his Bible, still on the nightstand. This time, he does not hesitate. He picks it up, his grip firm. He flips to a passage, tears blurring his vision.)
MATTHEW
 (overwhelmed, joyful)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)
(A peace unlike anything he has ever felt washes over him. The storm outside has ceased. The first light of dawn begins to rise.)
(He opens to 2 Peter 1 and start reading from verse 3 & 4 and meditate)
MATTHEW
As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!
And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.
(He nods his head)
MATTHEW
So I have power and I have escaped. Thank you Jesus.
(He kneel and prays)
MATTHEW
Lord, help me to keep believing as I stand in Your grace. Oh I am His and that's enough for Jesus lives in me.
(Matthew is overwhelmed by his realization as he praise God).

4. EXT. HADES – NIGHT
DARKNESS REALM
(In the unseen realm, the Tempter stands in the shadows, watching. His face twisted in anger. He turns to a legion of dark figures.)
TEMPTER
(Annoyed)
We lost this battle. But we will not stop. We will keep stopping them to see the Cross where they can receive grace, because in the Cross lies power and His grace because when a man become a partaker of his grace, He has escaped us and that won't happen. Are you ready?

(There is an echo of Yes as the darkness dissolve)

5. INT. CHURCH – SUNDAY MORNING
(Matthew stands before the congregation. His hands grip the pulpit. His heart pounds not with fear, but with purpose.)
(He looks out at the crowd, some weary, some broken, some just like he was. He takes a deep breath. He speaks.)
MATTHEW
For so long, I lived in fear, though I claimed to have faith. But I have seen… I have stood at the foot of the Cross. And I tell you, His grace is enough. It has always been enough!
And through His finished work you have grace and power which can given you everything that pertain to life and godliness and granted you His promises that you may escape the judgement of the world and become a partaker of His grace. Will you receive that grace? Jesus is calling you. Come to the foot of the cross today and lay all your lust, sin and insecurities. He wants you to escape. Come now.
(The crowd murmurs. Some eyes well with tears and young ones begin to rush to the altar and the song "Amazing grace" plays underground).



THE END .